Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-05-14

created mind, and when it had erred revealed to
1t what it imreriously needed to know.
Slavery in the United States has resulted, and
is destined still more and more to result. in the
permanent good and advancement of the Negro
Race, and human device cannot make it last
longer than the good Of the slaves themselves re-
qtires, and human device cannot hasten its ter
minaton by any other means than by shedding
of blood. White population is supplanting CO.
lored population, whether free or bond. by an
irresistible law Thus, and thus only, is it dcsi-
rable for the good of any party, or possible to
terminate slavery in the South. Such is our
Southern faith on this subject
The innovating and progressive morality Of
the North requires that something should be
done about slavery. This something, as far as
the General Government is concerned, her states
men in Congress are expected to do. They are
expected to represent, and act upon the views Of
their constituents.
New-England statesmen admit and maintain,
that they have no constitutional night TO do any
thing with, or about slavery which exists in
the States bit that tn control of that matter
belongs to the severe ~ States sevcrallv in
which slavery exists. Still the sense of the
constituency, backed by the sense of the civil
zed world urges them on to try to do something
to discountenance slaycholding, and to induce
the South to abandon it.
a singular fact, and that by which the diver
sity in character between the North and the
South is most strongly illustrated, is, that the
point of controversy on which, at the present
time. the two communities grarpe closest, is
not the abolition of slavery, but the question of
right to discuss the subject OF slavery
| The South knew not their Northern friends as
well as they might have been known, or they
never would have insisted that their petitions to
Congress for the abolition Of slavery in the Dis
! trict Of Columbia, should not be received a
love of constitutional liberty, and love Of mo-
ratv, with all the fanatcal aboitionism which
adhercs to it, were brought into harmonious
combination. Those who were for the sacred
right of petition and those who were for the sa-
cred right of abolitionism, acted in perfect con-
cent. and it was useless and ill-ludgcd, to resist
The right of petition being conceded. and yet
the thing petitioned for being as far from being
granted as ever, and remaining as desr9ole as
ever. in Northern estimation, the same thing is
sought to be accomplished by exercising the
right of discussion.
There are certain propositions to argue
which is treason against nature" And such,
have the Northern members of Congress occ l.
sion to believe. is the opinion of the South about
discussing the sdbject of slavery Here the po-
siton OF the Northern members is still embarras-
siUH. ue .NpTlll nave I'D pD!lliCdl power O'tl
slavery in the States. This is conceded Yet
under the constitutional provision that the free
dom of speech and the freedom of the press shall
not be abridged. they have the right to discuss
slavery in their own moral way. This right
must be conceded, for it has been successfully
maintained that man has right even to shear
a wolf And the only legitimate way OF dealing
with Il man who insists that he will shear a wolf
simply because he has right TO do so. is to con
cade that he has that right, but to try to convince
him that it is inexpedient to exercise it. There
is good moral authority for maintaining that al
things which are lawful, are not all expedent
Congress has declared its incompetency t.
discontinue Sabbath lals, the Constitution no
having informed that body, what day in the weel
. that dayi is. 1t would be ncongruous therefore
in them, to attemp To- inform the STAKEHOLDER res
pecting bis moral duties to his slaves, since j
has declared itself incapable of informing hin
which day in the seven that day is, which hi.
Maker commands him to keep holy, in which EC
is not TO work himself nor to work his slave
1t would be strange il the one matter could be
fo>ted in, after the other has been excluded.
The politics and politeness of she South are
ever ready Since the Moth allirms the sinful
: ness OF slavery, the former with his courtesy ad
mts the question TO be problematcal willie will
his politics he atiirns their right, under God, st
to sin. if indeed it BE- sin to mold slaves.
The Constitution not including the power o
,, determining the moral character Of action
among the enumerated powers conferred b,
that instrument, ard as in their conscenccs the.
do not believe that it is for" the general weltar
of the United States that they should determine
sayeholding either to be, or not to be sin, the.
conclude that the powers of shining, in the mat
ter OF slavery are reserved to the states respec
lively, or to the people," 1t is difficult to dea
politically with such political ungodilness a
this. And yet no less task in imposed OH tn
, Northern members of Congress.
The South think it bad policy, bad patriotism
and bad manners, on the part OF the North, to as
them 10 give up slNeholding, after they have
: in the most distinct, nnelulvocal, and solem
manner declared. that this Will terminate tAel
: slaveholding and their mortal existence slmul
taneously. They habtlally take other at the
word, and think that it b,longsto good manners
l so to do.
Feeling doubt not, that the attempt to carr
out Northern moral views on the floor OF Con
!. gress, was but "lading one's-self with thic
+, clay" you, sir, hit upon the device OF confront
T. ting the Northern constituency with these Soutl
ern politicians.
. But sir, the object which is proposed to !
;, lined by Southern addresses before Norher
i audiences requires some definition 1t does II,
:. clearly appear what end a Southern politician
to propose to himself, by going to the North, t
, | address the people.
Some attitude Of State towards the subject {
i slavery, New-England might reasonably be e,
e pected TO present. What this attitude really i
- can only appropriately be learned from her states
= men. In the mixture of politics and moralit
i which comes from New-England, is there not
- little lack of clearness in the defining OF polite;
~ position Would not the good of the Union +
>, subsarved, if the New-England delegation wcr
Il asked why, in the present well defined posilio
i in which the South stand, the North continue t
: moralize with her! And should not this inte
i royatory why why why be reiterated ii
- the moral view is made to subsde, and the pol
- teal view is made clearly to appear!
- VIII the New-England delegation, to a maj
: adoptthe language of the Hon Daniel Webster
4 | recoect not the occasion, but from the lack
~ ~ relteraton should suppose that it was extota
n from him on some pressing occasion, Tn
=, Constitution as 1t Is.
If they decline this, and prefer an otherwis
A moral one see not how ii can be defined will
/. ont amounting to something like this - W
# noralists urge moral considerations upon yol
>. because we yet confidently hope to persuade 20
to abolish sIivery.-Should we despair ofaccon
e pshing this end, we may possibly feel it ou
n duty to separate from you, at all hazards, lie,