Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-01-27
THE r Il h NJ N.

Our Cause and lis Obstacles.

Our Cause and lis Obstacles,
That sturdy old veteran, TINE, with his swift,
untiring wing has borne our little bark through
the storm and sunshine of another annual round,
year. What those scenes to as will be, as they
shall rise up successfully out of the deep ocean
of the unfathomed future, or whether ne shall
be permitted to look out much longer upon the
revolving panorama of Lifes fantastic exhibitions,
is known only to HIM with whom a thousand
years are but as a day. 1t is sufficient, however,
for short-seeing mortals to know, that so long as
the race is before them, their duty is ever to run
it with wisdom and prudence, no less than with
patience and perseverance. And since you and
|, and our few Liberty cOapeerS under the ban
ner of the common brotherhood of man, propose
continuing the great race, which we have prose-
cuted in days and years past, it may not be labor
wholly lost to look back over the field, we have
traversed; for peradventure we may be thereby
enable to impart energy and efficacy to our fu-
ture operations.
TO begin our brief review, then, with a question,
let me ask you Mr. Editor, let me ask the anti
slavery mind of Vermont, and N. England, what
is the great obstacle in the way of the more rapid
advancement of the car of freedom? What causes
the chariot wheels thereof, (that ought to roll as
smoothly as the planets in their orbits to grind
and "grate harsh thunder, " like Millions gates of
He'll In plain prose, what prevents the intel
ligcnt, the moral, the religious portion of our
state and country from coming up boldly in mass
and enrolling themselves on the side of the op-
pressed? Why have our tracts and newspaper
publications. been sown broadcast over the length
and breadth of the land, our towns and villages
flooded with lectures and addresses, the tale of the
b%ondman, signing for liberty, been ringing up and
down our hills and Wales almost lncessantly?-
Why so many sermons preached and prayers Of
fered, in behalf of Gods suffering poor-and all
this e1ort-allthis instrumentality fallen upon the
hearts and minds of the people comparatively
powerless? Why, | ask, this waste oftiIne, labor,
talent? Why all this preaching without reforma-
tion,all this prayer without repentance? What
is it, that thus blocks up the way of progress!
O,Sir, when | look at the cause, | hang my
head for shame, while at the same time | thank
God most devoutly, that our little liberty band
has not long ere this been "swaIlowed up of the
Egyptians" and the poor slave been left to grope
his blind way of despair, until death kindly UNI
loose the grasp of the tyrant STAKEHOLDER.
know not what others would assign as answer
to the preceding inquiries, but | shall offer some
suggestions embodying what | believe to be the
great obstacle in the way of the slaves redemp-
ton.
Meanwhile bear in mind the fact which lies at
the foundation of our enterprise, that slavery,
legal Slavery, if it ever ends, must be terminated
by legislation, by coting. The Almighty Law
giver himself. has not power to terminate the
legal slavery of these United States in any other
way; unless indeed he should blot from existence
the very region over which slavery has jurisdic-
ton, the region where slave-laws exist. And very
few would be found willing to have slavery obo-
lished in this way. | am not certain but some
few political a%spirants (some e by 8 demagogues
of hopeless prospects) for the sake of using up
the Liberty party, would even be glad to have
slavery termincd in this summary manner. But
such diabolical spirits are rare.
Whoever has bestowed even a casual notice
-. H. oon,o ,nJ o,,rto,og tbo ,bo,,u6t, ,.J
ways, ofthe people of N. England (the descend
ants chiefly of the selEsacriicing, God-honoring,
puritans) must have observed as one of their pro-
minent characteristics a deep rooted respect, a
sort Of hereditary regard, amounting to an almost
pious veneration for the sacred Office of the Cos
pei ministry. This feeling cherished as it has
been by both precept and example from the ear
lest time, necessarily prompts the great body of
the moral portion of the community to look up to
the minister Of the gospel as a proper example
for imitation in every thing pertaining to morals
and religion especially. 1t is a practical motto
with the N. Englanders that, "~here our minister
goes. zoe MAJ ALL go" Such indeed has been
and p~artically now is the unlimited confidence
imposed by the members of the various churches
in their respective religious teachers, that with
individual exceptions, the opinion of the pastor
once uttered whether on religions, political or
financial subjects) quiets all disPutes,-quells all
doubts, arrests all further Investigation. Nay,
an observer would sometimes be induced to be-
lieve that the pastor had taken upon himself the
covenant with his people to do their thinking as
well as their preaching. speak of this trait of
character, not to commend or condemn, but sim
py as a fact, which exists, and which exerts a
tremendous power, either for veal or woe, upon