Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-03-16

'ai,s' ue lathef often sells his own offspring,
ana N some cases sells his offspring 10 the
most horrible and unnatural doom to which
a human being can be devoted. They are
also aware, that slavery is destructive TO the
interests OF morality in general. They know
that y nardens the heart Of the Shareholder,
ana makes the injured slave reckless and
desperate. They know that it increases
mems selishness that it withers the very
root Of benevolence, and makes the heart Of
the master as hard and unfeeling as a stone.
They know that absolute power was never
meant Tor man, and that no man can possess
1t without risk or ruin 10 his virtue and his
humanity. They know that to deal in the
blood and flesh, in the bodies and souls of
their b~relhren-that to seize and make mer-
ehandlse Of those whom God has formed for
intelligence, and virtue, and immortality,
must necessarily strike at the root Of all that
is good, OF all that is great, of all that is ten
der, OF all that is god-like, of all that is love-
ly, of all that is Christ-like in the human
soul.
The ministers Of Leeds are also aware,
that the existence of slavery in America, must
necessarily have an injurious effect upon the
interests Of other nations of the earth. They
have been given 10 understand, that the rights
of Britons themselves are already sacrificed,
in part, 10 the interests of that unholy and
unnatural institution. They have also dis.
covered that those who hold men in slavery,
must necessarily seek TO keep instruction
from the slaves. They are aware that the
American shareholders deny their slaves the
liberty 10 learn to read and write-that in the
slave States of America it is made death by
law, 10 attempt a second time to teach the
slaves to learn the letters of the alphabet, or
10 spell the name of God their Father in
heaven. The ministers of Leeds have also
been given TO understand, that where slave
ry prevails, it necessarily generates a spirit
Of bondage or s%ervility in the minds of the
whole community, and exerts its baneful in
fluence both on church and state, corrupting
and enslaving the minds Of all. They are
aware that in the Slave States of America the
political representatives Of the State are bound
10 the defence and advocacy of slavery at al
hazards, and that The ministers Of the various
religious denominations are tied and bount
in like manner, to connive at the abomina
ions 1l that system, and 10 refrain from re
buking its guilty upholders. They are a
ware that slavery has corrupted the churches
of America-that members, and leaders,, anC
deacons, and elders, and preachers, and bish'
OPS, and churches, are involved in the gull
of Acknowledgements members and minis
ters of churches are to be found breeding and
rearing slaves for the market, and selling,
and buying, and whipping, and branding
their fellow-creatures as their daily occupa-
tion-that they even buy, and sell, and whip,
and brand, the members of their own chur-
ches-that Methodists are found holding Me-
thodists in slavery and Baptists holding Bap-
fists in slavery, and Independents holding In
dependents in slavery that ministers are
= . II - IL l.,l aAl llNnA IN thp
bodies and souls Of their own church men,
bers-that churches even in their corporate
CAPACITY are found in possession of slaves
that missionary societies, and bible societies
and religious seminaries and colleges are
supported by the price Of human beings
supported, not only by the forced earnings
or the plundered wages Of the slaves, but by
the price received at public auction for the
persons of the slaves. | say that with al
these things the ministers Of the tow o.
Leeds are, TO some extent at least, acqualn'
ted. They have read the reports of anti
slavery speeches in the newspapers. Some
of them have read the narrative of Frederlct
Douglass and those who have not heard hin
sneak, have heard accounts of his speeches
from those who have attended his lectures
and have read reports of his speeches in thu
newspapers published in their own town.
Thew are acquainted therefore with the grea
facts connected with American slavery
They are aware that in the United States o
America there are three millions of their fel
low.creatures held in the most ablect an
cruel bondage. They are aware that tn
number of slaves is annually increasing-thf
, the extent of territory occupied by slavery
I annually enlarging-that Texas has bee
wrested from Mexico TO be converted from
: land of freedom into a land OF ~slavery-th
| the United States are waglng war WI
= Mexico at this moment, for the purpose
f Wrestling from that power still greater tTac
. of territory, and of converting California al
a New Mexico into slave plantations. In
a are aware too that America obstructs the
forts of England and other European poweI
in their efforts to put down the sIaye-trat
and to secure freedom and peace to the WIG
spread population of Africa.
- saw the ministers of Leeds are aware
ID all these things and they are wlshiui &c
re at least we are required to believe theih WIS
ar full, that those great evils should be ofoue
4 IN an end. 1t was not then because IN
~ woro ;gnorant of the evil of slavery; 1t W
nd not because they were Ignorant oil the eN'e
~ 10 which slavery prevails in America II W
v' not because they were Indifferent TO !
~ nyowth of this frightful evil 1t was mol
u cause thew are wishful to perPetua'e al
S strengthen this most awful of all vices II
~ most terrible of all calamities, that the mi
~ isters of Leeds chose to keep away from
irs meetings of the Anti-Slavery League
a. What then was the reason
% We answer, secondly, the ministers d
,e u, not absent themselves from the meetings
!, the Anli.slavery League because they, I
~ Iieved the agents of the League to be dru
he ken, proAigate, licentioas men, or men W
vocacv of aati.slavery principles; nor was
ey because they considered the agents OF '
n. Anti-slavcry League TO be men OF weak