The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent. (Port Gibson, Claiborne Co., Miss.) 1848-18??, 1850-06-28
From the N. o. Picayune.
Prof Stuart on the Rights of Slave
holders,

the great speech OF Mr.. Webster, in the u. S.
Senate, on slave subjects. Mr.. Stuart was
signer of the paper addressedto Mr.. Webster by
the citizens Of Massachusetts, thanking him for
the expression of these views; and the fact OF
signing has, it appears, exposed him to so much
annoyance and misinterpretation that he has
deemed it necessary TO come before the public
in defence of Mr.. Webster's speech, and of him.
self for having approved of it He adopts as
text an extract from one of st. Paul's Epistes,
with an apology for bringing the Apostle for
ward to encounter the contumely which is in this
day heaped upon all who approve st. Paul's
opinions OH slavery.
The pamphlet is copyright publication, and
papers. Judging from them it is a production Of
great moderation, great ability, and sound con-
servative tone, which is very grateful to South
ern ears after all the heated and inhamafory talk
10 which they are daily condemned TO listen in
tile congressional defamation and popular clam
ors of Northern men.
A large part of the letter is devoted to critical
examination OF the scrptural history of slavery
among the Jews, as regulated and recognised by
Moses the lawgver who received his cOmmiss-
ion on Mount Sinai. In this part Of the subject
Mr. Stuart treats at length Of the duty ofrestoring
fugitive slaves, and examines critically those pas
ages in the Old Testament which are so often
quoted to show that it was the Divine command
TO give refuge to slaves thai had escaped from
their masters. He arrives at the conclusion that
the Injunction to the HebreWs-'.Thou shalt not
deliver unto his master what is escaped from his
master unto thee"--was religious injunction,
and had relation exclusively to fugtives from
obligation to save and reclaim him from his pa.
ganism, as well as TO protect him from cruelty.
Between the Hebrews themselves, Prof Stuart
shows that the right of reclamation for fugitives
existed. The Mosaic law gave to the owner a
property in bis bondsman, and the right ofrecla-
nation could be lawfully made and enforced.
Mr.. Stuart applies these views to the case Of
fugitive bondmen in the United States, and af.
; firms that the obligation Of the people Of the
North to send such back TO their masters is taught
in the scriptures as duty. "a bondman" fee
ing to the North from Southern master, he de.
scribes as "a case o. just the same kind as would
have been furnished among the Hebrews, if
Hebrew hondman had fed from the tribe Of Judah
10 that of Benjamin" The law of Moses con.
tains, in his opinion, no authority to reject the
claims Of our fellow countrymen and citizens
''for strayed or stolen property, property author
lied and guaranteed aasucb by Southern States
to their respective citizens"
The New Testament obligations are examined
with the same candor and acuteness, and after
establishing the position that the condition O
slavery was acknowledged by the immediate fol
lowers of our Saviour, he contrasts the conduct O.
the Northern abolitionists with that of the early
christians; and affirms that if the great apostle
(PauD himself were to resppear on earth anC
come now into the midst of US, and preach the
doctrine contained in his epistes, he would IN
J questionably incur the danger Of being mobbed
sat all events we should have multitude of in
dignalion meetings got up against him, like those
which have recently appeared in the great me
: : tropolis of our country"
On the subject of Wilmot proviso he speaks
!, with very commendabe distinctness thus;
| must confess, that to me, humble, quie
s country dweller who never descended into th
arena of political controversy, there has seldom
u a greater nonsense ever presented itself to m
notice than this said provso. 1t is impossible
: to defend 1t, on any stable grounds of jus gen
tiuna which republic admits.
There are many other passages in the pam
: phlet we would like to copy. but we must con
e fine ourselves to the following extract, in whic
o the learned professor treats of the Seward doc
trine of the obligations Of conscience above tn
ct constitution:
y But We are told that there is higher law tina
~ the constitution, the law of Heaven written o.
le our hearts and consciences; and that we are t
I'd follow that law. Nay, it is not only procaime
is in some o: onr journals that there is higher lay
| than the constitution, but men are called upor
y both in those journals and in the pulpit, to disc
bey the constitution Conscience, it is said, ha
! decided, and rightly decided, that the consttutio
:. should be disobeyed. But how? Why? Can m
private conscience prescribe 10 Virginia how sh
H. shall regulate the laws Of property? Can m
~ console ice decide that soteregnies are not I
J, be left 10 their own sense of duty? do'not Sc
IS how. may think that Virginia, for exampl,
!. does a moral wrong by her slaaery ssssss; bu
II clearly il is no political wrong done to Others
* The matter belongs to her alone; not to. he
an neghbors.
al But let us here looS into this matter litll
in further about conscience and Its alleged right,
= Is the conscience IN question Christian cor
science? Thers are, as we well know, all sort
at Of consciep;es, very diverse and even opposite
as but am NV asking for Christian conscience
Of To ever; such conscience would say; Com
a along. with me now to another conference wit
ne Pas insist upon it that you shall not declin.
lls - What did Paul do at Rome? A slave of Phi
%: emon, at Colosse, ran away and came TO Rome
There he was converted into christianity unde
ur Paul's preaching The apostle was so please
}. with him that he was eesirous to retain him as
friend and helper. Did he tell the slave that h
a had right, nay, that it was his duty to kee
away from his master, and stay with him? NJ
sh at all. He sent back Onesimus, the slave, I
th his master (Pbil v. l2) and he tells the maste
DID that he could not venture to retain Onesimu
-se without knowing whether he would consent