Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-07-31


goddess Diana, and Of the image which fell
down from JUPITER or they may worship
God, spirit, in spirit and in truth still this
is all one to the vocation of the statesmen
Of our country.
The sun in the armament is not more
clear than southern statesmen have made it
apparent, that the slaveholding of the South
is profitable to the North. can neutraize
every speech Of this kind which has been
made in Congress for these last fift cen years,
before northern assembly, by merely say
ing, "What shall it prof, man, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul 20
The North believe ,ha, God approves Of
their efforts to break down slaveholding.-
There lies the mighty secret which propels
them, and makes their doings plain and con-
sistent. 1t not only shows method in what
they have already DONE, but it intima,es
wha, they will in future do. They believe
that God will make all thngs-,he tramp
ling under foot the Constitution, the disso-
luton of the Union, and every other enor-
mity-work together for good, to those who
thus serve him.
To combat religion with religion, is phi
losophical. Besides, religion is our strong
hold. We have both the Bible and the
Constitution on our side. IF we can waive
our peculiar tastes so far as to avail our
selves of our mightiest weapon Of defence,
we shall come off more than conquerors.
Could the South but be brought to see that
religious belief, and nothing else, is the in
sigatlng cause of northern aggression; or
If other mo,ives-as envy, Indignation at
servitnde, and the like-do enter into it,
that they all fall into the lead Of this great
principle, become part and parcel with il,
and are sanctifed by it, they would see per-
feet consistency in the lengths TO which
this aggression has already been carried: and
might calculate with definite cert,in,y upon
its progression in future. Arguments ad
dressed 10 the n or,h mus, be Of kind fit
ted to cause separation between the lana-
tics and those who are yet in their senses.
Divide and conquer. ! hold that the con-
s,itulional argument which am about to
present, is Of this kind.
large majority of the people of the u
nled States, believe that our aveholding
is an offence against the Christian religi
The Wilmot provso, in its naked identity,
is no other than proposition to establish
The religion of this majority.
''Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment Of religion, or prohibiting
The free exercise thereof" Of
the Constitution: Article 1si. As TO the
particulars which constitute religion, the
Constitution purposely says nothing. II
suppose that there is nowhere extant an
eqnal amount Of matter, that would COM
mand an equal amount of suffrage, both in
this country, and throughout Chrisendom,
in favor Of its being an embodiment Of re-
ligion, as the Decalogue, the ten command
men.s, given by Moses. Two Of these
commandments have respect, as all learned
and sound commentators admit, TO slaves:
The fourth and the tenth. In Maryland, il
incur the responsibilities which these COM
mands impose upon me, in all their length
and breadth, without let or hindrance. u
here desist from labor on Sunday and, by
letting my servants rest, as well as my yself,
keep the fourth commandment. | hold Of
icially divine service on Sunday-leachI
my servants these very commandments, and
thus exercise my religion, the catholic re-
l'gion. My neighbors about me also own
slaves. examine my own heart, and find
that do not covet my neighbours slaves.
Thus obey the tenth commandment, and
gain evidence that my heart is righ, in the
sight of God. Herein ] exercise my reli-
gion.
ipropose 10 remove from hence and set
tie with my whole family, slaves and all, on
the territory recently acquired from Mexico.
All admit that have right so to do. But
then it is proposed to meet me there with a
law which kindly relieves me from these
responsibilities Of which have been speak
ing, and in which so much delight. Il
is proposed to take me out from under the
hand of my Maker, and to let so much of
his law as enjoins the resting of servants on
the Sabbath, and prohibits the cove,ing of
servants, wilher, drop TO the ground, and
become forever extinct. And all this, be-
cause my northern brethren have differen.
religion from my own. ] object to this do
ing. prefer to incur ell the responsible
ties of Gods Law. IF it is urged that the
Wilmot proviso is not law "concerning
an establishment of religion" within the
true intent and meaning of the Constitution,
that the frs. clause of the above quotation
from that instrument, has reference to the
establishing of some one particular church
as the national religion, after the manner of
the nations of Europe; be it SO. The lat
ter clause Of the sentence fixes the meaning.
Congress shall no. only not make any law
respecting an establishment Of religion, bu.
it shall no, make any law which prohibits
the free exercise Of religion. The Wilmot
proviso would prohibit the free exercise Of
my religion it is therefore unconstitutional.
] have presented myself personally in
concrete with this argument, that might
make the conclusion irresistible. What the