New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-27
stepping Slavery Agitation.


somewhere, and nine tenths of the differ
ences and quarrels whereby human life is
made wretched have their origin in the
loose, vague, Inexperienced use OF terms
Phrases are used which may mean one
thing or another, and of course are under
stood differently by different persons OF
whom each assents or objects according to
his own special Interpretation hence
feud and fracas for which the only provo
cation is that afforded by these conflicting
conceptions Of the same words. And were
there ever phrases more indefinite and am
bieuous than those now in vogue of Slavery
Agitation and stopping Slavery Agi-
tation
Suppose clergyman feels called upon to
illustrate and enforce the Ten Command
ments, and, having reached that which
SAYS, Thou shalt not steal, he explains
that stealing includes any use or enjoyment
of the products of others labor without first
obtaining the producers free consent and
rendering them fair and full equivalent
is this clergyman guilty or not guilty of
stirring up Slavery Agitation =!
Suppose he attempt to expound and en-
force the precept Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as myself and begins by proving
that all men are neighbors and brethren,
and that consequently we are bound to
treat each human being exactly as we in
that persons position would wish to be
treated-that our whole conduct toward
each member of the human family must be
governed by justice and impelled by love-
that we must to the extent of our ability,
feed the hungry, enhghten the ignorant,
raise up the down-trodden, and let the
oppressed 90 free is he guilty or not
guilty of Slavery Agitation
And suppose free citizen is called upon
to aid in tightening the rivets and shorten
ing the tether of those in bondage-is COM
manded to close against them the last
avenue of escape into freedom, and to aid
in chasing down and recapturing any of
them who may nevertheless get away
can we state why he does not feel under
obligation to obey such mandate without
mourning the charge of exciting Slavery
Agitation :!
To these and like questions which will
readily suggest themselves we have right
| u, ,Io 1,,1 IN,
the current defamation about Stopping
Slavery Agitation. We demand that the
new crime which they have invented, and
for which they are inficting summary pun
ishment, shall be clearly defined and IN
derstood. We insist that clear line shall
be drawn by the denoupcers Of the oflense
between what does and what does not con-
stitute the melting of Slavery Agitation
But this Agitation it is said, imper-
lis the Union, and therefore is cul pable and
punishable. Let us understand that clear
ly. We never heard that the Union was
seriously endangered by agitation IN taror
of Slavery. When Louisiana was pur-
chased and It's vast Slave Territory added
to the extent OF our Union-purchased with
the money Of the entire American People,
and in confessed violation of the Federal
Compact-thero was some little agitation
but the Union was not seriously endanger-
ed by it. A few years later, the purchase
of Florida added another large domain to
our Slaveholding Territory, yet nobody ap-
pretended Dissolution of the Union on
that account. After a little longer inter
val, Texas was invited to bring into the
Union Slayeholding domain larger than
all the original Free States together, and
this naturally provoked resistance and ex-
element; but who feared the consequent
Dissolution of the Union Certainly not
the merchants of the great cities, though
most of them were hostile to the measure
of Annexation. But did they ever stop one
paper that advocated it from fear that the
absorption of Texas would dissolve the
! Unionl We never heard of an instance.
No, it is only opposing the Extension of
Slave Power that is commercially held in
imlcal and perilous to the perpetuity of the
Union.
Well: the Union has endured severe
shocks, and will probably withstand many
more. A great many Committees ofSafety
will yet be formed to nurse it, and it will
live and flourish in spite of them all. But
If anything could shake it, not the free ex-
preston bat the compelled suppression of
thought and feeling would have that effect.
Between US be Truth If that cannot