The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-04-17
rOr the National Era.
DR., DEWEY AND THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW


We have read, with deep interest, the remarks
Of the Inquirer upon Doctor Dewey's address de-
livered at Pittsfeld and the subsequent CORES
pondence upon the same subject, between its
editor and Doctor Dewey.
In the history of mankind, there has been, per-
haps, not single illustration so broad a scale
or one so full and impressive, of the folly, as well
as wickedness Of doing evil that good may come,
as is exhibited to the world in the terrible conse
quences that have resulted from admitting the
element of Slavery into our National Constitution.
The Federal Union was deemed essential to our
strength, possibly to our existence as nation
and to secure it, terms of compact were made,
which have ever since had a constant tendency
to subvert its ends To procure peace, seeds Of
strife we're sown to procure strength, seeds Of
disunion; and to obtain the fruits OF righteousness
we entered into a covenant with Elm. But, tits
Gods and Natures fiat, that as we SOW We shall
reap and our harvest is in kind with our seed
By the very articles of agreement which bound
the two sections of the country together, they
were placed in such an attitude, relatively to each
other, as must necessarily become hostile, unless
there should be the meekest submisslon on the
part of one towards the other. That submission
the North has practiced, and is still practicing
and at every new concession, the South becomes
give"
Perhaps no nation ever existed for any two
portions of which there was constitutionaly pro-
vided such rivalry Of interests-of interests too,
| absolutely incompatible and rreconcilable-those
Of the one portion being totally adverse to the
whole nature and spirit Of the Government, while
| those of the other are its genuine growth and
result. Grounds OF quarrel and disagreement
arc psrpetually arising bribery, in various forms
is the grand means of adjustment, and bribery 4
corruption. The gigantic North Is held in polt
ical tbraldom by a few hundred shareholders
the living body is tied to the dead body, and mus
betray no consciousness Of its loahing; nay, itsel
becomes so infected as to be well-nigh unconsciou
of infection public and private morals are sub
ject to more rapid degeneracy political integ
| rty has almost ceased to be; what should have
been one grand and beautiful Eden, in this West
ern world, is in part garden Of weeds and IL IL
demanded that a large portion Of our fair new
| territory shall become also such garden and
| still il is affirmed that the North has nothing
to do with slavery Would God that this were
30 Would God that the North had not greater
burden of guilt resting upon Its shoulders, con.
neoted with slavery, than even the South We
have not the excuse Of an inheritance In slavery
of prejudices, associations, habits, the result OF
living in It's midst, that have grown with our
growth and strengthened with our strengthen
an established dependence upon it as a means of
subsistence And yet we fight its battles, and
il goes on conquering and to conquer, under our
banner Whitening curse that ii is, as fast as 1t
exhausts the land it feeds upon, we give IL
more. We tax ourselves for its support, We SUI.
fer it to elect large majority Of our officers Of
Government, We place it's image in our halls
of legislation, and bow down before IT.; and
now we are called upon to do bloodhound
- for oVAc IF mn hauf and vii INN
think that this is just, and that we are bound to
obey the requisiton without remonstrance, with
out paying any heed even to the fact that we
thus ex pose class of our own free citizens to the
doom of perpetual chains and unrequited labor
We have, besides, 80 far imbibed the spirit Of
slavery, even in New England as, until within q
very recent period to withhold from class Of our
earth born companions and fellow mortals"
Christian Justice, courtesy, and humanity nor do
We even now fully recognise. in our intercourse
with them, the rights OF human brotherhood. Set
ting aside the mass who are ever ready to cry,
Great is Diana of the Ephesans," 80 long as
they can carry on gainfui trade In her shrines,
there is ever class Of conscientious men, who
make God of the Union, and persuade them
selves that nothing 80 important to the interests
not only of this country, but humankind at large,
as its preservation, and that therefore II must be
preserved at the cost Of any amount Of concession,
even to the slave power-nay that the bare risk OF
disunion flor the threat Of it must, after all, be
regarded as "wolf" cry) must be 80 avoided.
Ia seeking an explanation Of this extraordinary
fact, we have been led to think that II Is TO be
found, partly at least, in habit Of regarding the
blacks as an altogether inferior race, but little
above the brutes In forgetfulness Of the fact that
God made these men, also, In his image. We are
persuaded that the report Of white American,
rtaIl In a ma N 10
erslaved by the Algerines. would produce greater
sensation in the minds Of many-an impression OF
wrong and outrsge--fsr exceeding what Is ever
occasioned by the thought Of the three millions Of
slaves in our own borders.
There is a passage in Mr. Dewey's Address
which confirms us in this opinion, and which, we
think, completely nullhes his whole argument
II Is as follows:
"Now | admit, as have already said, and
maintain, that there Is such thing as q law Of
conscience, which Is above any Constitution, any
compact-any advantage whatever III were re-
quired TO blasphemc God-if were required to
tell lic--to avouch here, In the presence Of God,
that TO be true, which knew 10 be false, 6rm-
Iy say would not do i'll would not do II to save
my life or your lives, or the lives Of whole ma
ton. Or IL the Southern people were idolaters,
and would make no compact with us but on con-
ditlon that we would worship their gods, say
that we could not do IL, and ought not to do It.
Or II they were wOrshippers Of Moloch, and de-
manded, as the condition of union with them,
that we should send to them, every year, hun
drsd OF our children, to go through the fire TO
Moloch, say we could not do It,"
Mr. Dewey would not tell lie, he would not
worship idols, he would not send hundred chill
dren, every year, to pass through the IRE 10
Moloch, even to preserve the Union. But he will
send black fugitive slaves 10 q condition Of life
that makes them liars and thieves, and compsls or
and permits them 70 be fornloators
and sdultersrs; which puts their wives and
daughters at the mercy Of savage and cruel lust
md makes them liable TO fate, TO which passing
through the fire 10 Molooh would be blessed a.
Iernstive
II grest numbers Of them are insensibls TO the
horrors Of thar condition thu very fact II trum-