The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-08-14
M WE LIVE INA FREE COUNTRY?

M WE LIVE IN A FREE COUNfRf
ap,orv citizen OF State is ips0 JaaO citizen
=, ,Ss limited States n-&OJy, Com on ConSt,
p $3.50. A. S,. - A..
r,;or and on occasion is as patriotic as any Of
-. sis,srs The recent expulsion Of Wesleyan
-;n;.,sr for the crime Of preaching the Gospel of
Christ shows that her ctizensat least believe in
..tI;,ber LawD than the Constitution Of the Uni
"a States Rev J. McBrid was banished from
the State. for giving an Anti-Slsvery tract enti-
tied aThe Ten Commandments" to young
,h;,s GIRL at house where the missionary
boarded The Annsreqa Missionary says: This
little tract was published some twelve or fourteen
wears since, and the object Of it Is to show, in
deoorous language and with Christian spirit,
the oontrariety between the Decalogue and Sla-
veryp The subjoined proceedings show that
others beside Mr. Mcbride have been expelled
from the State for preaching the Gospel
We trust that none Of the pOstmasters at the
Soutb will refuse TO deliver the Era TO our sub
seribers in that section, on account of the " in
cendiary0 character of the following proceedings
which we copy from the GreensbOrOugh IN. CO.
Patriot Of August g.
PUBLIC MEETING.
A large assemblage of respectable citizens from
different parts Of Guilford, Rockingham, For
syth, Randolph, and Davidson, met, having I'M
derstood that ] c. Bacon was expected TO preach
1t Union, on deep kTter. on this 26th % 3Rly,
1,-.1 5-Yss. a. ~ - - othar pl,.~sr
for him, but finding that he was nowhere 10 De
found in the country, before separating, called j.
W Field, Esq, to the chair, and appointed Robt.
F. Armfeld, secretary.
On motion, the assembly appointed John A.
Gilmer, Wilson s. Hill and Francis Fries, COM
mittee to prepare report, setting forth the pur-
pose Of the meeting, and the cause that brought
them together
The committee, after retiring for some time
reported as follows:
The committee having under consideration the
case Of Adam Crooks and J. c. Bacon, regret that
the time and the occasion do not enable them to
furnish and Get forth fully the many just causes
Of complaint which the country has against them,
and which imperiously demand that they should
depart the country.
Your committee are satisfied that these men
are endeavoring to defend themselves and excite
sympathy by falsely alleging that they are perse-
Cuted for religion and opinion sake--that they
are not allowed freedom of thought and liberty
Of conscience, and that they are forbidden the
privilege of worshipping Almighty God accord
ing to the dictates OF their own consciences; and
they think it the duty Of this meeting TO lay fairly
before their countrymen their true cause of COM
plant against these men, and show why il is they
feel justified in requiring them peaceably to leave
the State and in case they do not in forcing them
10 do 80
According to their O'va accounts, they are Anti
Slavery men, Abolitionists, and preach secession
from all churches any one Of the members of
which has any interest in slavery.
They are sent out from the North by a division
Of the Northern church who declare themselves
to be wholly ant-slavery, one part Of whose creed
is that Shareholders are There's and UilldUlSp
The annual report of the American and For
eign Anti-Slavery Society, presented at New
York, May 9th, 1851, shows that they are men,
bers Of or connected with that Society, are sent
into the South agents Of a society wholly anti
slavery and presumed to be acting and CO.
operating with said Anti Slavery Society.
That said report of the said Anti-Slavery So
clety includes reports Of the progress of these
men in Virginia and North Carolina See page
II Of said report
That said Anti-Slavery Society looks upon the
stealing Of Siaues rs no crime, (rather conscien.
tlOusly an honest calling) and among other things
ct its last annual meeting, resolved
That the agitation Of the slavery question
has not ceased, nor will it in our their opinion
ever cease, until the great stain upon the national
escutcheon is removed, and the Higher Law gains
ascendency in the Councils of the Nation"
That, since they have been in the country, nu-
merous slaves have escaped from their owners,
aud have never been heard of since That the
Rev Henry Ward Beecher, in his late annual
address to said Anti-Savery Society, declared as
follows:
"The North has begun to be thoroughly
aroused to the subject of slavery, and that the
Fugitive Slave Law cannot return the fugitives
OF the South. 1t has not returned, and cannot
and will not return one per cent. Of them. The
old law did not neither will the new, You may
not know there is an underground railroad in New
York. hear Of it, though am not conductor
on 1t, and venture to say that there are forty
men coming through IL from the South, where
there has been one carried backo
That said Anti,Slavery Society reviews with
butter disapprobation, every instance Of runaway
and stolen slaves being recovered and with high
commendation Of all who have aided them to es-
cape
That the report of said Society, Of which these
men are members or are Ia some way connected
~ HS Tenor ana bearing, encourages slaves TO es-
osPe IRON their owners, as well as persons to aid
'"eth! 10, the truth OF which we refer to the re-
Port i'seii ana atter speaking Of the neficiency
of the Fugitive Slave Law. and Of slaves bav;nS
gone into Canada to avoid 1t, it reports AZ foi,
lows ~ W.
Meantime the number of persons escaninO
from their masters does not seem to be essentially
iessened by the provisions Of the Fugitive Slave
Law Since il was passed, we are informed from
The same source which furnishes ms with the mar.
'cnlars already given, that eighty seven fugitive
saves from the South have passed through Buff
iSlo, on their way to CANADA
That said report, after giving the weight Of IT,
lnnaenee In favor Of escaping slaves. solemnly
.sPorts that Slavery is the sum Of all yllanies .
SHu iarther that the members of said Society
~ covenant with each other and with their col
49, brethren, that they cannot obey the Fugi-
NJ omve Law, or any law that contravenes the
'Our committee have not time TO make further
st'erenoe TO said report, but refer ell who would
S SnoW tue true cause OF complaint against these
o,oOI gSnizers to it, and earnestly request their
careful perusal Of H.
0ut committee cannot consider the slave prop
VI the citizens safe, while these men, enter
ena.g 'he opinions they do, and dischsrging the
agencies they have undertaken. are permitted 10
law. "Hs'0 S'A'es arc properly ny
men .ne Anti-Slavery Society, OF which these
rbs are members and agents, are so familiar with
the; au'noer or slaves that annually escape from
- ~ owners, and with the Underground railroad
vey.a Iok," by which they are privately con-
but ION. rom Their masters, your committee cannot
age,c, Pect That these men, should they have no
Of ne ms work, must have some knowledge
alInJoI seeret plans Of wholesale slsve-stealing