Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-09-27
From the Commonwealth.
Agitation in Behalf Of Slavery.


movement against slavery has retarded eman-
cipation. This assertion which has been
harped upon for ten years by the advocates
OF Slavery, until it is so stale that most of
them arc now ashamed to Use it, the Adyer-
tiser brings forward with the air of one who
has just found a mares nest. The letter of
this Mr.. Randolph which it introduces as
that OF an " "eulghtened man" mentions tie
formation of the American Anti Slave Socie-
~, and says:
"a part oftheir plan of operations was TO
circulate abolition papers throughout the
Southern States; some Of these addresses ddul-
sed instruction, and all tended 10 promote it.
They iceye filled lcM denmcidiions Of s!dUe-
holders, and pae mainly intended for The sidue
population. As might have been anticipated,
a violent reaction Immediately took place in
Virginia, and the cause of emancipation was
| abandoned by its friends. All idea of aboli-
ton in Virginia was abandoned, as the char
acter of the movement had actually changed.
When in Southern hands il was a measure
OF reform, looking to It's peaceful extinction
10y the will OF tie masters"
| 1t would be difficult to make in the same
compass n statement so entirely untrue as
! that which we have italcisod. No address
or document of any kind issued by the Anne
rican Anti-Slayery Society, or 10y any Anti
Slavery Society in this country, advised in
surrection or tended to promote il. On the
contrary, their addresses and other docu-
mcnts expressed the strongest repugnance to
orcihle emancipation or TO iusurrccion. The
power OF the national government to emnn
cipatc the slaves, was always expressly dis
claimed, and the mode of emancipation pro-
posed WINS by the voluntary act Of individual
mastcrs or 10y the action OF the legislatures
Of the Slave States themselves. In short,
the object Of those societies aud ofthe papers
they issued, was to convince the shareholders
! themselves that slavery was wrong, and that
justice and their own welfare demanded its
abolition. No society and no agent Of any
society ever sent papers or documents to the
slaves themselves, who could not have read
| them they had been sent. The charge is
wholly false aud unloundcd. We make this
statement in justice to the Abolliionisis, for
though we were never connected with any of
their societies we have read nearly all their
/ publications., aud have taken special uains to
J ascertain the true nature of their movements
and views. At The time to which Mr. Ran
| doIph refers, their leaders Were, many of
them. nOn-rcsistunis, and all of them peace
| men, opposed to war and violence of every
kind. Mr.. Randolph probably knows moth
! ing of the men whom he so confidently SLAM
| ders, but the Daily Advertiser cannot plead
! ignorance as an excuse for circulating such
culmunies.
The change of opinion in Virginia to
which he refers is greatly exaggerated; tho
doubtless change took place. But il vas
obviously enough produced by the movement
for the annexation of Texas, which accord
ing to Mr. Upsher of Virginia, President Ty
er's Secretary of State, added fifty per cent
to the value of the Slaves Of Virginia, which
value for some years had been decreasing as
! their numbers increased and us the States
| South and South west began TO OIL up.
J The other cause of the change in opinion
was that Il panic was got mp all through the
country, Just as a panic has been got up in
! Massachusetts, during the last year or two,
on the subject Of this very slavery agitation.
! Tie ultra Shareholders who created this pan
| ic, took advantage of it to suppress all dis
cussion ofthe subject, which they did by
system of terrorism that continues to this day,
and has us etiectunlly destroyed freedom OF
speech aud of the press in the South, ms in
Austria or Naples. In this they were assist
| ed, 10 the best of its power, 10y the Boston
! Daily Advertiser, aud other Northern pro-
slavery papers.
These presses in conjunction with those
OF the South, omitted no opportunity to point
out the excellence of slavery, the comiorta-
BILE and happy condition of the slaves, aud
the dangers of emancipation In the most
violent aud malignant manner they reviled all
without exception, who yentured to plead IN
behalf of freedom; and in this, for time,
they were warmly supported by n vast ma
jority of the influential classes at the North
II is no wonder, then, that the Nirginlans
and other shareholders began 10 think that
an institution which was so popular at the
North, and was so zealously upheld by
! Northern editors statesmen and clergyman
| of the highest influence, must he essentially
a good one, aud not thing to he ashamed
| Of This general support and encourage
meut at the North, joined to the rise in value
of the slaves by the prospect of obtaining
| Texas as fresh market for the surplus of
them, undoubtedly for time put stop to
the discussion of abolition in Virginia.
| We say for time, for, as the Daily Adj
vertiser doubtless knows, though with It's
usual policy it takes care that IFS renders
shall not know il, the cause OF Freedom was
never more hopeful in Virginia than at pres
ent. For the first time in her history, the
| Anti-Slavery influence has become para
mount in her Constitution ana Leglslalhrej
and, at this moment, Anti-Slavery Societies
and Anti-Savery journals exist within her
borders. In the neighboring and kindred
Suites of Kentucky too, an Anli-Slavery
movement is on foot, which at no distant day
| will redeem that noble Commonwealth from
the curse which has kept her from assuming
her proper rank in the Union.
Al the North the feeling against Slavery IS
stronger than ever and the weight of North
ern opinion is already powerfully and bene-
! fcially felt at the South. The progress OF