The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-05-17

was said, by them Of old, nultu,a sinsile quatuol
pedibus c,1rrit; but here the comparison ha.
not one leg to stand upon. Who ever heard 0
any compact, then, between the masters of run
away slaves and the Israeltes, that ssno person
held to serUicc IN one State, under the h,rs there
Of, escaping into another, shall, In c0nsequenc,
of amy Ia,c or regulation therein, be discharged
from such service or labor; but shall be delivered
up ON claim Of the party to whom such serric,
or labor may be dueYv
1t is stated, by commentators, that the ser.
wants, fleeing for their lees, who were not Il
be delivered up by the Israeltes, were such as
''fled thither for shelter from the neighborine
couatries;" and Matthew Henry says, very
truly, ''we cannot suppose they-ths Israel
ites-were hereby obliged to entertain all the
unprincipled men that ran from servicev
To strengthen the analogy, let us suppose
that two adjoining tribes-Ephraim ON the
south and Manasseh on the north-had de-
clared themselves an independent nation, and
that EPhraim was slaveh0lding State, and
that Manasseh was not slaveholding State.
Let us suppose them to have formed a solemn
league and covenant of reciprocal advantage
containing the compact above set forth, which
was called their CONSTITUTION, and which all
men OF both these original tribes were sworn TO
support. Let us farther suppose that, in after
times, the men of Manasseh, on the north,
should say to the men of Ephraim. on the
south, we have resolved to violate the pledges
our fathers gave you; we know it was bargain
then, and without limit as to time, but our ia
theirs were fools or knaves, and we mean to
break it.; some of our Rabbis have discovered a
higher 1,c! Who would not cry shame, and
say that the men of Manasseh were graceless
caf nf fol md hat tho sc ~
had just cause to be incensed?
Having without shadow of propriety cited
the command of God on Mount Sinai as appli-
cable to their present occasions, Mr.. Dana, and
those who passed the resolution by reclamation
must be held to admit the existence then of
condition of things sufficiently analogous to
sustain the application of that command to the
case of fugitive slaves in this country at the
present time. Slavery existed then and there.
II it were nahum IN Sc, why did not the AL
mighty denounce it then and there, perempto-
rily and forever, instead of delivering man
date that servants, fleeing for taeir Eres, as the
commentators construe the command, and from,
other countries. should not be delivered to their
cruel masters? Does not this very command
fill the mind with the idea that it was the plea
sure of the Almighty to regulate, not to prohi-
bit the institution of slavery as it then ex-
listed?
am no advocate for slavery. desire ar
IDENTIFY its constitutional and lawful annihilation
| argue on the facts ~ they then existed. Mr..
Dana has politely invited US up into Mount
Sinai, and it is my purpose to encamp with him
there over night; and possibly, in the cool of
the morning. we may discover some Of the rea-
sons which have induced Garrison and his de-
moniacs to speak of the Holy Bible as pop,.-
lar book-the most fashionable book in the Unt-
ted States book ,ohich some people bciiepe to
be the ,cord Of God, The chains around the
courthouse We're not more offensive in the sight
Of men who delight in violations of the law
than is the word Of God in that of ravins alb
oitionist, since it clearly recognises condition
Of perpetual, hereditary slavery, existing at the
time when the law came by Moses, and amply
recognised by that very law. SIGMA,