The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-17
From the London Morning .advsrtissr, Feb. 10.
Slavery in America.-Her Clergy at the
Great Exhibition

Great Exhibition.
In recent debate in the House of Represen-
tatives at Washington, the Hon. Joshua K. Gid
dings. in referring to the late Fugitive slave
bill,' made the following comparison between
Professor Webster, who was executed last Au-
gust. at Boston, and the Hon. Daniel Webster,
Secretary Of State:
"Sir, was about to make some compari-
sons, but perhaps they may be regarded as in
delicate. During last summer, two distinguished
gentlemen Of the same name occupied much OF
| the public attention One was said to have CON-
mtted murder, and the other to have procured
the passage of this law; one was hanged for his
crime; the other. for his efforts, was taken into
the executive cabinet. One destroyed the life
of an individual, the other contributed his efforts
for the passage of this law which must consign
hundreds, perhaps thousands, to premature
graves. |, sir, cannot speak for others; but, for
myself, | would rather meet my final Judge
with the guilt of him who has gone to his ac-
count, than of him who now sits in yonder
cabinetm
Language such rs this, used at so early a
period of the Congressional session, gives little
color to the assertion of the political press of
the United States and reiterated by the cores
pondent of the Times that the agitation upon
this fearful law is subsiding. Mr.. Giddngs
! would not have ventured to give solemn utter
ance to such sentiment had he not believed
that the conscience of his country was not be-
come totally callous; nor, without the convic-
ton of being supported by large amount of
public opinion, while eloquenty asserting that
there was "a law of right, of justice, of freedom
implanted in the breast of every human being
| which babe him look with scorn on such law
as this, would he have concluded his address by
eycaimng,-'The spirit Of the pilgrim fathers
which was manifested at Bunker Hill, at Sara
toga, Mt Yorktown, still exists in the North.
The same spirit which resisted the Stamp act,
will resist your Fugitive slave bill The spirit
which threw the tea into Boston harbor will set
your infamous law at defiance The spirit which
overthrow the power Of the British crown, will
submit to no force that shall compel it to com.
ply with the odious provisions of this enact
ment'
Calls for philanthropic measures in this king
dom are so numerous, that those who are really
devoting themselves TO the removal of the evils
around us, may be excused If they consider the
American slave as too remote, and his ills too
local for him to be benefited by their aid yet
Britain has always boosted a considerable num-
Der of ardent friends of the oppressed negro
many whose hearts, even now, day and night,
are weighed down by dwelling upon his wrongs,
and who, with JohnWesley, look upon American
slavery as the sum Of ell vilanies And when
was there an OCCASION more urgent than the
present for English sympathy and exertion in
the work of emancipation
In Scotland, the friends of the slave have been
for some time up and doing; they have held
meetings to give expression to their sentiments
upon the Fugitive slave law, to spread correct
/ &C -
of slavery in the United States and thus for
ward the anti-slavery cause in America Large
meetings, some of them convened by long es-
tablished anti-savery societies, in Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Perth, aud Dundee, have been attend
ed by fugitive slaves, powerfully pleading for
their brethren in chains. DIR. Pennington, Mr..
W. w Brown, as well as William and Ellen
Craft (whose escape from slavery, and whose
attempted re.capture have occasioned so much
excitement in America) have usually been pres
emit considerable number of ministers of the
Scottish churches have taken part in the pro-
ceedings, and while the horrors of American sla-
very were fully depicted and reprobated, and the
iniQuity of the Fugitive slave law was ex-
posed to indignant audiences, the tremendous
fact was prominently brought into view, that
the vast amount OF injustice, crueltry, and
crime perpetrated by the slave system of the
United States was not only sanctioned, but
fostered and maintained in existence by the pro-
fessed Christian ministers and churches of that
country.
OF this amentable truth, those versed in the
history Of American slavery have always been
too we'll aware; but the late cruel law Is now
giving to il a startling pre-emnence.
1t is worthy of particular remark, that the
conduct of the American clergy in the free
States in reference to slavery, has always been
the reflection Of the public opinion upon that
subject whether for right or for wrong, they
have followed, but have moi led the national
sentiment As the public have felt the pulpit
has spoken. In the earlier~period of their re.
public, while the people were warm with the
achievement Of their own freedom, the churches
strongly protested against the continuance Of