Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-01-18
5fletttons.
Letter Of Joseph Barker, Of England, 10
William Lloyd Garrison,
Worthy, near Leeds,
OcI Ol- IS1n- {

WoRTLEY, near Leeds,
Oct. "a, 1850. (
Mr DEAN FnIEHD I'll nm glad to leurn
from the Llberdor that you are well, aud
able TO labor in the cause of freedom. hope
you will live TO see the great object of your
wishes, md tile great cnd of your lahors, ac-
complishcd. | feel exceedingly desirous to
see the spirit of liberty and righteousness
triumph over the spirit OF oppression and
wrong. Nothing Oh earth would rejoice me
more than the abolition OF American Slave
ry. II is, so far us cun lean, the most hid.
eous form of iniquity, the most revolving
piece of inhuinanily, with which the earh is
At present dishonored aud cursed. l, is, he
sides, one Of the strongest props OF European
tyranny, and one of the greatest obstacles 10
the spread and triumph of European liberty.
No men on earth are engaged in more i'm
portnnt enterprise than you aud your fellow
laborers. Most devouiy do pray for your
success, and most gladly would aid you in
your arduolIs and god-like lnbors.
have often resolved to write to you; but
as | never found time TO write n long letter.
never KEEP, my resolution. But ] can put
off writing no longer. ] must express my
Joys in your labors, and my wishes for your
success.
] have felt most keenly since the passing
of the new law for the capture Of fugitive
slaves. Common as it is for governments to
siiI, and extrnvagunt aud outrageous as their
trsnsgrcssions frequently are, ] recollect no
enortuity of any government TINT has so
grisvously narrowed my feelings, as tliis
most infamous aud inhunIan enactment is
il possible that the people OF the Northern
States will allow it 10 he put ia force? Is il
possible that they will allow it to remain OH
the statute book? Can they lie so indiifer-
ent 10 their repniation,-can they he so in
sensible TO duiy,-cau they he so regardless
of the interests of their fellow men, as TO al
low the Southern kdnappers to come
amongst them, take away their neighbors,
and perhaps themselves, ut pleasure, and cnr
ry them away TO be sold in the Southern
markets.? IL the law he not speedily abolish
cd, America will become n prOverb for i'll
consistency aid iuhumunity throughout the
whole of the civilized world. II the law be
not speedily abolished there is hardly II man
in Europe that will not look OH America
with disgust and loatlIing. No one in Eng
land, perhaps, has spoken more favorahly OF
the free States of America tlun myself; but
if they allow this law for the capture OF iI-
gitiye slaves TO be executed, shall have TO
retract every word have spoken, aud
mourniully acknowledge that America is The
basest aud most iuhunan OF all the nations
upon EARTH have lately been in Ireland,
and found such forms OF misery there, us
pained me most acutely. The indignation
! felt against the tyruuts who had created
such fearful scenes of misery, was greater
tban can describe. felt as i'll could have
found in my heart, if had had the power,
to tear them in pieces, aud destroy them
from the face of the earth. But on reading
in the Standard, the account of the capture
and carrying away Of poor james Hamlet,
felt, il possible, more keenly still, felt that
there were human beings in worse con-
dition than even the plundercd aud starving
Irish. saw no irishman that was not at
liberty to run away from his wretched coun-
try, aud seek living and home elsewhere.
saw no Irish landlords with whips and
bowie knives, with pistols and rifles, with
boodhounds and kidnappers, hunting the
runaway paupers, in order TO bring them
back 10 their wrelchcdness and rags. could
not help but feel, while reading the papers
which luye last received from your coun-
try, that Notwithstanding the eXcellency OF
It's laws and Institutions in many respects
and the comparative happiness Of the mid
die and aboring CLASSES III the free States
the country is disgraced aud afflicted with Il
curse nlolc teITlDle, tllun tlc HloSt liisSl"nt
and down-troddon country have seen III
monurchica Europe groans under
The passing of the fugitive slave bill, has
produced a most discouragiug effect on the
minds of my wife and children, us we'll ns
OH my own. We were looking forward 10
America as our future home. We had made
up our minds TO leave England for one OF
your Western States in March or April next
with the intention of settling there. The
news which we have received 10y the las
post hns obliged us, most reluctantly, TO sus
pend or modify our resolution. We sllal
never be able 10 make America Our hone, i
the law remains in force. We shall proba
bly, come 10 your country, and spend some
time in il; but if the Northern people dC
not render the iniquilous law imperative
and insist oh It's speedy abolition, we shall, j
permitted, return 10 England, aud end on
DAYS under It's nOnarchical and arslocralicu
institutions. II the Northern States allow
the law TO remain on the statute book and t'
be put in force, we shall come to the conclu
sion, TINT however you may excel us M man,
Sf your laws, and in some OF your polllica
and social institutions, the people Of Eng