The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-04-22

equality with most of his neighbors. He can
have all that any man ought to demand-a
station according to his character, talents, and
attainments.
Another method of emancipation is by act OF
the Legislatures of the slaveholding States. |
Without fixing the time when this shall be
done, it is not an improbable nor, as trust
very future event. in regard to the Northern
tier of slave States. Few thiRgs would tend 10
hasten such a contamination more than the
existence, in the face of all the world, of self
administered successful Governments by peo-
pie of African lineage. Whether those Gov
ernments should exist on the Western coast OF
Africa, in the West Indian Archipelago, or
elsewhere, the demonstration and influence
would be the same 1t would silence, it would
annihilate that impious argument that slavery
is a benefit to the slave. 1t would give full
scope and encouragement to that better nature
Of the stakeholder, which, in spite of all his
sophistries and his selfshness, is forever coun-
selling him that it is sin for man to claim
property in man. 1t would bring the public
opinion of nations to bear with irresistible force
upon the institutions Of slavery, and would put
It's voluntary uphOlders out of the pale of civil
ned men
would then adjure the free people of color
to do whatever III them lies to build up free
colored communities in whatever parts Of the
world may be most favorable to the commune
ties themselves and for re-actng upon their
eolorcd brethren in this country. | would in
woke Il missionary spirit among them. Nay it
is n higher than missionary spirit. The mis-
sionary carries Christianity among the heather;
but this enterprise would react upon heather
ism in Il land professedly. Christian. What a
glorious change it would be in the condition
and in the hopes of the world, 80 far as this
question of slavery is concerned if instead Of
our present debatings in Congress, whether
we should establish a Government line of
steamers to the Western coast of Africa, free
and prosperous republics on that coast were
debating whether they should not establish
Government line Of steamships to us! Would
il not seem as though slavery in any place,
could hardly co-cxist with such n condition of
the nations of the earth?
Let me here guard myself against ms-con-
structiOn on one point The idea Of forclbly
expellng the American-born negro from the
place of his birth and residence and driving
him out Of the country against his will, is as
abhOrrent to my notions of justice and equJi-
ty as it can be to those OF any one The next
most cruel thing to kidnapping race of men,
forcing them from their home, and booming |
them to slavery in foreign land, would be |
the seizure of the descendants of that race and |
driving them from the new home they had &C
quired So great crime as this second ex-
patriation would be, could hardly be conceived |
unless by mind that had prepared itself for
it by participating in the commission of the |
first. My moral nature therefore, revolts with
m adherence which | cannot express. from
those recommendations of the Governors of |
some of the Southern States who have proposed
% expel from their borders all free colored per-
ons under the terrible penalties of fine, i'm.
and subjugation to slavery of
hem and their descendants. The proposition
made last year. in the Senate of the United
States, by II Senator from Massachusetts. to
appropriate the entire proceeds of the sales of
he public lands-estimated to be worth
5000, 600, 000-to transport the free coored
population from the slave States, which would
have set in motion the legisla-
i've and physical power of those States to expel
hat population land would have given the
strongest guarantees for the security and the
pcrpetuation of slavery among them) from their
homes, regard rs one Of the most wicked ideas
'yer conceived by the human mind. And
give it this bad eminence, in full recollection of
he command Of Hcrod to murder all the He.
brew children under two years of age, of the
persecution and massacre of the Albigenscs
md Waldenses, and other eliminating in
stances of human wickedness
But while would oppose every from of force
)r intimidation to expel the free colored people
rom the land Of their nativity, should rejoice
beyond measure TO see great, intelligent, and
powerful African communities sprnging up,
wherever hy their power or their proximity,
they could encourage or succor their enslayed
brethren III this country. And | cannot see
why the benevolent and moral energy of the
free colored people amongst us should not flow
into this channel.
There is one other means of emancipation
such as our revolutionary fathers adopted |
against Great Britain and such as Hungary |
has lately adopted against Austria, not only |
with the justification, but with the approval of
the civilized world. For this there are two |
conditions: sufficient degree of oppression to |
authorize an appeal to force, and a chance on |
the part of the oppressed, of lettering their
condition The measure of the first condition |
is already full--heaped up-running over The
second condition will be fulfilled, either when
the slaves believe they can obtain their free |
dom by force, or when they are 50 elevated and
in their moral conceptions, as to ap-
prcciate that glorious supplication of Patrick |
Henry, give me liberty, or give me death"
1t is most deyoutly to be implored that God
will save the shareholders from the madness of
defying that vengeance which will assuredly |
be visited upon them, if they continue much |
longer to act upon or to advocate the athcistic !
dogma that slavery is to be eternal The very |
declaration that slavery shall be eternal will |
give birth to the resolve that it shall not be |
eternal Hence, inevitable collision. And the |
ultimate result OF collision is ms certain rs the
of any natural law as certain AZ that |
will explode on the application
Of fire, or that the generation of steam, without
vent, could convert the solid earth itself into |
another group of asteroids. In such a collision, |
On one side is the power of man; on the other |
side is the Omnipotcnce of God. "He that lead |
eth into captivity shall 20 into captivity saith
the sure word of prophecy 1.-The Almighty |
hath no attribute" says Mr.. Jefferson, which |
can take part with ms in such contest" How |
ever disastrous may be the results of the first |
or the tenth, or the hundrcdth struggle on the |
part Of the slave; however many of the colored |
Hancocks and Adamses Of that revolution may |
be singled out for vengeance and placed be- |
You'd the reach Of pardon however many |
Blums and Batthyanies may be massacred in |
cold blood, each death will be TRANSPORTED into |
n multitude Of more glorious lives, and for |
every drop of heroic blood which the earth |
shall drink it will send back an armed man.
Now, there are two things which, above aml
beyond all others the angel of this Apocalypse
will proclaim: first, warning to the Slave
Power deep and piercing AS an afilatus of the
Spirit of God to escape this retrbution by
voluntary and timely abandonment Of its unho- |
ly domination; and second, il the admoniton |
Is resisted, the inexorable and awful certainty |
OF the doom of that power
Now, this third method of emancipation, |
though infinitely to be deprecated, though to
be accepted only in case the preceding methods |