The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-06-24


But. although the Union was in little danger.
he work of saving it was no less profitable
han patriotic, as it tended to prevent the pot-
cal and commercial non intercourse threatened |
,y the South; and the proceedings Of Union
,aving committees were found convenient |
node of advertising for the trade and the votes
If the shareholders. In this manner an iniiu- |
,nce was exerted which, aided by the supposed |
of the North, led to the so-called Com
in which the fruits Of the recent VIC |
tory were all thrown away. with the single ex-
,eption of the ant-slavery Constitution Of Cal |
fornia. Something was indeed gained to the |
character of the national capital, by prohibit |
ing the importation of slaves for sale, but moth
ing to the cause of humanity, since the traffic
was only transferred from Washington to
Alexandria. In return for the Californian
Constitution, which Congress could not have
and did not dare to annul, we have
had the prodigious enlargement Of the slave
State of Texas, the abandonment of New Mex
leo and Utah to slavery, and the enactment of
the Fugitive BILL as drafted by the slavehold-
ers themselves, forced through the House of
Representatives without discussion, and so in
tensely odious and wicked, that not even per-
sonal interest nor party discipline could induce
incur the infamy of giving it their votes
The political parties, having thus conclIated
the shareholders, entered upon new race be-
tween themselves for power and office and mu-
tually agreed to prevent, as far as possible, all
interference in the race by the avowed friends
of human rights The anti-slayery agitation
was to be suppressed at all hazards; and every
man who expressed sympathy for the oppressed,
or indignation against slaye-hunts, was to be
driven from either party. BY virtue of this
compact, similar in its spirit to that which in
Europe is smothering every aspiration TOR Tree
DOM all who protest against the oppression OF
millions of native-bOrn Americans are to be
deemed disturbers of the public peace, while
the powers of Shareholders, like those of kings
are to be regarded as held by the grace Of God,
and too sacred to be discussed or questioned.
SLAVERY ANTI-sCRIPruRAL ANB SINFUL.
Ii is, under these circumstances, painful,
notifying, and unexpected, that we address
ourselves TO the Anti-Slayery Christians OF the
United States. The whole question of the duty
of opposition to slavery rests on the snfulness
of reducing innocent men and women and
their children after them, to articles OF mer-
chandise IL human beings may be held as
chattels, they are, of course legitimate subjects
of traffic, and the African, no less than the
American slave-trade, is a commendabe and
Christian commerce. The lawiulness OF sla-
very in no degree depends on the complexion
of its victims since the slavery alleged to be
recognised in the Scriptures was unquestion-
ably that of Asiatics and Europeans. None OF
our clerical champions of the institution ever
venture to dwell on its accordance with the at
tributes of the Deity or the precepts OF the
Gospel On what ground, then, is the moral
vindication of American slavery rested On
the alleged fact that God permitted the Jews
to hold certain heather as slaves, and that,
consequently, it cannot be morally wrong IN
Americans to hold their own cOuntrymen and
even their fellow Christians, and often their
own children, brothers, and sisters, as slaves.
Without admitting the premises, we utterly
DENY the conclusion drawn from them. The
Creator and Judge of all men, infinite in wis
dom, goodness, justice, and power, selects his
own modes of maintaining his moral govern
ment, and of inflicting deserved punishment;
and none may roy unto h., "What doest
thou1n To him belongeth vengeance, and
none may execute it in his name, except by his
appointment He saw fit TO destroy by water
a guilty world; but will it be inferred from
this act of divine sovereignty that saints have
moral right to drown sinners! For their ex
treme wickedness the seven nations OF Pales
tine were doomed to determination and tn,
Jews were ordered to take possession of Their
land, and to put all the inhabitants, men, wo
men, and children, to the sword to make nc
covenant with them, nor show mercy unto
them. Does this commission to the Jews con.
fer upon us similar rights in other lands? The
nations adjoining Palestine were idOlatrous and
otherwise excessively depraved; and we are az.
sured by pro-slavery divines that God by an en-
press revelation gave the Jews the privilege OF
buying and holding their inhabitants as slaves
and hence we are taught that, without any sim
liar revelation to ourselves we are authorized Ia
keep our own brethren in bonds, and to reduce
them to the condition of beasts of burden in
defiance of the express commands Of God to do
Justice and to love mercy, and to do to others a.
we would they should do unto u.s. We utterly
deny the authorized existence Of hereditary
chatte slavery in the Jewish commonwealth,
such slavery being absolutely forbidden by the
universal emanci patton proclaimed on each re-
turning Jubilee But SO far as relates to the
lawfuness Of american slavery, it is wholly
immaterial whether the Jews held slaves or
not, since it il admitted by all that if they
did, they acted by virtue Of special and en-
press permission from God, while it is equally
admitted that no such permission has been
given to us IL American slavery he sanction
ed by the religion of Jesus Christ then, indeed
is that religion an inexplicable riddle, both toll
Grating and iorbiddng every species of cruelty,
injustice and oppression.
Friends and brethren we believe before God
that American slavery is hateful in his sight,
and utterly irreconciable with the holy and
merciful precepts of the Gospel of his Son.
Hence, we believe it morally wrong to render
any voluntary aid in UNFOLDING an iniquitous
system, or in reducing a fellow.man to bond
age.
GOVERNMENT IMPLICATED WITH SLAVERY
We are continually told that the Federal
Government has nothing to do with slavery,
and yet from a very early period its powers
have been exerted to protect TO extend, and to
pcrpctuate the institution. IL is the object of
the A. and +. A. s. Society to effect, ~ far as
possible an entire dvorn of the Federal Gov
eminent from the subject OF slavery. 10 rea-
ton to the constitutional powers Of the Fedc-
raj Government, we indulge in no opinions
more ultra than such AZ have been avowed by
Daniel Webster himself With him we hold
that Congress is fully authorized to abolish and
to forbid slavery in it's own territories, to sup
press the commerce in slaves between the
States, and to refuse admission into the Union
of new slave States We also cordially concur
in his Judgment" expressed in his speech in
the Senate on the 7th Of March, 1850, that
the Constitution does not confer on Congress
the right to legislate respecting fugitive slaves
In accordance with these views, the A. and +
A. s. Society aims at delivering the General
Government from all entanglng alliance with
slavery, and they desire to effect this much-de-
sired deliverancc by inducing the people to se-
lect for their representatives in Congress such
men only a. will absolutely refuse to legslatc
in behalf Of slavery.
THE CHURCHES IMPLICATED WITH THE SIN or
SLAVERY
IN ris inns our dutias in