Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-01-22
upon slavery, was approved October 18th,
1916. II is MS follows:

1910. III ls MS lOilOW5;
"Be Il enacted, &c., That no negro slave
can be cmunciputed in this Nation, except
by application or petition of the owner to
the General Council and provided also, that
it shall be made TO appear TO the Council that
the owner or owners at the time of applica-
ton, shall have no debt or debts outstanding
against him or her, either in or out Of this
Nation. Then, and in that case, the Gener-
al Council shall have the power to pass an
act for the owner TO ennncipate his or her
slave, which negro, after being freed, shall
leave this Nation within thirty days after the
passage of this Act. Aud in case said free
negro or negress shall return to this Nation
afterwards, lac, she, or they shall be subject
to be taken 10y the light lurscmcn and ex.
posed to public sole for tho term oi five years;
and the funds arising from such sale shall
be used as national funds"
These extracts will suffice. Our readers
will have now in their possession facts sutii-
cient to enable them to form satisfactory
opinion how far the missionaries are correct
in stating that ." the Choctaws, according TO
their ability, are more benevolent than the
whites; :" that those received into the Cher
okee churches, OH the whole give as much
evidence OF being born again as did church
members in Vermont" They will be pre-
pared to judge also whether the Committee
erred, or not, in announcing that "the Choc-
tlws have good government; n
written Constitution, with declaration Of
rights which embodies tho liberty OF the
press, trial by jury, the rights of conscience,
proper safeguards of personal property,
the equality of all Christian denominations,
and almost every great principle of civil and
religious ireSdOm. The statutes Of
the Choctaws are simple, sometimes dciec-
tive in phraseology, but for the most part,
colnmendable in their aim aud spirit" Aud
likewise, whether the Chcrokees deserve to
have it said Of them, "Thc Cherokccs have
and excellent government. The
usual safeguards for person and property,
The rights of conscience, &c. are provided"
The Christian will not be astonshed, wo
think, when they come to know that Chris
tlnn' men, capable OF enaciing such afro
cious Laws, are represented hy the most in
iiuenlinl Missionary Board in the country as
being followers of the Lord Jesus Christ"
and as ensanples to the white Christians Of
the United States. They will also marvel
that slaveholding conyerts,men who brutaizc
aud keep in heathenish ignorance their lel-
low-n!en, are represented as praying " much
W. lslt ilctNutu. Etuh htlil VIII lIt CiAlLSNo
of the Old Bay State say of the declaration
of the Committee, who themselves are in
habiiants of that Common wealth, that the
Cher0kees have an excellent government
in form resembling that of Massachusetts
all tho free male citizens, eighteen years OF
age, being entitled to vote, the vote being
uird roce
Well might Mr.. Treat say, notwi,hstand-
ing the high standard assigned TO the Indians,
after cnumerating these attrocious ennct-
ments, 1t is very clear, moreover, that the
influence of the mission is neutraliZed, 10
some extent, by the existence of slavery
And although he believes that " the influence
of Christianity has been highly salutary 4.
il seems fair te presume that few
persons have been led by Christian principle
TO abstain from the purchase of slaves, and
such was told was the case" he feels con-
strained to say that "we may not shut our
eyes 10 the fact that process has been ST.
leutly going forward which he's tended TO a
dellrrent result" And tho evil is daily in
creasing, for he also admits that slavery in
creascs as the Indians become more enlight-
cnod like the people around them, aud, it
does not seem TO have been the aim of the
brethren TO exert any direct influence, either
by their public or private teachings, upon the
system of slavery"
The facts presented 10 the Christian pub
lie by nnt-slavery writers,and the resolutions
adopted by anti.slayery Christian cOnvcn-
tions, aud the Femostrances addressed TO the
Board by antislayery members, in view of
the facts above enumerated, in conjunction
with the strong anti.slavery feeling aroused
in the community, did, for time, so inhu-
ence the Secretaries aud Prudential Commit
tee of the Boord, that the Secretaries said,
at the meeting of the Board at Buffalo, 1917 Z,
that " they had every possible disposition TO
remove slavery and every other evil and sin,
as speedily as possible from the mission
churches" Mr.. Treat was accordingly APP
pointed to visit them. While there, he as
cerlained the facts in relation TO tue strong
hold slavery had taken in the missions, which
he embodied in an able report IL was un-
dersood that, finding the missionaries in-
flexible with regard 10 the course pursued
by them, he endeavored TO rid the Board of
the odium fast gathering in the religious
community 10y lahoring to bring the mission
aries TO aid in accomplishing a transfer of
the Choctaw mission TO the Assembly's
Board of Foreign Missions, so that the mis-
sion would pass under the immediate control
of the Old School Presbyto4ians of the
OuhtnNCsi, Nhusc o9 9nlldbilcS ou lHS VuNo-
ton of slavery were more in harmony with
those of tho Shareholders in tho mission
churches than were those Of many Of the
supporters Of the American Board. II is
said that the missionaries resisted this at
tempt. We rejoice that they did, for IT'S
success would have been an evasion of the
subject unWorthy of a Christian society.
Mr.. Treat returned to Boston, and address
ed faithful letter TO the Choctaw mission,
that did him aud the mission cause great
honor. In this letter, the Prudential Com
mittee declare explicitly that, to lhem, it
seemed "very clear, that slavery is opposed
TO the principles Of the gospel that
the Board could never have intended that
Shareholders should he received to member
ship, without inquiring as 10 their views and
feelings in regard to slavery" And for adj
milting one who "holds and treats those for
whom Christ died with q selfish spirit and