Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-06-09


TnE (AuBrRY) CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE comment.
ing on Mr.. Pettjohn's letter, published in the
proceeding column, says,
The above looks bad, but We are fully persuaded
nothing better can be hoped for, so long rs our
Disciplinary rule romans az it is. The rule has
become adead letter, and our members in the slave
States do Just rs they please in the matter Of slave
holding. AS to the question whether it shall be a
general or n practical rule an amendment of the
Constitution or only statutory-we care but Ii tile.
Al, We ask is something that carrivs with it extir-
batting force. The Discipline requires us to labor
for the extirpation of slavery, and it makes nc
great difference what the means are, provided they
are lawful and %eilcctual. We want the foe to die
the manner and the instrument arc unimpOrtant.
In certain quarters there is an evident dread Of
touching the General Rule, aud a great desire to
keep the Discipline as it is. This is, in our appre
hensiou. simply u mistake touching the best mode
Of eHecting the object. Bonararte's method o.
dealing with mUbs WAS to fire balls. lie would
not usc blank cartridges till lie had quclied the
rebels, We think tails tho only consistent policy
in treating slavery The worst things should CONF
first. Slavery must know his master, before any
mild oxpedients can be tried. 1t is for this reason
that we like the proposition to change the Genera
Rule. We Ike its sovereign DISCRIMINATING char
acter. 1t is instant death to the slave system. We
admit the system may die by other means, less di.
rest; bat we fear that the spirit which dare no
propose direct cxtirpati1n will not be found equa
to the conquest of such a Zoe by indirect efforts
In word, we shall never be able TO administer
the rule VIC now have, in its true spirit, till wo arc
perfectly ready to frame u much sUycrcr rule, ii
necessary. We must command the ground.
iIithcrt3,our Church legislation has been too much
under the control Of the South. And even now the
subject Of slayc"y can scarcely he named in a Gen
eral Conference without throwing certain Hcn into
spasms. Our readers will recollcct how it was at
Boston in 1852. When Rcv.James Porter touched
upon slavery, there came up forthwith, from Balti-
more and elsewhere, very significant indications
that such remarks would not be tolerated.
This touching the question SO carefully, and leg
isllting on it so mildly, is ominous of defeat. The
monster has us within its folds, and the struggle
is for life. Our motto should be, Death or victory.
No man should consent to adopt 4 tcmporizing
cxnedient, unless he means to die.
From the above, it will be seen that slavery III
the Methodist Episcopal Church is exactly like
slavery out of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Oar members always hold slaves for gain-tha'
is, they hold them because it is cheapest to do so =
and so universally is this money-making the only
object, that if we should make n rule cxpeNing
only mofcenary Shareholders, it would, no doubt
give mortal offence to the slaveholding fraternity
As they hold their slaves for gain, they, OF course
traffic in slaves fer gain. Bro. Pettijohn's expert
enco is peciscly like that of all others who hav
any knowledge of Methodist slaveholding. Reec
and Gorsuch were prominent Methodists, and W
know how the Patriarchal institution was admir-
istcred by them. 1t is by no means probable tha
others do better. The whole goes to show how il
dispensable it is that something should be done t
relieve the Church and the world Of this infamou
business-this fountain of death, whence Nebras
kaisms and kindred villanies take their RISE