The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-03-29
4eopIe's department.
CALM WORDS FROM AN OLD FRIEND.

! 1t is now near twenty years since first com
municated with you, as an Ant-Slavery editor
| During that period, you have encountered op-
| position and violence of various kinds, and
witnessed much, from friends and foes, calcula-
ted to discourage; among which, nothing. per-
| haps, has had more disheartening effect upon
you than the late Know Nothing demonstration.
| Of all opponents, those under the guise of
| friends are most to be dreaded, especially when
they are composed, in whole or in part. of
former friends and are banded together bv
secret ties and operate wholly in the dark.
But am gratifed to find that YOU are not dis
| posed to yield; that YOU are now, as formerly
| the vigilan. defender of liberty and peri.t.,
equality. And in reality you have no cause to
| be discouraged. He must be a careless OBJ
server of events, or reader of history, who has
not discovered, that while God REQUIRES his "a
tional creatures to be governed implicitly bv his
| revealed will, or the higher law" in all their
efforts at reformation, still he often sees fit. in
his wisdom and sovereignty, to effect reforna-
| tons by the effect of causes and i'm connection
with events, very different from what Is antici-
| pated, and contrary to what might be desired.
In nature and grace in morals and politics. in
church and state among individuals, families.
nations, and empires, God SO acts as to demon
strate that he is sovereign, that he is all in all
| and that he will derive a revenue of glory from
all events. The history of the Anti-Saverv
effort in the United States confirms this view
How gloomy was the prospect from 1888, on
and how completely was the annexation of
Texas calculated to PROSTATE the Anti-Slavery
| cause? On the contrary, how cheering were
the Wilmot prOvisO resolutions of so many of
the States, and the Free Soil demonstration
which followed in 1913? Again, how discour-
aging were the events which followed in rapid
| no cl; -,,f,r I'll 1
capped by the Nebraska outrage? How ami
mating to the friends ofLiberty was the reaction
produced by this outrage? But now all is
| changed to gloom, by the darkness of Know
NothlngiSm.
But he must be blind, indeed. who cannot
see that Providence has overruled all these
events so as TO favor Liberty and the
cause of the oppressed; that all the rights of
man are much better protected in the free
States now than they were twenty years ago.
But the battle is not vet over; much vet re.
mains to be done; and am gratihed. as said
before, that you are at your post, combating
in favor Of the right, both foes and former
friends; and you must ultimately triumph,
though, for the present, appearances are unfa-
vorable.
Your long editorial in favor of speedy natu-
ralization was admirable; your positions are
q.
United States Constitution, and above all. they
are abundantly sustained by the Bible.
thought | knew the extent and force of the
Bibles teaching respecting the perfect equality
of man, in all places and under all circumstan-
ces but your editorial discovered to me nv
defect. The great care and particularly with
which the Great Lawgiver enioins upon his
chosen people the duty of extending to stran.
gers among them. not only perfect Justice and
equality, but also the kind dispositions Of love
10 them as to themselves, is not only a strong
support TO your position, but moral hDSt
against all opposers Of naturalization. But
the history Of former times so firmly fixes the
stain of persecution upon the Catholic Church.
and the manifestations Of its dignitarics in this
country 90 so far to confirm the belief that
their principles favor persecution, even in this
country, that it is difficult for some Of your
subscribers to avoid the conclusion that YOU
favor Catholics too much they do not discover
that, in maintaining freedom of conscience for
all, you do not defend either the religion or the
prosecuting principles of the Catholic Church.
| have the honor Of being connected with a
branch of the PRESBYTERIAN Church. whose
members, though they receive that venerable
document, denOminated the Westminster Con
iession Of Faith, their exponent of Bible
doctrine on all other points, they reject its
statements respecting the duty of the civil
magistrate in matters purely religious; and in
what they term a testimony for the truth, they
use the following language: "The whole duty
OF the civil magistrate, as such, respects men,
not as Christians, but rs members of civil
society, and maintain strongly the doctrine of
the United States Constitution. that all men
have a right to worship Almighty God accord |
ing to the dictates of their conSciencos. as |
Bible doctrine. Still, it is hard to convince !
some Of them that Know Nothingism is wrong |
and that your doctrine respecting naturaliza |
ton is Bible doctrine. | hope, however. that |
this agitation will produce light and that both |
Catholics and Protestants will be brought to |
understand their political duties better, and to |
perform them accordingly.
Antl-Slavery men, as such, are not much |
known here now though believe Anti-Slaverv |
sentiment IS much more prevalent than ever it !
was. believe that this sentiment had more
to do with the election Of the Quaker Congress
man, Jonathan Knight in this district, than
anything else. But our capable Anti-Slavery
men here, from various causes, are inactive,
and some of them rather hold back, because
Gerrit Smiths doctrines are not espoused.
For my own part, | have no difficulty in dec-
ding that it is my duty to combat Slavery as
far as the Constitution and laws Of the coun-
try permit, rather than favor revolutions. as
long as the laws do not compel me TO violate
my conscience by sustaining Slavery. Had it |.
not been for Know Nothingism, l think our
cause would have been greatly strengthened
and, as it is, We have not lost: many Of the
Old Line Democrats will ozBOuse the Anti
Slavery cause, rather than favor the amalpa-
mated Know NOthings.
Yours, in the cause Of Liberty