Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-11-29
COMMENTARY UPON NORTHERN
FREEDOM.


w hope our cotemporary of the Pittsburgh
tPa.) Dispatch read inteaiy that part of our
Richmond letter Of yesterday, relating to the re-
turn of u number Of emanclpated negroes, from
the North. They were formerly slaves to Mrs.
Sarah Branch, Of Chesterfield, but by her will. as
we have stated heretofore, made free. Being
placed in charge Of the competent executor Of the
estate, they were landed in New York in safety,
and we'll provided with means and clothing. They
now return disguised with Northern "freodom,'
begging to be slaves again"
We have read the letter referred to by our
~sprightly contemporary of the Petersburg (Vir.
ginia) Express, and find it set forth that tco loomea
mot "a number 'of emaucipated negroos') had
returned from New York, aud offered 70 be re.
enslaved at Richmond. And why does the Express
refer us tc this case2 Does he mean by it to show
how strong the love of home, kindred and friends
is among some Of the poor Alric- Americans of
the South-that because of these sentiments they
will oven return to bondage, risk cruelty and
stripes, to dwell in the home of their youth among
those they love, rather than be free int land Of
strangers, in n cold northern cline? lie does not
tell, though he knows it as we'll as we do, that
they were compelled to choose between expatria.
ton (for Virginia was their only home and country,
IL they had any, and separation, perhaps from
husbands children, brothers, or other dear friends
and slaveryaithat it was an indispensable condition
of emancipation that they should not remain in
Virginia. This seems a cruel alternative to us
one in which poor ignorant slaves are hardly com
petent to decide, as we or they might, under other
circumstances of light and knowledge. History
tells us of n stronger case that of a white man,
too a young Venitinn, of noble birth, we think,
who, after being put to the torture Of rack and
thumb.screw, and barely left alive, was suffered
to go free, on the condition that he should never
again return to Venice, on pain of worse tortures
and actual death. Yet, for love of home, and
kindred ties, he did return, to risk and suffer all
the penalty. These African women, then, were
only no less human and weak than the young
white Venitian, and perchanco his love Of country
WINS stronger than theirs.
But mayhap the Express cites us to this case
as one showing that Slavery was intelligently
preferred to Freedom 10y these women. If so, the
facts do not warrant such a conclusion, as we have
shown that they must remain slaves if they re-
manned in Virginia; and even were this not SO,
the poor women were untitled, by previous habits,
by ignorance, and the debasing Influences of
Slavery, to appreciate tie boon Of Freedom, set
ting against the trials of a life in a cold climate,
among strangers. Very possibly, too, they fell
among unkind and unsympathising people in
New York-(for men are no better for being
merely of this or that latitude-it is a mistake tC
suppose that we look upon Southern people as a
mass as worse or more selfish than those of the
North.)
And yet again, we may possibly guess that the
Express suggests this case as proving that Slavery
is'better than Freedom. Well, let us see. We
sind by a report of the colored vigilance committee
Of Albany, IN. W that 287 slaves passed though
that town alone, on their way to Canada, between
September 10Th, 1855, and July 18th, 1864
period of ten months, and we safely say that not
far from twelve hundred slaves run away every
year. Our contemporary knows that there are col
onies of such runaway slaves in that hideous
"Dismal Swamp" that in every morass, cane
brake, swamp and deep lonely forest of the South
the runaway slaves lie concealed, half-naked STAY
ing, suffering, hunted and ever in peril, yet still
~preferiug all this to slavery. lie knows that mer
have fed concealed in the holds of ships, amid
stencil and imminent starvation having gone
North "boxed' like inanimate freight, suffering
unspeakable tortures-ali to be free from Slavery,
What then are these two, three or a dozen cases OF
seNf-return TO slavery worth against all this mass
Of self.sacritce for liberty? And don't tell as thai
these slaves ara ''coaxed away" by Abolitionists
We and you know better; know that the numerou,
runaways often filed the South with terror before
Abolitionism was heard of in the land.
But you know, as well as any Abolitionist in all
the land, that Slavery is n vile accursed institution
that it tramples Gods free agents-human i'm
mortal souls-into the level of brutes-that ii
makes one responsible moral being the helpless
instrument of another-subject to control, to abuse,
to lust, to every i~ndignity, every outrage.
This is enough. We need not say to you that il
Slavery be excusable, your Patrick Henry was q
silly ranter,a fool, and not a glorious patriot, wher
be said, give me Liberty or give me Death )
your Jefei son q cheat and arrant hypocrite, wher
he penned the Declaration of Independence; al
the revolutionary patriots mad men or knaves
and the revolutionary war q series OF murders by
wholesale, perpetrated for no greater cause thar
an insignificant tax on tea and stamp on paper
If we had cause for revolution in the indignities o
Britain--slight comparatively, as they were
what shall be the award of that God who judges
men and nations, when the cause of the American
slave comes before his Tribunal Your JeffeIso
has said, God ''has not an attribute which can TAX
sides with the oppressor'-the STAKEHOLDER 0
America.-PttSburgh Djspatch.!