The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-02-07
NO. ATS.

dous. What abject cant is it to say, The North
has nothing TO do wiM .Siarery. Nothing to
do with It'll When the National flag cannot
wave over slave in this District nor in any
United States Territory, who is not slave by
Northern as well as Southern consent! Never
was any duty palmer than theirs to attend to
this affair-to see what it is which they. by
their representatives, have been perpetually
sanctioning and extending. There is need that
the voice of the ancient prophet should be in
every breath which stirS the free airs Of Free
States, crying to each man this day, Arise;
for this matter beongeth unto theel"
lalluded justnow to those who had assailed the
Southern institution. and neglected the demon
strable fact that the first and until attended tol
the only assailable thing with them was their
completely in it. The only sin of these is a
confused perception. But there is another class
of real criminals. 1t IS they who see Slavery
to be wrong, and see how they participate in it.
and might free themselves from it. but suffer
themselves TO be overcome bv its allurements
/ have been ashamed to hear, in Boston. the
descendants of the Purtans apologizing for
Slavery. They thought - Southern man would
like that. But no Southern man would like
that! The Southerners, thank God are not so
bad they say, NGcery as right; II not, there
IS no apology for al. John Randolph spoke
their sentiment, when pointing his finger at
one such man in Congress, he said, A." envy
not the heart nor the head Of man who can
come here from the North and defend Slavery."
Southern politicians are willing to make use of
such, whilst they laugh in their sleeves: but
the nobler men and women of the South grieve
| to see men falling thus meanly.
| Here at Washington it has been as the ny in
whea;-one noble head after another laid low :
falling into infdelity, as the Slavery Power has
/ 81 81, -, Il
those whobeeve, with Christianity, that it profits
not a man to gain the whole world and lose his
soul, turn pale and say, "Who falls next?"
No matter if the concession is for Peace"
So did the army on the Alps desire nothing so
much as peace, to lie down anywhere and
sleep; and those who slept never woke more
Nothing Is deadlier, at times, than peace; and
invariably when, as in this case the word Peace
IS but cover OF your desire that your personal
interest and business should be undisturbed-a
disguise of that only Satan, selfshness.
All, We American men too soon have you in
scrbed on your banner, Peaccable. More sue
cessful had it been, if the word had been in the
order in which the ancient Christian places it
first pHre, then pe9ceGJle. Never was there
but one path given men to walk in: i is that
of pure conscience. Whether the light be
dim or bright, it is in the right direction guilt
J 10 III NccElHS ITOIu lndl. L mere may De lnnu-
merable crooked lines between two points, but
one straight. What is the right line between
rs and that peace we all crave2
! We can all imagine two men of entire can
! dor and courtesy-the one Southern. and be
| eving Slavery right in itself; the other North
ern, and believing it wrong-coming to an I'M
derstanding on the subject; the common postu-
late being only that neither must himself do
what he believes essentially wrong.
! SOutherner.-I believe the institution is best
for the white and colored races
| Northerner.-I make no doubt Of your sin
cerity, but would like to discuss it.
! Son.-We may do that presently. But will
you not allow that, so long as l hold that opin-
ion, you have no right Of any kind to illegally
interfere with what | hold legally as property :?
Nor.-l do see that. The wrong is not in
pdfet fyttaatap Of sREgrT eR2E gu fndefX2 2 70
tempting a right thing in a wrong WAY,
S0u.-Which is always an unsuccessful way
NOr.-Now let US define the other side
believe that Slavery is the "wild and wicked
fantasy" that Brougham called it, or the "sum
of all vianes which Wesley pronounced it.
| You are connected with it sincerely, and
therefore, unless you have refused possible
light, innocently; but, if am connected with
it, | sin.
| Sou.-Certainly.
! N0r.-If you and | have partnership in q
slave, your innocence does not exculpate me.
SOu-Certainly not.
NOr.-lf you seek to make me a party 10
anything which / hold wrong, you are guilty,
even though you believe it right, unless you
can first persuade me also that it is right.
| SGa-It is so.
NOr.-And if our firm cannot remain without
involving me in this wrong, my one path is out
of it. The firm must be dissolved
Sou.-Assuredly.
Now, my friende, let us approach our ma
tional agitations thus simply and quietly. The
People of the United States are firm. Wher
ever the firm deals with Slavery all deal with
Slavery; and the General Government has
dealt, and does now DEAL with that local insti-
tuition. l appeal to you, Southern men, is it
not the only right thing for those who believe
Slavery to be sinful, whether it be really so or
not firmly 10 declare themselves free from all
share IN it, if not by your concession, then,
by whatever means they can, bit certainly 10
do aP
But, it is said, your fathers conceded :his
and that, and will you not stand by their com
pact?
If there be any compact, and it pledges me
to what feel wrong, shall be judged by my
fathers light?
"But if in obedience to your conscience,
you should injure this Union, you would cause
great evils--evils greater than Slavery"
Evils are not as bad as sins. We do not
wish to rid ourselves of our share in National
Slavehodng, as from an evil disease, but as a
moral detection, as falsehood or theft would
be. Evil is part of Gods Law for he says
by every prophet, Il create evil" lie is re.
sponsible for whatever evils ensue we only
for doing His will. Is not my soul his voice :
And when | reject that voice, which assures
ne it is wrong to do this is it not q sad lack Of
faith in Him AS one who should say, "Thou.
Infinite Being didst bid me thus, but didst
not foresee, as ! do, that this and that evil
would follow !"
" WI you imperil the interests of thirty mil
lions of Whites, for three or four of Africans ?"
The adages, reply the others, are very good
Honesty, even in the old Roman sense EN-.
bracing all that is Just and true to God and
man, Is tie best policy Right neoer ,Dronged
any man. The interests of the three or four
millions Of negroes are not so near to us as
the interests of the whites who hold them
Those we would but redeem from physical Sla
very; but these we would redeem from what
by our creed is far worse, the crime of ensL1-
ENG them. If rob you, you know l am tho
far worse off of the two.
" Then if you think thus, We must separate.
We think you in error, that you cannot think
our Institution right or that even to say it is
inexpedient, or an evil, does not define your
view: that you must count it immoral Ger.
tainly, nothing, however valuable, should in
duce us to do wrong; and the South admires.
as much as any people, the brave words of
Phoeion, Let usttce be done, though the heavens
taHr"
But, it is replied, it does not end here. You
say we must secede. But this proceeds from