Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-04-15

OF HON. H. ]. GARTRELL S BIBLE DEFENSE OF SLAVERY
In Congress, Jan, 25th, 1858.

In Congress, Jan, 25th, 1858.
Leaving its political aspects to politicians who
will trust easily demolish his superstructure,
and sweep it away like chaff before whrl-
wind, may perhaps as an aged minister of the
gospel, be allowed to defend the bible and its
author, from the blasphemous insinuaton that
they sustain that sum of all injustice and vii
lany. He is proud, he says, of his nativity,
(Georgia) as the owner OF slaves, proud us an
American citizen, proud Of the country, proud
OF the whole country. Is he not too proud to
be christian, and has not slavery made him
proud. Christ is lowly in heart, he had servants
but no slaves, lie was among them as he that
Serreth. He knoweth the proud afar off, the
proud his soul hateth. Satan himself holds
none in slavery, and if his servants resist him,
he will fly from them, but if Mr. Gartrell's
slaves resist him, he will fly at them Is he SO
much worse than the Devil, in this respect, and
yet christian. His quoting scripture reminds
me of Satan's quoting scripture to Christ to
support bad cause. But Christ quoted other
scripture, and reasoning upon it., carried the
argument. Mr.. &. quotes part of a command,
Thou shall not covet thy neighbours serraat.
nor any thing, that is thy neighbors. But this
sinful christian covets every thing, that is his
neighbor Slime, talents, earnings, wife,
children, soul, body, liberty, and every human
right. even the right to obey God by searching
his word which is gross robbery of God ard
man; but no abolitionist coyets any slav., but
they all earnestly condemn those who do, and
urge them to let tho oppressed 60 free. The
servants in Israel were voluntary, because if
they escaped from their masters they must not
be returned OF course, if they stayed, it was
OF choice. The Israelites were bondsaryants
in Egypt, and yet they were not bought and
sold as property, but yet for that oppression al
most infinitely less than our own, God over
threw the Egyptians in an awful manner lie
quotes L,y. %. A. As. 49,, to defend and JUS
, hfy domestic slavery in its greatest extent. If
) this proves slavery right in its length and
breadth as he says, it only authorizes the Jews
to cnslave the genties. If Mr. G. is a gentle,
its length and BREADTH would embrace him, and
in its greatest extent would include its prisons,
stocks, gags, thumbscrews, marking-knives,
branding irons, bloody whips, iron yokes, gall
ing chains the tortures of body and mind for
1 time and ctenity-that this system, on want of
system causes to all which he would be liable
: in common with others. Would he say then
that slavery is night under all circumstances ::
r or say, that alters the case But he insists that
r tie Anglo Saxon race cannot be cnslavcd, nor
the Africans be free men. But MANY Africans
@ have become free men who would not come be-
n hind Mr. &. in the use of the tongue, pen or
sword. And many Of our Anglo Saxon Ances-
tors were once slaves, and even now many sons
k and daughters of Anglo Saxon are slaves. A
s gentleman from the South related in my hear
6 ing, the following anecdote. A married man
had a white female slave who had a child near
: the time that his wife mad one, and the slave
had to take care of both, and when it was nee
Il essary to carry either, it must be that of the
i mistress, and one day in the garden she set her
= own on the ground and carried about the other
: Some visitor came to see the mistress and her
! child, and going into the garden took up the
;. slave child and with great rapture kissed and
d tossed it about and twas OH you sweet one,
s you dear pretty little ducky, ducky darling,
how much you look like your father for all the
: world. But when they found out they had got
n the wrong pig by the ear, they dropped it like
a bot potatoe, and went after the other but
they could not do much for the first, the little
: anglo saxon slave had stole away all the thun-
der. Now as the Jews would consider Mr.. G
! aud Mr.. Buchanan, heather round about them
q, Or strangers among them, whom they were al
q q lowed to buy if they are not Jews and Jew
, comes to Washington to buy them for bondmcn
a they say we are not bondmen. No matter,
y will buy you for bondmen, for the Lord says
v may, or must, but our ancestors were not bond
a men they reply No matter for that either
d for there must be a first time with them or you
q when free men become bondmen, and | mus
= have bill of sale of you forthwith. But who
y will sell us and give bill of sale 0 the Re
G publican party will be glad to sell you for tht
q widow mite, and think they make good bar
y gain at that. Well but they don't own US
l. Neither did your ancestors own the first slaves
" 0 yes they bought them of those that brough
10 them here. But they had No more right tt
# steal them from Africa, than have to steal yo,
!. from Washington. If the thief had no mora
,r nor legal title to them, those who bought then
i had no more right than he, and those who be
d come heirs to them, have no better title thai
n either, and it is only continued mdnstealng
/ If not have the same right to enslayc you
It But those passages do not allow the jew to sci
N them to a third person, this would b. stealing
1t for when the patriarchs sold Joseph to n thir
is person, and thus began this patriarchal domes
IL tic Institution, Joseph says of it, indeed | wa
. stolen away out Of tho land of the Hebrews,
l. and God says thou shalt not steal, and who $
We stealeth a man and sslleth him, or if he b
Of found in his hands he shall surely be put t
IN death. So that the Bible instead of sanction
IN ing slavery condemns Mr.. G. and every othc
STAKEHOLDER to death. The passages ho quote
allow the Jews to buy strangers among them
A. as well as hetthen around them But Go
" says ye shall not Cypress stranger for yo wer
n strangers in Egypt i. e., not Cypress ther
IL as ye were oppressed, they were not propart
Id and certainly not 50 much as to make ther
s. slares. Again he says if thy brother be WAY
m en- poor thou shalt relieve him, yea tho he b