Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-08-14
DELIVERED JUNE 7. 1858.


(C6ncluded)
In 1884 two slave ships the Comet and Enco
MUM, one from Alexandra, and the other, | be
lieve, from Norfolk, Virginia, bound to New Or
leans, were wrecked upon British Islands in the
Gull. The slaves Of course became free, by landing
on British soil They were suddenly TRANSFORMED ed
from ehattels into immortal beings. destined to an
eternity OF happiness or misery. The slave mer-
chanis returned to this city, chagrined aud NOR
titled. The people Of the West Indies looked up.
! en- these wretches with cOntempt our cOuntrymen
regarded them with horror, felt they were worthy
of the gallows, rather Than Executive favor. But
the President, himself slaveholder involved in
all the moral turptude of these huckserefs in our
common humanity at once espUused their cause;
and directed our Minister at the Court OF St. james
to demand compensation from the people of Eng
land Tor permitting their African brethren thus
10 ENJOY their God given prerogatives. y more
arrogant and insulting demand was never put
torth by one nation upon another. All understood
that the laws Of England knew distinction be.
tween the masters and the slaves whom they
claimed as property. Neither the people, nor the
ofhcers Of the British Government, the King
himself, had he been present would have had any
authority whatever tor delivering Que Of these
people to the custody or contrUle Of another.
| Our Minister ut London. however, was himself
"A breeder OF slaves. That noble patriot Daniel
IOConnell had refused to extend to him the civil.
ties due to Christian statesman, and he felt the
more determined to make the Government Of Eng
land dignity this American piracy" by acknowl'
edging 1t to be IL legitimate vocation.
10 effect this object, however, he saw but one
Icourse-that was to regard The slaves as property
and not as persons. The crime FOR which indem
nifty was sought, obvious, that truth could
not sustain it. The laws which govern the moral
universe forbid the iGea that truth can suLserye
such iniquity: the claim must therefore be main.
fained by deception, by 'Jdisehood." And in his
othclal communication to the British Minister,
MIR. Stevenson declared. Our Government has
declerht III the most solemn manner, that slaves
killedtb the public service Of the United States
even ba state Of war, were TO be regarded as
prope2, 0nd not as persona, and the Government
held Apousble for their value" | need not re
peat Eqt said Of this unmitgaCd talshood SIX
teenS rs since | then pronounced it false in the
conc aud false in it's details; and called on the
ire Mr.. Stevenson, and the delegation from
his to cite an instance where the Govern
mei ever paid for slave killed in the public
serl The assertion was not only false, but the
Ie R,is assertion was true. IN every in
compensation for slaves killed in
70 has been claimed, we have refused
g Lel hun bled, as an American, as Chris.
tain % [ proclaim those facts. Our nation
was aced in the presence of tho civilized Gov.
ernnl '0f the earth, when its accredited Minis
ter Il eoudescended to SANDER the people of this
Unior nd libel this republican Government, in
order support piracy and do honor to men so
worthythe gallows. But tho falsenood answered
his pufpose the British Minister was deceived,
the pebble Of England were detrauded of ono hun
dred and fifteen thousand dollars, and the first
steps in rendering the slave trade honorable were
successfully taken.
The next step was to constrain Northern mem
bers OF Congress legslnte for the distribution OF
this money. The slave power insisted that should
sanction the proceedings of the Executive. A bill
passed the Senate for that purpose, and those
attempted to force it thro this body,
under the previous question. ! obtained the floor
by strategy, and uttered protest against sitting in
this hall to legislate upon tie price and value OF
human beings. The bill, however, passed, andI
Congress thus far contributed its influence to rem.
der American piracy honorable.
Thus. Mr.. Chairman has this Government lent
its moral and political influence thro' the Execu
tive aud Legislative departments to violate to
blot out its solemn obligations proclaimed in The
treaty OF Ghent instead of using its best endeayors
to entirely abolish "trafic in slaves" We have
lent our lest endeavors to uphold, encourage and
render it honorable; We have done this by dis
honorable means-through fraud and ialsehood.-l
Sir, could this Government be subjected to its
own laws, it would be liable to fine and imprion
ment for obtaining money under false preences.
In making these remarks, | am aware that
shall incur the criticism of those who say they will
stand by our country right or wrong" The
maxim is atheistic. l will stand by nv government
when il is in the tight. but when it is wrong will
do what can to set it right.
During the session IF Congress in December, |
A. ID. 1885, slave ship was fastened to yondcr
wharf. 1t vas the Enterprise, waiting her cargo.
They were purchased in this District; many OF
them were me.nbers of various churches, and one
was said to belong to the minister who olhcated
in the same church Of which the slave was mem
Der. The whole cargo was gathered here, nnde-
the eye OF the President and Of various ministers
Jf the Gospel, and was said to be respectable.
Some Of the victims, however we've not satisfied
with their lot. They preferred death by their
own bands, rather than meet the horrors of South
erns barracOons One Of them, young woman,
threw herself from a Long Bldge into the Potomac
seeking watery grave as relief from the horrors
Of this "American piracy" Her sad fate excited
the attention of of our most talented poets who
has commemorated the sad story in beautiful
verse. But the cargo was pleted, and
the victims taken on board after the
naner practced upon the African coast.
Indeed, SO far as the slave trade was concerned,
here was nothing to distinguish this city from the
many slave factories of Africa, The sails were
ioisted lines cast Of and the glorious flag of our
Union raised The ship departed under the stars
and stripes which may be seen upon nine tenths |
1f the slave ships that leave the African coast.
But the winds of heaven were more favorable to /
human rights than our executive or Congress, -
The ship driven FAR out OF her course, and af.
ter three weeks OF oftenpesuOus weather, theOwuerS
If the slaves being on board preferred running in.
to Fort Hamilton, in the island OF bermuda, aud
'ubjectng their slaves to British laws rather than
risk their own lives by remaining longer at sen The
slaves OF course became free ms soon M they came
underline protection of British enactments. Those
avs had jurisdiction ouly upon she island, but
hey extended marine league from ,he Shore
This had been the opinion entertained and the doc
rine admitted and enforced by all civilized ma
ions, for century previous. This Government
lad praaticed upon it, and still practices upon it,
Bur our Executive had under taken to Uphold
his American slave trade, and our Minister at
London was at once instructed to obtain compen-
alton for the Shareholders. The effronery mani
esed in prosecuting such claim serves in some
legree to mitigate the contempt with which every II