Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-07-10
From The Northern Independent.
BORDER DEVELOPMENT.


BORDER DEVELOPMENT.
AT last the war is carried into Africa The Bor.
der is awakiug and notwithstanding the sad defec-
/ ton in that region, thero is some prospect that
! the ancient honor Of Methodism will be restored
! There is nope, but the work of recovery has been
so long delayed, and the fatal poison of slavery
has become so thoroughly diffused by commerce
and by marriage through that portion of the
church, that the chances are doubtful-secession
Is perhaps more probable than reform When
the Pictures Of Slavery" appeared, things as
sumed new aspect-light for once came from
where It never come before. The spell was bro
ken. The fact was out. 1t was no longer pos.
sbe to deny that we were a slavehUldinC, a slave
trading, slave breeding Church, and that too on
very large scale. The testimony which had
come up from the border. year after wear. was
/ found to be fase-the solemn asseveration of the
ct the last General Conference, put forth its pas
torai address, wholly the strength of Southern
testimony, was shown to be grevous hoax. We
nave been dured in most shameful manner and
1t is to be hoped that such outrage upon all de
cency Will have its proper effect in giving tone TO
the next General Conference. Whatever causes
such body to trife with Goddefying enormjty
and even turn apoogist for large communities de-
voted to saveholding, with all its cognate william
les, must in the end work only deeper adherence
of the monstrous evil. We think it will never be
possible for the Border again to deceive itself or
othere. These reflections have been prompted bv
new work, just come to hand, bearing the appro-
pirate title Of
"BoRDER METHoD1sM AND BORDER SLAVERY
Beng statement and review OF the action of the
Phladelp phin Conference concerning slavery at its
late session at Easton, Pa. Including the case of
Rev. j. d. Long the slaveholding among mem.
be1s OF tho tody; the extent and character of
sia7eholdng in our territory and the crushing
out of Bro. j. S. Lame since the late session of
the Conference. By Rev. J. Maryland McCarter
OF the Philadelphia Annual Conference"
This pamphlet abounds with eloquence and ar
gument The writer wieds pen capable of do
ing great work in the anti-slavery cause There
is work for him ahead We have marked quite a
number OF passages which we should be glad to
transfer to our columns but want of restricts
us to few which show the complete deadness Of
our Church to all anti-savery action. 1t will be
remem bered that the author treats mainly of that
particular portion of slave territory within the
bounds of the Philadelphia Conference. two or
three counties in Virginia. the State of Delaware
and the Eastern shore of Maryland:
"ln almost every town on the Eastern shore of
Maryland, professional slave traders are located
and where none such found in the villages and
neighborhoods, they have their agents. through
whom they are informed of slaves which are in
the market.
What had the Methodist Episcopal Church in
the Philadelphia Conference, with a large mem,
bership spreading over the same territory as that
traversed by the slave dealers been doing in her
quarterly conferences, in her class meetings, in |
her pulpits What had the church beer doing |
amidst almost daily scenes surpassng in horror, !
in some of its features, the terrible outrages of the
same trade in human beings on the African coast?
Did the Church obey Gods voice, and as Church. |
actively oppose this evil?
''lf anything has been done at all, it has been
done to conciate Shareholders to denounce anti.
slavery agitation and action and if any one ex
preston has been used recognizing slavery as an |
evil, other expressions it is believed, used in
connection Herewith, eminentiy gratifying to |
slnve-dealers and Shareholders"
"The Philadelphia Conference has but two coun.
ties OF Virginia, but it meets the slave trade in |
those counties, and these are about as great expor
ters of slaves as any others in the State, in pro-
portion to the population"
"The writer knows that the Methodist Episco.
pal Church is power in every department of 20.
ltcal and social interest on the slaveholding soil
of the Conference Her membership is almost
three times larger than all other Cbgrches combin,
ed on that portion OF our work These members
are composed in great part of the persons making
and administering the laws OF those communities
She holds controlling, if not directing, power
in regard 10 the religious and social sentiment of
the people in those communities"
Still further and in a strain of deliberate afir-
nation which leaves nothing to inference the wri 4
ter proceeds to assert that the Methodism of the
Border not only tacty sanctions slavery in all its
modes and phases, but actually participates to the
fullest extent in the practice of it:
"Now no one who knows the Peninsula will de.
ny the sta'ement, that the buying of men, women
and children, without any intention to free them
is very usual, indeed, almost universal practice
among methodists who buy at all. If the 6uyin0
of men, women and children, with an intention
to enslave them be any wrong, then we should like
1t shown that, since 1920 in our Conference any
one ever before a committee therefor. 1t used
to be that whenever Methodist bought slave
he knew that the Church required, and demanded {
his liberty; that if he declined to abide by the
judgment of the Church, or refused, or neglected
to bring the bought slave before the Church. that
she might break the fetters from his limbs the {
buyer would himself be disowned as member of |
the Methodist Episcopal Church. But that day
has long since passed, and the Methodist now
stocks his farm with slaves he would with graz,
ing cattle and it is no offence, and the Church
never looks after the matter.
"The sale of slave, however, into intermina-
BILE bondage was at one time regarded as an of.
fence Of the highest grade. We find data for be-
eving this was not allowed under any pretence
'ven to a neighbor, or any other, though member
If the Church, until after 1925. 1t took Just about
i've years, from the time the Church ceased to free
slaves purchased by her members, 10 introduce the
practice, which aferward came to be considered as
no disciplinary offence, that of parting with Il
slave to brother or sister Methodist and about
i've more to inaugurate the practice of selling s
slave to an Episcopaan, Presbyterian, or decent u
Iinner, provided be lived contiguously. This S
lone, it required but few years more to create S
he licence to sell to any of these at a distance, s.
nut not to 20 to the Western Shore; or more than O
days travel from the relatives of the slave Fl
Then it known in few years more to be done, e.
provided it was not to a negro trader and out of o.
he State. The next move the sale TO the ne "
ro trader. but to it, the plea urged thot
he slave had some vice but happlinp and hv- ri