Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1859-09-09

sed be Canaan ls evermOre the refrain
Of Democratic minstrelsy.
And now 10 the Bible. ! will not
detain the committee long. for | have
no patience with the impiety which
attempts 10 throw the sanction Of the
Holy Book around the diabolical sys-
ten Of American slavery. What says
this inspired volume Thou shalt not
/ steal" Brief, comprehensive, and to
the point. This must be taken from
the Bible before it can be made to
sanction slavery. Does this forbid my
taking my neighbor 5 horse, but allow
me to reduce a man to slave, and
then claim them both? How much
better is man than a sheep!" If |
am told slavery is not theft, because
the ioloEious ia'ent is not there | reply
as gentleman from Georgia replied,
who has in former wears On this floor
attempted to justify Slavery from the
Scriptures. He declared that the act
OF Padding in arresting the maraader
W alller vas an act of robbery. Some
one replied, it could not be robbery,
for there was no felonicus intent; the
gentleman from Georgia retorted, Il
said robbery did not say iegai rob-
berry So | say theft-I do not say
I'yat theft, or theft in the legal sense.
We are talking about the moral, not
the legal, character Of slavery. The
title TO slaves originated in violence
and robbery, and its continuance has
no other moral character. There can
be no mistake about the richttui own
ershIp Of Il human being. lie belongs
10 himself. Because NY father or my
mother was reduced to the condition
OF a slave, does that justify my being
reduced 10 the same condition of bru-
Iism? Does the continuance of wrong
take away lis guilt? i repeat, there
can he no doubt as to the ownership
Of any human being. The title is in
himself. To take it away from him is
robbery. But we have a specific stat
ute on this subject: He that stcaleth
man and selleth him. or if he lie
found in his hand" that is, in his pos
session, "he shall lie surely put to
DEATH This enactment takes this
transaction ont OF the catalogue Of
ordinary crime, and brands it with
peculiar reprobatiOn. Other forms OF
theft could De atoned for by returning
iour-iold: this claimed the forfeiture
OF lie Itself, thus making it capital
offence. No ,quirmiug or s0phistrv
can get around this. There it stands.
the estimate Of the Jewish Scriptures
Of the crime Of tratfickin@ in human
flesh. so once thought the Presbyte-
rlan church, when they declared the
Shareholder guilty of mau-stealing
every day. This was q constitutional
law of the Jewish Commonwealth: no
other statute could contraveue it. any
more than q State or Territorial law
can annul provision OF our National
Constitution. All the instances of
buying and selling relied upon by the
advocates of Slavery, are confined 10
the person bought and the person soij.
\ person falling into decay" sold
himself, not as chattel or slave, but
as a servant, for term of years: and
when the jubilee came around, liberty
was proclaimed thro out all the land.
10 all the inhabitants thereof When
there was failure on the part Of the
people to proclaim this liberty, prom
lsed and secured by law. then GOD F.
proclaimed liberty to them to the
sword 10 the peStilence and those other ,
that fell swift and terrific /
from the hand Of an incenSed Being.
1t was this Providcntial retribution
which made Jefferson "trembIe for his
country when he remembered thatGod
was just, and that his justice would
not sleep for ever In the uprising
Of those oppressed millions he averred
that no attribute Of Jehovah could
take sides with Tie oppressor.
Homer thy father and thy mother
is the requirement OF the Bible. Sla-
very utterly annuls this command. An
owner claims honor and obedience. to
the utter disregard of parental authO-
rity and parental claims. Who ever
thinks of a slave child obeyiDg his
parent in preference TO his master ?
The very suggestion is prcposterous.
Does the Bible sanction a system that ,
lbrogates its own iujunctiors?
There is i slave woman. pressing, ,
with 4 mothers love, her own child 10 ,
Ter heart. To whom does it belong? ,
S it not hers against the universe ?
S there any beng, this side Of the +
terlal throne, that has the right to !
axe it from her? Has q master the =
lst right to tear it away from her a
mbrace, and claim it as his exclusive b
property Is this robbery sanctioned i
y the Bible, and that Bible the Word d
+ God ? / know some people are 7
lught this, By ministry ! dislike 70 Y
haracleri1e as ! think they deserve. o
"wea,h, lust AMI fashion 5d them still to l.sel, h
And holy u,r quote scripture o5 the deed
ut those men do not truly interpret :
le Bible; they teach for doctrines the a.
of men, and make the -
ord of God of non-e;fect thro' their =,
. ii ! No., ,,,ar, tYr., Ia !