Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-03-19
REV. MR.. BRISTOL.

A correspondent Of the Northern Independent,
thus sketches the remarks which he heard on a
late occasion from a preacher who is said to be
one Of the ablest Methodist ministers in Western
New York.
"lIe said the opposers of the anti slavery cause
III Churches were known by their opposition to all
agitation-to free speech and q free press. In
the estimation of this class of persons all exami'
nation and criticism into the public acts of Bish'
ops, editors and Conferences was abuse of the
Church. For his part, while he respected Bish
ops, he should feel himself free to look into their
administration, as his sense of duty might dictate.
and he deprecated that two Bishops at the Black
River Conference refused to sign a petition to the
Governor of Maryland for the pardon of Samuel
Green, n colored ezhorter in the NJ. T.. Church,
who is now in the States prison for having q copy
of Uncle Toms Cabin in his possession. lie
thought their excuse for not signing it q fimsy
one.
If the opponents of agitation could show that
there was but one slave in the Church, ard should
the Church endorse his enslavement from princi'
pie she tcouid commit sin. Nevertheless if slavery
were to die out with that slave, our OPP onents
might possibly have some shadow of plausibility
in asking us to furl the banner of agitation. But
when he remembered the millions in slavery, and
that their number is increasing daily, to ask us to
be silent was n monstrous crime. For bis part,
should he return home and find a dealer in human
flesh dragging into slavery one of his daughters,
amidst the cries to him for protection, and should
the Church and the Union protect the rohber, and
all were standing on n magazine of powder, and
he had q lighted fuse in his hand and were to ask
them to give him back his daughter and they re.
fused, they wouH all 90 to tie stars together. But
he continued, if | am not thus robbed of a daugh
ter, others are, and the crime is the same, and no
earthly power should prevent him from exerting
his influence for the destruction of American sla'
very.
Would it be asking too much of Mr.. Bristol
that he be consistent? He says truly, others are
robbed of their daughters if he is not, and he can,
not deny that The Church and the Union protect
the robbers. Ought he not then to blow them up
or if that is asking Of him what he cannot do
ought he not to sever his connection with q church
and with a government which sustains robbery O.
the worst kind, which endorses as Christian ant
Democratic "tte sum of all villanies 7" This h'
can do. Has he done what ne could
The Supreme Court at Washington, in TIE cast
of the United States vs. Sherman Ii. Booth. TIT
Supreme Court vs.. Error to Supreme Court of Wis
consin, held the whole conduct of the Court below
to be totally illegal and virtually evolutionary
that the Marshal had n right, and it was his dut,
to resist by force any such interference as that IL
tue u DOotu, Ou tuc puTt Vi Tue Dtdtc po"eTs
and that the Fugitive Slave act was clearly consti
tutional.
That decision is very explicit, and very casil.
understood but then what can Uncle Sam do
more than he has done? The U. S. authorize
I put S. NJ. Booth 10 prison, but he wouldn't sta.
put they took his property, but it wouldn't sta.
took, We fully sym2athise with our revered Tn
Gle in the vexatiou which this case has brOugh
upon him, and fully agree with him that tue Fugi
tive Slave Act is "clearly constitutional )" bu
Wisconsin don't think so, and from present appear
ances she has pretty fully determined not to b
convinced to the contrary. Her course in the maj
ter is-as Uncle Sam says-"totally illegal an
virtually revolutionary" But if she chooses t
be illegal and revolutionary, who or what is to bin
der it? Legal enactments didn't do it, and We il
. fer that judicial decision will not. She has
strange kind of belief in the doctrine of State so,
e~reignty, and we are almost forced to the concll
sion that tho history of the future efforts of tho I
S. officials in Wisconsin, has been already write
in their past experience, and may be comprehend
ed in one word-BAFFLED