Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-01-06
Abolitionism Exnlained--No. 19,

| wonder il there was ever an argument for
slavery tina did not trequiFe the support of vii
ling ignorance The curse of Canaan is an ar
gument for slavery. The argument is good
enough where there is Ignorance enough but
touch it with SO much us u breath of examinar
ton and you ruin it. The descendants of Ca
naan were the Zidomans, the Jebustes, the AM
orltes and others, but if any of them remain
heirs of the curse, 1T would be impossible to de-
termine whether negroes or Shareholders have
the better claim. Itrequires gross inattention to
tho Constitution not to see from the instrument
itself that it has II better purpose than to sup
port slavery, and all the historical props of pro-
slavery construction, if but slightly examined
prove as rotten as the curse of Canaan. Such
a prop is made of the debates Of the Convention
that framed the Constitution. And | confess
would not run to those debates for apti-slavery
support unlsss to show by the contrast between
the spirit of the Convention and the spirit o.
the instrument they framed, that the Conyen
ton framed the instrument in the fear of tht
people, thus proving that the people were anti
slavery and adopted the instrument for its anti
slavery character. But it is enough to say o
the debates that they were held within closeC
doors, and the people did not know them til
long after they adopted the instrument, no
would knowing them have been ratifyingzthem
ItrcquirSs stern stuff to go to Washington
and legislate without favoring slavery. Sucl
stufE~sts not always sent and one effec
Of the lack of it was the fugitive slave Act o
1893. The Act being repugnant to the popu
lar will remained for long time dead letter
But politicians, yielding to primo facie view
have taken the passing of the Act, instead 0
its inoperdtipeness, as an exponent OF the ma
tional mind of 1893, as they fancied, they mad
it the key to the meaning of the clause relatin
to fugitive servants Just as if the C0nstitutio
tied us up not to maintain justice, but alway
to do the bidding Of our fathers Surely whe
we propose our form Of government as tn
"oiih uouVi. ~ w Will all luhcSt CD'
fession that we are not to be imitatsd in its at
minstration. We should not claim to be stanl
ard jurors till we can learn to 20 alone and nC
for ourselves. We have not yet learned til
first lesson in the science Of government, nc
the use of our own Constitution, while W. fe
politically bound to tolerat, wrong. If "
think we must 90 to the Constitution to lear
rights, and then out Of the Constitution t
learn what the Constitution means. we oug
at once to be sent to school.
An unanswerable reply to all the historici
arguments for the constitutionality of SLAYER,
is the fact that when the Federal consttutio
was adopted, all the State Constitutions of tn
slave States were hostile to slavery. Eve
South Carolina had decency enough not to |,
the shameful system disgrace her Constitution
If Shareholders INTENDED to perpatuato SLAYER
at all, they intended to do it hwlassly and
defiance of their own State governments. Nov
let the moral and constitutional rights OF slay
ry he examined as they ought to be, and tht
will he found to be just the rights OF Il mad do
a right to be hated, pursued and destroyed.
|. SMITH.