The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-08-11

not know them to be facts, then does he not
exhibit pretty spectacle to the world, sit
ting in judgment, and acting as censor on
the historical knowledge of another, whilst
ignorant Of the simplest elements Of history
himselfs Verify we must show him, either
as great hypocrite, or blind guide.
But, says Mr.. F. ''the commercial oalue Of
these colonies has declined" d"-shame shame!
what Christian viii put hogsheads fsugal
and tobacco in one scale; and human, chris.
tian flesh and blood, and bones, and the
cap of liberty too, in the other. aa
It is matter of history that George Wash.
ington, by will, liberated all his slaves. Mr..
Taunton in showing the moral sense Of the
great men Of the revolution on slavery, stated
this fact of Washington's will ;-In reply
Mr.. F. first cast shade of doubt over the
authenticity of the will but finding this ia
be unsafe ground, he turned the subject of
by saying "it was no great mark of his moral
sense against slavery, that he freed them at
his death, when we all know they could be
of no further use to him" After such an
expression as this, it is to be regretted that
we cannot have George Washington and this
apostle of tyranny in Daguerreotype room,
face to face-we should then be able to witness
and hand down toposterity, the great patri.
OTIS other face well you can imagine that
face, better than can paint it.
And now for jefferson, whom Mr.. F.
claims as the father Of his political creed
how was he treated on the same evening
Mr.. 7. on the fast evening among many ex-
tracts from the writings of Jefferson, read
his letter to, John Holmes, dated 1920, in
which he records in burning words, his sense
of the injustice Of slavery. Mr.. F. on the
next evening read from the same letter, a
few lires, expressive Of alarm at the Missouri
agitation; then shut the book, stopping
short just at the point where Mr.. Jefferson
begins to give as his moral sense Of slavery
he there says: 81 can say with conscious
truth, there isnot a man on earth who would
sacrifice more than would, to free us from
this heapy reproach in any practicable way
the cession Of that kind of property, (for Sc
it is niscalledD is a triHe which would not
cost me "a second thought, if in that way a
general emancipation and expatriation could
be efected; and gradually, and with due
sacrifices, l think it might be-" The mo-
ment this passage hove in sight, Mr.. F. shut
the book-why shut the book? Query II
the spirit of jefferson had been lowering
over us, would he have thanked Mr.. F. for
suppressing his recorded protest against the
iniquityG The great interest which Jefferson
took on the subject, and the various ways in
which he endeavored to win Virginia over to
emancipation, show most conclusiyely that
when he drafted the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, he meant the entire human fami-
ly when he said call men," Mr.. F. may carp
as long as he pleases, but he cannot get over
this fact-the language is clear; it contains
no limitation; and the unlimited sense ac-
cords as is well known with the views pri-
vately held, and publicly expressed by JEFF
ferson, the drafter. Again he says in his
"Notes on yirginia," 81 tremble for my coun-
try when reflect that God is just; that his
justice cannot sleep forever; and Cooking
to the possible rising of the slaves) God has
no attribute which can take sides with us
in such contest" Here there is no mista-
king Mr.. Jcfferson's views; they are potent
to all who choose to learn them; and with
these opinions, SO notoriously held, how does
ithappen that Mr. F. claims to be a political
child of JeffersonG The great apostle of lib
erty and true Democracy would despise,
discard, disown him there is no common
ground on which they could meet. Jeffer.
son obtained the passage Of the ordinance Of
1857 excluding slavery for ever from all the
territory then swned by the United States ;
and Washington signed it; and if all the
territory since acquired had been then he'd,
slavery would have been excluded from il
ALSO How does Mr.. F. & Co., fulfil the
spirit of this ordinance!--why by claiming
that the Constitution carries slavery where.
yer it goes" If this is true, then those
States which have thought themselves free
and have passed laws prohibiting slavery
within their borders, have exceeded theil
powers; their anti-slayery laws are null; and
and the dread and diear eclips Of bondage
hangs DER all theland. The name Of Frank
lin, too, what is that name in Mr.. F.'s letter
for Pho was ever a more deadly foe to sla
very than Jefferson;-let him turn in hi.
agony which way he viii, the great men o
the Revolution will all be found arrayet
against him ;--he has not been able TO pro
duce one name from among them who eve1
offered one word in justification Of bondage
All he can say is, why then if slavery i
such sin, they were all set of wicket
tyrants." dissent from thai, they al
knew it to he wrong; knew it to be . viola
ton of those everlasting principles Of justic'
and human rights which they had proclaimet
to the world, and were then struggling t.
establish knew it all; and like goo'
men denlored IL too. Mr. Jefferson gave tn