The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-07-14
TO THE. EDrToR OF. THE CouRIER.-

.rfgg6 Ma ttss,, 81 .s,, t35 Dear Sir.
Were I actuated by mere desire for victoa
ry, Imight with the greatest propriety have
rested my case at the conclusion Of my last
letter, but there is something deeper, dearer
far at stake--the whole framework and ele-
ments of society are involved ISL a"hu'llu
By the terms Of The question, Mrs Fowler
was bound to prove the right ofany portidi,
of the family of man, to enslave another por
ton, by an unrepealed authority from God.
This, the sole question at issue, he has aban-
donci, and staked his all upon negro slavery,
This is done evidently for two reasons; Ist
because he knows that Wapello county
would be too hot to hold him, if he advocat-
ed the Divine right to enslaye our own race /;
end, because probably epee he has sufficient
moral perception to see that it would violate
eternal justice to doom to slavery whole
class men, unaccused ofany crime. Know
ing this, la Barker, he flies to Noah's
curse for relief and repays one (Canaan) for
the Stiffness of another (Ham) According
to the established rules by which disputa-
tons are governed, Mr. F. is ruled out of the
list Of combatants; to argue totally differ
emf question, is really silent admission Of
defeat; and when he, thus abandons his
ground he is no more to be considered as a
combatant, than the soldier who throws
away his arms and begs for quarter. I waive
all this-with mere victory have nothing
to doazwi.h the eternal principles of TRUTH
of ofJusticesand Of human liberty, Thavescve-
rythinSto to do; hence as | sought light Ind
received only miasmatic fog, Il shall pro-
coed; endeavor to lift that fog; and keep
the sun of freedom shining on, universal,
bright and beautiful. Looking with asingle
eye to Truth, shall follow Mr., in his
weary pilgrimage; pilgrimage towhich he
has such "strong objectionS" and "such
great reluctance" ,wu
So far from clearing mp, or getting out Of
his slight fix" disappears to me to have left
the matter Just where his opponent placedit
1t is to be presimed that no one will deny
the truth Of the first proposition in this syl-
logisr4K the slaves are married, or they are
mot married even Mr.. F. does not deny
this, and so far, we 60 together; but at this
point we begin to diyerge; for Mr.. r. asks,
show does Mr.. T. know whom Cot hath
joined together? ?"-poor human nature |!
bleeding Christianity. a Mr.. Taunton, of
course did not pretend i to prove "whom
God hath joined; :" what man could have
anticipated such question: what real
Christian could nave pdt such A. question
1t Was sufficient for him to knop and is for
ma, 1and is for sssry man who desires to see
deoency and ordar,in society, that there, is
oroagm to such b thing as marriage, !,
and that in our siay,,s The institution is con-
sidsred as sacred in the eyessof God. It is
easy 10 gather The sense Of the Christian
world, ,,sSou the passage, |" :. whom God hath
joined together, let no man put asunder ~ '-F-
I find the passage is always read from the
Protestant Episcopal psayersbook, at the sol
empization, of matrimony. aas The. Roman
Catholic church receive il in the same sense
that Church forbids a divorce tobe asked,
or had Of the civil Courtsr-the Pope alone,
can annul 1 marriage; it is one Of their
"seyen sacramento" The Greek Church
hold 10 the same, sense Of the passage, and
none but the Patriarch Of Constantinople,
who is head ofthat Church, can grant di.
vorce. These churches embrace . popula-
ton Of abous three hundred and thirty milf
ions, who hpld that the above passage refer,
tothe parties j0ihea IN nsarriags. How tr,';
ly ridiculous then is the question of Mr.. RI
Then there IS also the large body of the va
rious dissenting sects; if they understand
hepassage differently, he might have proved
it---nnt having done this, i is fair to suppose
that M. Fsvlss and Mo- Barker are arrsyed