, 1859-05-17
Drcss & Trihttttk,


TIE CHICAGO TIMES AND THE AF-
h1CAN SLAVE TRADE.
The American Tract Society having set the
example OF leeturing one class Of sinners on
the transgressions peculiar TO another class-
ior instance, putin. tracts in tue hands Of
sl4Ee:d1!vess rebuking the evils Of dancing and
gluttony-its managers and friends need not
complain Of the Chicago Tines for putting up
dhhnso Of tholr recent anniversary meeting,
with only misty allusion to their vote on
ths African Slave trade In its SUNDAYS
isszie the Times makes Il scolding reply to eur
criticism Of the Soae,y's action in the ],rcnli.
ses-whicll said reply defends the Society hy
inracAtion. aud yet without Saving in SO many
words whether its vote was III accordance with
the example aud teachings Of the Master cr
otherwise. 1t says: The occasion Of tie
*'azliclc to which we have aIluded-or what
@was tortured into Ill occaSion-was the TO-
" fus:l Of the American Tract Society 10 e1~t
"a .fdnaticdl -1bvl;tiou President" No, sir!
The occasion was the refusal Of the Society TO
bear its testimony against that form Of 1,irary
which it suits Democratic politicians aud press
cs. in this latitude nuw-a-days, 10 say very
little about
The deicacy manifested hy tue Times in
allud!ns to the matter il issue. may be co:-
strucd to mean that the position Of tle Soc;e
tyis TOO shameful 10 lie defended even By 81
cnlar pro-slayery Journal; or it may signify
that the African Slave Trade is Il subject uut
10 be lightly ha.dled until after the sitting #
the Charleston Convention. The silence tf
that sheet amid the general discussion OIL the
cases Of the Echo and UaHele'er,. would seem
to argue tic latter hypothesis. Tic tactics #
tile elavc-trading party, which We pointed ol;1
to our readers long ago. are working their ]c-
gitima'e results. By keeping up ccasclcss
claIhor; by procuring endorsements here and
there in Southern Democratic Conventions;
BY actually tmbarking in tile lawless
traffic: By repeating The logical truiSn
that tue right to make more slavery
carries the right to make mort slavcs--;,.
short, by EamilIarizinS the Democracy and
the public will the crime Which tlny intend II
legalize, they are visibly weakening lie
moral sentiment which dcuounccs the DEATH
penalty upon tho 1rafickcrs III human 1cslI
on the high seas. The latc :tction Of tlc
Tract Society is III alarming indication of 1l"
tendency Of opinion in certain quarters. II
wanted but the crinrins Of 4 great ccclesiasti
cal body like this, behind which the lesser
fight tic battle Of the pirates under gulse Of
defending morality and religion! After Il suf-
ticicnt time thus spent i'll stayln: The lro.ress
Of -AMichrist, the transition will be easy to Ill
onen dcfeusc Of the Slave Trade itself Let i
he understood that I'LL who lind fault with tic
Tr:n't Society are fanatics, inlidcls and proaslr
swearers, aud the matter actualiy i'll cnutFo~
vcrsy-tl. trade in "Wcst African sav;a.es''
will be baptized into responsibility forthwith.
1t requires hut the smallest modicunl q:
ssnse u foresight 70 perceive the goal 10 wiic':
1Ac Democratic party il fast drifting. Having
z vital organization only in tic Slave State;
its doctrines, its platforms must he 1npul'ie1
after public opinion in those States. One IL
one the public men and organs Of ,hc SOUTH.
are yielding to the unns1ukable demand for
cheap negroes. A daily advertisement ulr
pears in q leading journal Of Louisiana caliil,.;
for one thousand natives Of Congo at three
hundred dollars head. Texas and Missis-
sippi arc cla,norilr for the SHINE indulgence.
and their statesmen must second their desires
70 the wall All these things have bccn ~
complishcd within less tllau 4 year. Who Shall
undertake to limit the progress Of thcsc i,ieas
during the year that it:tcrvcncs !~i'rc the
Democratic platform il reconstructed nj
Charleston2 Who will undertake 10 say wiz:
tho position Of tho Chicago 1i,ncs will Le at 1l:.t
itlnctuFc?