Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1859-04-01

NOT entitled 70 the franchises Of Jew but on the other
hand you belong to the Gentle race, Who according
your theory of right made slaves II the advocates
OF slavery choose back and place themselves under
code Of laws given to a race Of men evidently yet In
state Of babarism. let them take the whole code, and
abide by 30, and obey il. Another statement. II the
bhie sanctions Slavery at ALL il is the euslavemeut Of
white men No pretcnds that the servants spoken
of 90 the Bible were blacks The Roman slave was not
o black man. Tho Hebrew servant was not black man.
Ihe question is, whether the laborng man. white or
black, may rightiuly be ensavod.
may as well notice here that wom-out quotation
foneously placed on lam. Noah planted vineyard.
raised some grapes, made some vine and got dunk
When he walked up still fddod with the fumes Of the
wine soto roce, confused he did not know his son
from his grandson he uttered the maedcion. 'cursed
be Canaan not Ham, who mad been guilty % the wrong
And now in the blaze Of the nineteenth century, with
the radiance n Christianity shining around Democrats
Fo mousug back FIVE thousand years 70 learn the basis
oi human rights rom the lips OF man still half drunk
"crsed be Canaan is ovcrmore the refrain Of Demo
cratic mnstrosy.
And now to the Bible will not detain the Commit
tee long, for have patience with the impiety that
attempts 10 throw the sanction Of this holy book around
ne diaboea system Of American Slavery. What says
this inspired volume "Ihou shalt not steal ~ Brief,
'ipi ehohste' anl TO the point ms must be taken
from the Bible, before Il be made 70 sanction sav-
cry Does this forbid my taking my neghbor's horse.
hut allow me 70 reduce the man 20 slave, and then
claim them both How much better is than a
shccpf II am told that slavery is not the0, because
the feloninus intent is not there reply as the gentle
mau from Georgia replied who has In former years on
this floor attempted justify Slavery the authority Of
the Scriptures lie declared that the Of Pauldng in
Some one replied that 1t could not be robbery for there
was no fclonious intent The gentleman from Georgia
Tclgned' II said robbery did not say legal robbery.
80 say heft do not say legal then, theft in the
legal sense. We talking about the moral, the
legal character Of slavery. The title every slave orig
mated in violence and robbery and its continuance has
no other moral character There can he no mistake
about the rghtful ownership Of human being. He be-
longs TO himself Because my father or mother
duced TO the condition Of slave. does that justify my
being reduced 70 the condition Of brutsni Does
the continuance Of wrong tai, away It's guilt repeat
49, can pc no ueNot as 70 the ownership oi any human
being The title is in himself To take it from him is
robbery But We have specific statute this subject
ne that s,calcth man and seleth him, or if he be
found in his hands, that is in his possession he shall
surely be put death" This enactment takes this
transaction out Of the catalogue Of ordinary crime and
brands IL with peculiar rcprobaton. Other forms Of
theft could be atoned for by returning fourold; this
claimed the forfeiture Of life ITSELF thus making [, cap
iin offence. No sQuirmng Of sophistry get round
ths' lhere sanos the estimate OF the Jewish Scrip
lures oi the crime OF rafhcking in human flesh. So
once thought the Presbyterian Church. when they de-
cared Iaveholdng to be vioat on OF the eighth
mandmcnt So thought President Edwards, when he
declared the STAKEHOLDER guilty Of every day
This was the constitutional law Of the Jewish Common
wealth. No other statute could conravene it, any
than state or Territorial law could annul aprovision of
the Constitution Of the United States All the instances
OF buying and selling relied upon by the advocates Of
slavery confined the person bought and the person
sold person failing into decay sold himself as
ehattel or slave but for term Of years;
and when the jubilee came round, liberty proclaimed
throughout all the land 70 all the inhabitants thereof
When there was failure the part Of the people to
proclaim this liberty promised and secured BY law then
nod proclaimed liberty TO them to the sword and
he pestence, and those other judgments that fell swift
and terrific from the hand Of an incensed God. 1t was
this provdenta retrhuton which made jefferson trem-
pie for his country when he remembered that God
Just and that his justice would not sleep forever In the
uprising of these oppressed Millions he averred that
attribute Of Jehovah could take sides with the oppresso
Honor thy father and thy mother is the requirement Of
the Bible Slavery utterly annuls this command The
owner claims honor and obedience the utter disregard
OF parental authority aud parental claims. Who
"A fr
to his master The very suggestion is preposterous.-
Does the Bible sanction system that abrogates its
iniunetions
There stands that slave mother pressing with moth
ers love her child to her heart To whom does it
belong Is not hers against the universe Is there
any being this side the throne Of God that has the right
to take it from her Has the master the right to
and tear II away from her embrace and claim ii his
property And is this robbery sanctioned by the Bible
and that Bible the word OF God know the people are
taught this by ministry that dislike characterze
| think they deserve,
Wealth, lust and fashion bid them still to bleed.
Aud holy men quote Scripture for the deed"
But these do truly interpret the Bible. They
teach for doctrines the commandments II men, and make
the word Of God Of effect through their traditions
How dare these men make the Bible lend its sanction to
system that aorogaes parental authority and ial duty?
SO, Also with the coniugal relation The Bible every
where represents this as the most sacred nyioate and
indissolube Of all human relations. Father and mother
10 be forsaken, in obedience the claims Of this still
higher aud hoer relation. Now, what does Slavery do
with this domestic institution Leave God and the mar
ties perfectly free TO regulate in their own wayi No
with npious and hrazen front, II steps in and utterly
annihates the marriage relation, far its victims are
concerned There is no any legal marriage among
the three or four millions Of slaves in the United States
than there is among many cattle. Slaves in the eve
o. the law are cattle and their union is that Of hrues
ihey are declared TO be goods chattels PERSONAL all
ntents, constructions, and purposes, whatever. The
civil law which prevails in Of the States takes them
Pre- 2,,l3. nals, pro nortn's, pro gnad1ped5w.
these olerRymen, who teach that the Bible sanctions
slavery called IN 10 attend the wedding Of bureau and
chest Of drawers The chairs aud shovel and tongs are
invited as guests After fervent prayer for the divine
blessing the clergyman says;
"Bg the old Leyitical laws.
Join the bureau 10 the drawers"
Qtnd Rides nUtato n0niHs, de te fabnla narrafur
Absolutely, there can be more legal marriage be-
tween two slaves. than between articles of furniture
between two brues. They take up together " they
do not No clergyman dare pronounce two slaves
husband and wife til death shall separate them. The
will OF the master is their fate. The Bible says ''what
God had joined together let not put asunder The
slave system says Who for God | will sepHr-
ate them when please. slave who is a church mem
Der is taught by his religious teachers that il IL his duty
on being sold from plantation to another leaving
socnllcd wife behind, take another mate and the
assigned by those pous instructors is tha, in this
way he can be most profitable TO his MASTER which is his
hrst and paramount duty. Thus he may, as a good
Christian, take up with new woman every planta-
ton to which he is sold, This has been formally de-
cided by ecclesiastical council And yet these BIAS
phemers seek to make God partner in this revolving
practice
The Bible everywhere requires equivalent to be Civ
en- for services rendered Wo unto him that buildeth
his house by unrehteousnes and his chambers by wronQ
that useh his neighbours service without wages and Civ
oth them for his work" "Behold the hire Of the
aborers who have reaped down your fields which by YOU
Is kept back by fraud, creth and the cries of them that
have Teaped are entered into the Of the Lord Of Sa
bauth" Slavery allows any wages at all 70 those
who in is haryess. To say that the clothing and
the food that the slave receives wages say that
the hay grain, aud siablng Of the horse, are wages
These constitute the keeping Of the horse and slave;
wages they not.
Il is frequently said that although individuals may do
wrong yet the system is right Now Il is against the
system that speak. The truth is the individuals are
better than the system The humanity-and in my
charity, perhaps, ought 10 say the Christianyof the
master often riumphs great exton the system
II every master eXempihed the capahy Of the
system for outrage and diabolsn an indignant world
would rise and wine il ont
suppose now, this system all reeking with lust. in
ccs crime, and cruelty 10 brought out and placed under
the blaze of Christianity Whatsoever We would that
men should do unto you, do ye unto them for
summary of the whole Bible Who has the hardihood TO
say that the practice of savehoding is consistent with
this injunction What, in the New Testament, is the
classification Of Shareholders IL places them with muir
dcrcrs Of fathers and muTdercrs Of mothers
kserywhere the Bible ineulcates a spirit of generous
magnanimy ~ that are strong ought 10 bear the mfr
mites Of the weak, and n please yourselves" Sav-
cry know claims this attribute. and talks about its
chivalry and magnanimity. Aud is II not magnanmous
To cheat poor ignorant degraded man, of the
tire earnings Of his whole c-rob hln OF his wife and
children, and then justify il by saying that they
inferior race Admit ihe fact OF infenoritydoes il
therefore follow that il is right Cypress them Every
page Of the Bible flashes s anaihcmas against the op
80 tl ~ IL.