, 1860-04-14

Expression OF The Kentucky Annual
III, Conference on Slavery.
The Kentucky Annual Conference Of the IL
E. Church, recently held in Germantown, n.y.,
unanimously adopted report dcc!ar,nglt mex.
pedicrt for the Conference to make the gencr1
rule on the subject Of slavery more stringent,
In the report, the position Of the Conference on
The slavery question is thus defined:
In looking OYER the utterances Of the Church
in times past, upon the subject Of slavery, we
find no language better calculated to express
our present feelings and views than is contain,
ed in report" written By Henry B. Bascom,
late Bishop ct the Methodist Episcopal Church
South, and signed By himself aad u. II. Kava,
naugh-now Bishop Of tho Methodist Episcopal
Church Southland several other prominent
members Of the Conference, and unanimously
adopted by the Kentucky ANNA! Conference,
portion Of the report" which expresses the
opinion Of the Conference On slavery, reads as
follows:
Your Committee ce2not disguise it from them
selves, that late Developments an6 E,o-e~eats,
numerous and startling, connected with this
subject, indicate but too clearly that tie insti-
tutiona aud welfare, not less than the peace aud
stability OF our whole country, ere fearfully en-
dangered By the indiscrcet and sll,judged aRita-
tion Of this, Us we think, inopportune and un-
fortunate controversy. Although citizens Of
Kentucky, re are not the advocates Of slavery.
We believa it to be morally wrong, and relative
y mischievous in all its tendencies. We con-
slider it an evil, even in its most tolerable rs.
pects. We deeply regret and most anxiousy
deplore its existence in this or any other coun-
try; and ID relation to 6lr owu particularly, we
pledge our exeEtions and influence, in an sE-
real 10 all Just and lawful means and methods
for its removal, whenever such exertions and
influence can be brought to bear without ill.,
fringing the rights Of others constitutionallY
sccureai il the construction Of the Federal Cor
crnment-
From the same "report" nc also read the
following:
Slavery, originally entailed upon tho nation
against the will Of the sufferers, has become
chronic disease in the body y-rolitie, aud in view
Of the only facilities offered for its removal, the
found in the nature Of things, aud il its present
application is iuseparable from the character
aud condition Of slaves, aud the peculiar oryani-
zation Of seciety in the country.
While We fully lndorse the statements mad.
in the foregoing quotations, and sincerely re-
gret that any body of Christians bearing the
name Of Methodists can be found willing to dis
sent from views SO uanifestly just, ut the same
time it may be we'll to remark that We hare no
theory to propose for the removal Of the "cyil'
from our country. Wedcal only with the moral
aspects Of the institution, leavins the question
of"rcmeds" to the developments Of the future
and the righteous workings Of IN oyer1ulinr
Providence. We are thus explicit, not 10 shup
nny just responsibility which our sentiments
and position in aslavehold,ng Stale m.y impose
upon us, but for the purpose Of avoiding the an-
noyance that is occasioncd by the misrepre-
sentations of those who meet us onlv with that
convenient weapon. associated MS il generally
is with vituperation aad insulting epithets..