The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-09-20

! #' f6ctIoh N tHeE frerc1Se OF t0nSJ1tHtl0adt
+ Rights demanded ~ r.. E.s .a..n. ta.rr
| Ts,TOCTANT LETTER FROM REV. T. M. EDDY,
| I. D., EDITOR OF TIE NORTH WESTERN CHRIS
TrAS ADVOCATE, TO PRESIDENT BUCHANAN.
/ iIoS. JAaEs BUCHANAN, % ."r'a'
83r President of he United States i. .f
J s!E There ere times wien TIE fimhlcSt
citizen may and should approach the Chief
Magistrate with lis cause. Such is the pres
ent and nd lrcss you, not seeking any Of
flee, nor interfering with the ordinary ques-
tions which are thrust upon your attenti n.
write as member, minister, an officer OF
the Methodist Episcopal Church ' ISL. "
You, SIR, area ''public functiouary, ' charg-
ed with the highest responsibilities and the
weightest duties. The matters design to
to lay before your Excellcncy affect the life,
the liberty, the property Of our people. They
affect thsir ii ghts in the new States and Ter
iitories; they affect the destinias Of this
country; for they must lead to the practical
solution OF this qucstion-Are the rights Of
tie citis6n, anldar the Constitution, to be pro
tecssd, or nrs they to be held at tie pleasure
q'the mol 2 . .E #h..'n.a 81.
The history of thu people called 'Me;ho-
dists'' is not unfamiliar to you, for il Is part
Of the history Of the country. We have
been among the pioneers Of civilization and
Christianity. Our clergy have been among
the first in the wilderness. They have not
waited until roads were made bridges built,
houses erected, anl Disabilities removed
They have gone with the woodsman, they
have camped with the hunter searched out
the cabin Of the squatter, followed the hardy
miners of the Pacific into their gulcheS, and
gone after the lumbecmen into the ineyhaus-
tible pincries, and come to you to-day de
manding protection in the exercise OF our
vested rights. " .nm #a@ f~at
regret, s;r, thqt must write this CON-
munication now, while the political excite
ment unayoidably connected with the Presi
Dental election is upon us, but there is no
alternative. It's question ofltf6 and death.
viii state ... .rt
]. THE GROTND WE oCCUPy. ... ..
!. The Methodist Episcopal Church is no
political organization Its functions are
spiritual and ecclesiastical Men Of all polit-
ical shades ere in its ministry, its ofilciary,
and is membership, It's papers lend no
politc7l influence to either political party, as
such. nor display the names ofany candidates
at the head of their columns. THus FAR
our neople have never been consolidated into
political organization, for no denominatijnal
interest has demanded it.
2. We have ever been loval people. -
We hive bowed to the majesty of law, both
federal and state. We have counseled no
resistance to unjust laws. There is nothing
in our doctrinas Of discipline calculated to
stiI up strife or sedition.
3: These things being so. wc claim thn
RIGHT to 90, under the Constitution Of our
| country, into any part Of our domain We
claim tho right Of free speech and free print
| inc We CLAIw--rnark, Mr. President. I do
not say we ASK, we solicit no, sir, W. DE-
NAxp-eoual rights and PRIVILEGES with other
| law. let them be ftirly tried, condemned and
punished. Give them IN impartial jury, an
unb1ibe1 Judge, and COMPETENT counsel.
4. Tt cannot have escaped your attention
sir. that Methndism was early remarkably
successful in the Southern States, but posi-
| blv you ma" not have observed that it was
! thus successful rs dsci3e1 an3 uncompr3
missing Gnti-sLdrsry ch'rc8 The present
anti-slavery tone o. onr Discipline and litera-
ture is no new uttcrance. Our fathers spoke
warmer words than we, and the warmest
came from slave territory. You will be
struck, sir, with the remarkable agreement
| of their words with those of Washngton
! JeTrson, Madison, Franklin and, iC mis-
| take rot, your own earlier spoken or written
sentiments. 1t was known everywhere that
John Wes'ey ahhorred slavery; that he de
nounced the slave trade as the "sum of all
villainies,' and slavery as comp'icated
crime; and yet Southern Conferences were
orgarized under bis direct supervision. In
| 1880 conference held, not in Boston, or
even in New Yoik, but in Baltimore, on
slave soil, said: Slavery is contrary to the
law Of man and nature, and hurtful to soci-
etv-contrary to the dictates Of conscience
and pure religion" You will be told that
our churches has become abolitionized Open
cur Discipline and read it. 1t says nothing
stronger than was SAID by that Southern
Conference in 1850. I'm 1884 Baltimore
again spoke, saying. 1--WE view it Slavery
as contrary to the Golden law of God q. . the
| inalicnable rights Of mankind. AS WELL AS
EVERY PRINCIPLE OF THE REVOLUTION, &c.
These are mere specimen quotations, but
| they express the early sentiment of Method
ism. Slavery was wrong, and by religious
agencies was to be extirpated Holding
these views, they spread everywhere through
the South. They incourage no instructions
they stirred up no Violence they made no
interference with State laws We stand upon
the same platform. and hold similar views.
II so happens, sir, that am able to give
you the views of our church in Virginia at a
somewhat later period. In 1918 minister
preached sermon in Washington county.
in which were some illusions to the relations
of slavery, and was indicted for attempting
to promote insurrect;on and sedition among
the Slaves. BY change Of venue the tria.
was held in Frederick, in the month of
! March, 1919. The senior counsel for the ac-
cused was Roger B. Taney, now Chief JUS
tee Of the Supreme Court Of the United
States One of the attorneys read from the
| Discipline of the Church the law bearing on
slavery, which may be thus condensed: G}
A strong declaration of the great evil of Sla-
very; (2). \ requisition upon such rs unite
with the church to emancipatc their slaves !;
! (3). Forbidding any Shareholder to be a
travelling preacher; a.. Forbidtiing the sale
! of slaves, or their purchase, except for pur-
poses of emancipation (5). Admouishing
! slaves TO obedience aud industry
| These were read in Virginia Court, to 4
Virginia jury, in the pres sence of Virginia
judge, and the position boldly argued, that
there was nothing in them contrary to the
| peace and safety of the State. The accused
was acquitted. Mr. fancy said OF the Meth
odists living under these rules, that they
equaled any other pconle in their moral de-
| portment, and in their habits OF obedience to
| the laws" He also said
! mo man can be prosecuted for preaching
Ia &, 4