Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-09-08
Vbe Antt- Glausrp Buole.
...f- From the Northern Independent
THE LATE GENERAL CONFERENCE AND
.. ........,t. ID. SLAVERY.

1--WE nave long since gwen our opinion OF the
action of the late General Conference, upon the
subject of Slavery, namely, that it amounted to
nothing, if indeed it was not fur worse than moth
ing. We had not time then to give the proof and
besides, we thought it might be modest at least in
US, as an humble outsider to wait and see what
the friends Of that action and those who heped to
consummate it, had to say in its favor.
Three months have now passed. during which
we have read all, nearly ALL that has teen writ
ten upon the subject; and we are row more than
ever confirmed in our early conviction, that the
action of the last General Conference In regard
to Slavery, is far worse for the cause of extirpa-
tion, than if nothing whatever had been done-
This we believe we can make apparent to the ap-
ptehension of every intelligent and unprejudiced
reader.
In expressing the above emphatic opinion, and
in offering, as we propose to do reasons for it,
we wish it expressly understood that we inteud no
reflection upon those real anti-slavery delegates
from the North who helped to consummate the act,
bey)ud this, that we think they suffered them
selves to become the victims OF bad leadership,
and were more easily satisfied than they should
have been, or than their constituents bad reason
to expect.
In the fret place, evOry body knows that the
great trouble with the old rules was, that they
were equirocal, Some said the general rule againt
slavery, forbade the traffic only, while others,
like Dr. Elliot insisted that prohibited all slave
holding. What the church wanted, and what the
forty.fve thousand petitioners asked for was some
thing specfc, unequivocal, and prohititory of all
slave holding. The petition circulated within the
bounds of the Black River, Oneida, and East
Genesee Conference, and to which @, ATS names
we're appended read as follows:
We the undersigned, m9mbers of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, &C., would earnestly petition
your reverend body to take such action upon the
subject OF your approaching session, as shall spe
officially prohibit the future admission of Slave
holders into the Church; and shall! require those
already in, Gas we believe in violation of the Gen
eral Rules,) either to emaDcipale their slaves, OF
retire from the Church. And in case they refuse
to do either, to provide for their trial and ezpu
sion as in other of immortality. And your
petitioners will ever pray, &c.
/, That circulated in the Northwest read as fol-
lows:-i. .
we, the undersigned would respectfully repre-
sent to your body that the present General Rule
of our Church on the subject of Slavery is various
ly Interpretations portion of the Church claim.
ing that it prohibits all enSlaving acts and ilaten.
tions-holding as we'll as sale or purchase hile
another portion denies such Interpretation, claim.
ing that it simply foIbids the traffic, and nothing
more, and few even claim that it only orbGs the
foreign save.trade; and whereas. we desire to
secure the peace of our Hion and terminate the
internal controversy upon this vexed question, we
therefore pray your body to take the necessary
steps to so change the language of the Rule that
it may condemn the holding or transferring Of
slaves as explicitly as their sale or purchase
Such was tho action desired and prayed for by
the auti-savery portion of the Church, something
unequivocal and effectual. 9dt what did we get?
Will any brother who helped to pass the new
chapter affirm that, taking the action of the con-
ference on slavery as whole, it is uuequivocal- -
If so, why this babel of constructions? At the
NORTH the delegates wish to believe il IS capi-
tai affair, clear as q unbeam and all We want for
the next twenty FIVE years. So DR.. Haven at
least, and we hear Of others in Central New York,
who 60 about telling the people the discipline is
oil right now But in the southwest, DR.. Kings
ley, the author of the report on slavery, is as
stouuy insisting that it was never intended to
purge the Church of slavehoders; while the BaIti.
more delegates, with DR.. Stevens and The Metho.
dist insist that the Discipline is far less anti-sa-
very than before. And so says Dr.. Elliott. But
more of these opinions hereafter. We merely
refer to them here to establish the preliminary
point that whatever the new chapter may mean,
taken with all it's surroundings is to say the least
an ambiguous, two faced, Delphic oracle affair,
=. Al. Al. Il
general rule on slavery. The very element most
needed, and for which the whole North were clam.
oring--a specific condemnation and prohibition
is not in it. 1t is regular English Bill, plac'
ing the anti-slaVery cause in position not much
unlike the Democrat parties at this hour. 1t is
hard work for the mass of our people to determine
what was done at Buffalo.
This, then, is our first ground of complaint
The action was NOT UNEQUIvocAL AND SPECIFIC,
and consequently was OF NO VALUE. No matter
what construction northern delegGtes may put
upon it, in seli.justifcation, and by far-fetched
deductop,--all must admit that taken as whole,
it has one huge loop-hOle worse than all that oxss
ted before in the old chapter. 1t isa compromise,
end is so used by conservatists now all over the
church, and was no doubt designed to bear q
double construction, by those who had most to do
in its origin and management before the confer
snoe; ,,-... t-.. r.... .r.... ......
With this single point--the mysterious and du'
biOus character of the late action On slavery, we
pause for this week. Next week we will give
ether reasons why We think il of no practical
utility II not absolutely worse than nothing.
r.
'AdVices from the Pixies Peak gold regions say
there are about sixty thousand people in that part
Of the world. forty-eigbt thousand of which are
within the limits OF Kansas