Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1860-05-04


grow into our bones; il must enter into our
character, bore into us like an auger of solid
fled .sulphuric acid. Did the passing Of
human enactments help the matter Gould
anything raise it beyond the Divine law
Its vested rights were vested devils. This
was Gods retribution; its wastefnlness was
its own punishment. If the slaves were
free laborers, the wealth both of the South
and of the North would be speedily doub-
led; the blacks would do more work, pro-
duce more, would require more, and pay for
more--so that the trade between the North
and the South would be vastly increased.-
In fact the cotton merchants, who thought
they were working for their interests in sus-
tanning slavery, were in reality perpetuatiDg
system which, if continued, would result
in the utter destruction of their trade, sys-
tenn which produced slave instructions,
John Brown forays, and the destruction of
free speech even for the stakeholder. Till
ing the earth by stealing mems wages cost
more than it came.to. If you had stream
which would drive 100000 mills, would it
pay to build a thousand steam engines to
be worked by spirits of turpentine and gun
cotton, and dam the stream TO keep it out
of the wayl This was only what it was to
use slave labor instead of free. So su-
premely and atrociously selfish was the feel
ing which some in this country had against
the slaves that they proposed to exterminate
them. Others proposed to keep slavery
where it was, and not to interfere with it
there. Suppose that deadly pestilencc
we're raging in some part of our country,
and we should dig vast moat about it in
stead Of sending and physicians, because it
was unconstitutional. Suppose that for the
sake of the undertakers and coffin-makers,
the pretense should be set up that this was
the only constitutional method of acting
It would be dlabolical, but not so diabolical
as to let slavery alone. Could this be the
proposition of Christian reformers, TO let
slavery live out its days as a Constitutional
guaranteed gehenna, when it was in our
power to rescue both the murderers and
their victimsl This let-alone policy was
just what the devils begged Christ to do
Senator Doolittle had thought of these So
lutions of slavery, the John Brown solution,
which gave the negro equal rights, the
Southern fanatical solution, acquiring Cuba
and Mexico, and eventually overslaughng
the Anglo-Saxon race, and the deportation
Of the black race to some other county,
This last he thought the only proper solu-
ton. Now, Dr. Cheever said it could not
be done. And if it could, what would the
South be without them. They were the
native working population, and would so be
to the end of time. Since the proposal of
emancipation in Russia the price of land
had quadrupled. Why should it not in
this countryl What was in the way of
emancipation in this country? Why not
treat them as free laborers aud pay them
wagesl Why should we not follow this
scripture: "Masters, give unto your SER
wants that which is just and equal?" This
was Gods command. So soon as this was
followed, the slave Constitution of the
States would collapse, and the United States
Constitution resume its glorious work at the
altar of the worship of freedom, and of a
free, living piety. There was no law for
slavery in the Constitution, but only for
freedom. But if there were, no Christian
could set it up as his defense for not obey
ing Gods commands. The wine of our So
cial state was now trodden from the amalga-
nation and maceration of the black race,
as if they were black Hamburg grapes
No wonder that slave breeding Zion cried
for more room. DR.. Cheever gave addi-
tional quotations from the clerical support
ers of slavery in this city. He said, we
must get at the conscience of these men,
The Word of God in the conscience was
great fire which could not be shaken off,
The hatred of slavery rooted in the con-
sciences Of the religious, would soon per-
wade the people, overflow into politics and
become a Governmental power. Let it be
believed then that slavery was sin, an un-
mitigable sin, and that it must be abolished
and utterly put away. The year was not
afar off when this should be written in the
political platforms of parties.