The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-02-29
ASHLAND. ASHLAND COUNTY, OHIO, WEDNESDAY MOI

I am Christian, seeking to obey God in all
things. And willing to make great sacrifices,
to reduce myself and family to comparative
poverty, if 1 could improve their condition. 1
have twice made overtures to men of influence
and wealth at the North-once publicly, in a
correspondence with DR.. Wayland, and once
more privately-and I have, in all sincerity,
invited one, or two, or fifty, to manifest will
lingness to part with even pittance of their
wealth, and then to show me what could be
done to promote the happiness and welfare of
these slaves. But not a single response have
I ever heard whispered. While writing the
first of these propositions there was under my
roof in Carolina violent Abolitionist from
New England, a man of great wealth. / read
the letter to MIN before it was sent, and he ex.
pressed his astonishment at my venturing on
such step; but neither he nor any other man
has intimated awillingness to part with money,
that the negro might be rescued from what
they profess to regard as deplorable abyss of
misery.
Yet the South is denounced for not at once
immolating four thousand millions of property
guaranteed to them by the constitution; for not
at once abandoning to weeds and bramblcs mil
lions of fertile acres; for not breaking up their
entire social system, and either driving their
servants from their comfortable homes to be-
come vagabonds in other States, which will
again drive them out of their borders, or else
laboring in their midst hordes of discontented,
indolent vagrants, utterly unfit for freedom,
who would certainly be cxterminated, unless
in mercy they were again reduced to servitude.
Because they will not do all this; will not in
fict this suicidal wrong upon themselves, and
try this fatal experiment upon the servants they
love-because they will not thus ruin their
f,r,iliac opd dasoIofa fhair hoorfhS aud hoynas
and all this in violation of their best convictions
of duty, they are to be the objects of incessant
calumny, to be pillaged and murdered in cold
blood by their own fellow citizens, who are he
rocs and martyrs for doing this butchery.
do now believe that the guardianship of a
kind master is at this time a great blessing to
the African. If emancipation is ever to take
place, it will be gradually, and under the mild,
but resistess infuenceof the gospel. Whether
slavery be an evil or not, we at the south did
not bring these Africans here-we protested
against their introduction. The true friend of
the African is at the south, and thousands of
hearts are seeking to know what can be done
for the race. There must bes some limits to hu-
man responsibility and man in New England
has no more right to interfere with the institu-
tions of Virginia, than he has to Interfere with
those Of England or France. All such inter
ference will be repelled by the master, but it
will prove injurious to the slave. DR.. Chan
ming was regarded as leading Aboltionist in
his day; but could that noble man now rise up,
he would stand aghast at the madness whichis
rife everywhere on this subject. "One great
principle, which we should lay down as immo-
vably true, is, that if good work cannot be
carried on by the calm, self-controlled. benevo-
lent spirit of Christianity, then the time for
doing it has not come" Such was his language,
when opposing slavery. Were he now living,
the delrious spirit of the day would denounce
him, as it denounced Mr. Webster, and now de-
nounces you and every true patriot. Nay,
even Mr.. Beecher is abused as not truculent
enough.
Jesus saw slavery all around him. Did he
seek to employ force? He said, "All power in
heaven and earth is given unto me, therefore,
go teach, go preach the gospel"
No language can express my love for this
Union. OTHERS speak Of the blessings it con-
fers; regard the Union itself as the greatest
blessing; and other advantages chiefly to be
priced because they corroborate and perpetoate
the Union. Hither have smiled at all croak-
ing about disunion; now feel that the Union
is in imminent danger. The tocsin of rebellion
is heard from many quarters 1t is written in
the book of Genesis, that when Rebecca, in
danger of expiring, cried to God to know the
cause of the strange pangs by which her frame
was convulsed, the angel eplied, ''Thou car
riest two hostile nations in thy BOSOM" Un-
less Heaven interposes, this land must be rent
and torn by two nations burning with the ferc-
est hostility, and engaged in fratricidal and
most horrible warfare rejoice that there are
yet spared to us some men of the old revolu-
tionary stamp; men with hearts like yours to
love the Union; with eloquence like yours, to
sound the alarm ere it is too late, and to rally
to the cause of the Union all who are worthy
to be citizens of this great and glorious Re
public. With great esteem, my dear sir, l am
sincerely yours, r. D.FULLER.
Baltimore, Dec. 10, 1859.