Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-12-22
SLAVERY AND DIsUNION.

NEAR PHILADELPHIA Pa, Dec. 7th 1860.
Mr. EDroR:-If under form of govern
ment like ours, where the majority is to rule a
small minority gains the ascendcncy and exer-
ciscs control for any considerable length of time
it shows one Of two things, first either that the
majority are very ignorant or that the minority
are very cunning. Ii is through the cunning of
the slave. power that the freemen of the United
States have so long been kept in subiec,ion to
minority. While the inhabitants of the free
States have regarded the Union as something
sacrcG, allied to religion something to be re-
vered and not speculatcd on, the slave-power
on the contrary, has been cody and curningy
making use of it for keeping us in subiection to
policy. That which our froemen have regarded
the 1Egis, the palladium of liberty, the slave
power las used for advancing the interests of
Slavery. Like the Greeks with their wooden
horse, it has made the sanctions of sacredness
destructive to the strength of freedom.
One of the reasons, and the chief one of the
distaSte of our German population for the pre-
cepts Of religion and the Bible is that these pre-
cepts have been cunningly used at home to Keep
them in subjection to dcspotic and oppressive
government. There can be no greater mockery
or contempt ofthe human understanding than to
tell it that it must submit to oppression and
wrong in this world in view of the great felicity
of the world to comes and it is equally insulting
to the free men of the United States to tell
them that the Union and the Constitution were
designed to further the purposes of Slavery
1t is an insult that all treemen, whether out of
Il slave state or in it, will ultimately resent Is
it possible that the free poor men OF save-states
will fight the battles of their oppressors and
submit to the rule of despotic slave-power
when liberty is within their reach? If foreign
crs migrate to our shores now, would they not
form an independent slave power?
The slave power has ovcrruled us by its Gun.
ming for many years. but of all the qualities of
the human character there is none so bettle-
ing and benighting ms cunning. 1t is the lead
ing trait of the snake that crawls in the dust +
it is the chief characteristic of the Mormons.
In state matters it is exceedingly pernicious.
Bacon says of it-"Nothing doth more hurt in
a state than hat cunning men pass for wise"
Let us look fol- a moment at one point of
view in which this cunning Of the save-power
has exhibited itself At an early stage Of its
aggressive policy it led slaye-holding parents to
take home their children from the schools of
free states and educate them under the shadow
and influence of the institutions of Slavery.
Thirty years ago-a generation of tme--this
policy commenced. so that now we have an en-
tire generation of men who have been taught
that slavery--a curse, is a great blessing TO
show how narrow, lliberal and darkening th.
policy is, we may sny that it is Just as absurd
for Shareholder to educate his children at
home on account of mere political principles, as
it would be in "Native American" to withdraw
his son from German or other foreign institu-
ton of learning from mere political scruples.
The Shareholder willfully shuts out light; and
civilization with him is like the tadpole in the
dark-it never becomes developed into high
er stage of existence.
Slave-holding cunning has led us to believe
that lreemen are aggressing upon slave-power
rights-that the infamed muscle is aggressive
upon the thorn that pierces it
That Slavery, instead of being an evil to be
tolerated and got rid of, is an institution to be
fostered and cherishedi
That the fugitive slave clause Of the conslitu-
ton is of great importance, when that same con-
stitution declares that one of the objects for
which it is framed is to "SecWe the blessings Of
liberty to oar pOSterty'-which posterity must
necessarily include all descendants of the Cau-
cassian race in the United States, whatever may
be their shade of color, yellow white or brown,
mulatto, quadroon or great grandson =
1t teaches us that q nuisance is something