Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-12-29
THE CHURCH SOUTH, AND THE STATES
SOUTH,

The abolitionists have for years exposed the ia
iquity of the American Church, and the Metho-
dist branch being a prominent part thereof, its
completely with slavery was proved by facts and
figures which no intelligent and honest person
could dispute; and its members were s~olemnly ad-
jured by their love for Christian principles, to cut
loose their connection with men-stealers. Many
within the body labored zealously to purify it, and
some Of its members insisted upon q separation
between Shareholders and non-slaveholders. A
separation ensued, but not Of the kind which JUS
tice and humanity desired; the northern wing Of
the church refused to take the initiative, and the
result was that instead Of the South being cut of
as an offender, she withdrew as the one more Elm
ned against than shining. Yet the church South
will not to-day allege that tie church North vio-
lated its constitution of government, but on the
contrary will admit that the Discipline clearly for
babe the holding Of slaves by q Bishop-which
practice was the origin of the difficulty between
the two wings. The North was disposed to deal
tenderly with the offending Bishop, to wait pa
tiently until the "impcdiment" to lis labors could
be removed, and meanwhile cheerfully continuing
him in his sinecure Office, and paying him a Lish.
ops wages. But this did not satisfy the South,
and she said TO the North, "If you to-day con-
denim slavoholding in a bishop, you will torn,or-
row, as a logical sequence, condemn it in a.lay-
man unless you are terribly inconsistent; hence
we will withdraw" The withdrawal from the NJ.
E. Church Of a portion of its southern members
was no credit to the North, and in no wise iW-
proved the position Of the church, for the border
conferences with their slaveholding members and
,I.,ol,o1l;o ,,oooIo,e ,oooo;noj ond oro Eol,n
in full fellowship with the body.
With the State as with the Church. The abo-
litionists have long labored 10 show the guilty
character of the Federal Union, and have so far
revolutionized public sentiment as to make the
North see that it is by her aid and support that
slaveholding is upheld in the Southern States. We
had hoped that politicians would be more just
than church-men, and that the northern states, to
absolve themselves from the guilt Of sustaining
slavery, would disconnect themselves from poiiti-
cal fellowship with the South. But as it was with
the separation in the NJ. E.. Church, so has it been
with the conGederated states; that which the
North, a~ctuated by her sense of justice ought to
have done, the South, moved by her adherence to
slavery has doae or is about dving-efected the
dissolution Of the Federal Union. And this, not
because the party of the incoming administration
proposes to interfere with slavery where it is-in
the States-but because, having declared its deter
m~ination to prevent the extension of the system
into the territories, the South fears that as q logi-
cal sequence to this movement. the party may i'm
dertake to interfere with slavery where it is.
Our fear now is, that the States North will imi-
tate the example of the NJ. E. Church North, and
retain their hold upon all the slave states they can
persuade, or bribe, or frighten to remain with
them; and thus the Border States will be as great
a curse to the States North, as the Border Confer
ences have been to the Church North. With Del
aware, and Maryland, and Virginia, and Ken
lucky, and Missouri clinging to our skirts, we
shall have as now the fugitive slave law in active
operation, and the pledge to protect the slavehold=
ers against their slaves will remain in full force.
If the North, either by her own act, or by the
act of the South could be cut loose from every
State whose laws recognise chattelism as one of
its Institutions, we might then cherish a well
founded hope of seeing our people gradually as
sumo an an!i.slavery character, and writing ont
their clear and just appreciation Of human rights
in the laws Of their government. Should only q
portion of the South secede, our hope then is, that
the Border States, being unable to raise slaves
for the southern market as now, in consequence of
the cheaper importation from Africa, will see the
wisdom and necessity Of abandoning the
entire system, and trying whether to till the soil
with free labor, is not as much more profitable as
it is more hsnorable than TO breed slaves for the
southern shambles.