Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-02-09


age Of the world When We think Of drag
ging men made in the image Of God, down
to the condition Of "chattels," language is
Incapable Of describing the outrage No
representation ever given can shade the sys'
tenn too dark, or misrepreseut facts, IT We
can rely upon eye.witneSses, or credit the
| statements Of those who dwell in the midst
/ of hs workings. OF this, shall give evi
dence But we're we without such testimo-
nv, and ony furnished with slavery's own |
necessary code ; even its inhuman laws,
Vlaring with provisions aud enactments black
as the moral night OF heathenism, this must
convince us of its atrocious character.
When | thus speak of the system of slav.
cry, do not iateud to apply the character
to every man connected with the system.
There are men legally connected with it,
who abhor the system but know not how
to escape from its relations-men of as
noble hearts and pure motives as can be
found on the face of the earth But slav
erg is nevertheless vile and fraught with un
told crimes and wretchedness so depraved
aud repugnnnt to every sentiment Of justice
and humanity, that could the whole truth
be unfoded to the American mind, its OPP
preston aud cruelty, its public and secret
vices, its influence upon social and moral
life, and its curse upon the soul of master
and Stare do not believe it would endure
the shock of public sentiment ten years
But it has always been the policy of cor
, rupt systems to conceal facts while miSre
presentation and abuse do their appropriate
work of perverting the public mind and
raising the cry Of fdRattcism against every
attempt to unvail the evil. Graspng selfish.
! ness hates the light and shriuks from inves-
tigation, because its deeds are evil and
there are always tender hearted sympathiz.
= ers near, ready to throw the mantle OF
! false charity over the denominations that are
: too notorious for concealment.
In fact, the worst enemies Of society are
not the "Abolhi0ntStS' in deep sym.
. pathy with liberty and humanity, who echo
; buck into the national ear the inspiring
words that freemen uttered in seventy-six.
=" No: the real enemies of our country are
3 vour siver-tons ned apologsts who with
y opate words would soothe the public con-
:. science when aroused TO sense of gnlt
y " aud danger and your lying oraclcs who
! conceal wholesome truth from the public
through fear of excitement. 1t is from
: : "ISouih side vitDs" to blind the North, and
= reconcile it to slavery as humane institu.
ton and from sermons on the "ChdTaeter
;, and Influence of Aboliti7nism," to in6ame
the South, that we have most to fear, 1t
is such auxiliary influences that prop up
:, slavery, and brenthes into it vitality when
= in danger of sinking under the weight Of
/, its own corruption. And it is through such
- Misrepresentation of its real character,
!. that the system gathers friends and strength
- to make aggressive movements, and spread
- itself over the free territory Of the North.
y, But it is charged that "AbolitioniSm has
o. been promulgated, chiefly by misreprescnta.
! ton and abuse" Now, do not propose
:, to defend, or Justify all that Abolltionists
" may have uttered about sLarss, sIarery and
- Shareholders If under the strong provoca
80 =, ton to say strong things, to make bold as
So sertions and broad statements, they have
y never miSrepresented then they are most
- remarkable class of men. abundantly more
n ,a prudent than their opponents. When Mr..
ro Van Dyke speaks of misrepresentation and
- abuse" | suppose he refers to statements
=, made relative to the evils of slavery, and
ar the guilt of men involved in the traffic, and
| confess Abolitionists have written and
spoken strong things under this head. But
e. have they manufactured the statements
81 made against slavery? Mostly living North,
III how come they to know so much about the
e. system? The old adage, "Where there is
"a so much smoke, there is always some fire,
IL may apply TO the representations Of Aboli'
a. tioniSts. In q word, has not the Southern
II market itself furnished the stock in trade,
T. for the most extravagant statements made
W by the most ultra AbolitonSts' Of our
SC country? If Abolilionists wanted materi.
u ais to battle slavery, they need only 60 to
% the published documents Of Southern reli-
u gOuS bodies, to the action of Southern so.
cieteS and conventions to the speeches oi
no Southern minister's statesmen and orators
s. and especially to Southern papers, teeming
IL with advertisements for 'run-awayS, offer
u, u, ing rewards for negro.headS,' or the ev
, dence Of their being killed, and the recitalS
of brutal punishment Inflicted on recaptur
ed fugitves. / have read books for and
o. o. against American slavery l have listened
"a to that gifted orator, Wendell Phillips
iu who seems with unusual power to coucen
ee trate language when he would portray the
A., character of slavery have heard the bold
:! blunt Garrison the sarcastic Douglas
" the eloquent Sam Ward, and many others
OF the same school but | confess never
on read in books or heard in speeches, any
thing more horrible, giving a darker
as shade TO slavery, than some of the accounts
ed and statements made on Southern responsi
ak bility. And these Abolition missals cove
1t period Of many years and are numbered
y by thousands. Suppose we present few
ny specimens, and leave it to the "candor ant
Id scholarship of Rev. advocates of slavery
lg to say whether it is misrepresentation ant
C. abuse or whether anything stronger can b.
TO furnished from Abotionism.
e' might begin with that famous note, al
W. ready quoted from the larger catechism
rs wherein man SteaLerJ are set forth as indi
r vidusls concerned in bringing any of tn
d human race into slavery, or in retaining
n them in III; 'all who bring off slaves, o
W freemen, and keep, sell, or bug them SucI
lg are classed with the worst characters OF
a. earth by the apostle, and for ttoenty-t0
le gears this note end this explanation was re
ne tanned in the Confession of Faith of tn
re Presbyterian church, Of which Mr.. Val
" Dyke is member.
r