The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-03-08

prie.y of it.
Wesley, the founder of the Methodist
Church, who exerted very wide intin-
ence, wrote
"Men buyers are exactly on a level with men
ttealeFs' aud that "American slavery is the viiest
that eyer saw the SIN il constitutes the sum Of all
villainies."
Sir William Blackstone, whose common
taries were held as authority wherever the
common law prevailed, held that all slave
ny was founded in violence and injustice,
and said.
lfneither captivity nor contract can, BY the plain
law OF nature and reason, reduce the parent to =
state Of slavery much less can .hey reduce the uff
| SPRING
Lord Mansfield, Chief Justice Of Eng.
land, in = case where negro slave from
the West Indies was brought before him
BY habeas corpus on a claim to his free
dom, says, in delivering judgment in the
case
The state Of slavery il Of such nature that it
Is incapable Of being introduced on any reasons,
moral or political, but only BY positive law. 1t Il
it but positive law. Whatever Inconvenience,
therefore. may follow from the decision, cauuot
say that this i allowed or approved by the law
Of England. and therefore, the black must be dis
charged"
This judgment Of the chief Court of
England was familiar to our fathers be-
fore the formation Of the Constitution,
and known to the civilized world. And
in allusion to this, England's poet wrote
and the world read:
"Slsves cannot breathe in England; il their lungs
Receive our air, that moment they are free.
They touch our country and their shackles fall
That noble, and bespeaks nation proud
Aud jealous Of this blessing
And again
but ah. what wish can prosper or what prayer
For merchants rich in carEoos Of despair,
Who drive loathsome traf6c-guage aud span,
And buy the muscles and the bones Of msnf
Souls have no discriminating has.
Alike important In their makers view.
None arc free from blemish since the fall
And love Divine has paid one price for ALL"
In our own country George Washing
ton presided as chairman Of a meeting, in
l774, in Fairfax, Virginia, at which the
following resolution was adopted:
Resolved That it is the opinion Of this meeting
that during our present difficulties and distress
slaves ought to be imported into any Of the British
Colonies ON this Continent: and We take this op-
portnnity Of declaring our most earnest wishes TO
sec an entire stop forever pat to such cruel and
wicked and unnatural trade.
A convention held At Darien. Georgia,
in l775, adopted an address, of which tbs
following is an extract:
ITO show the world that We are not influenced
BY any contracted or interested motives, but by
general phianthrophy roR ALL MANKIHp, or
wHATHvEn CLIMATE, LAseUAcE OR COMPLEXION.
we hereby declare onr disapprohatiou and abhor-.
euee OF the unnatural practice Of Slavery in Amc-
CA practice founded in injustice and dangerous
t. onr liberties we'll as lives -debasing part OF
our fellow creatures below men, and corrupting The
virtue and morals of the rest and ID laying the ba.
sis Of that liberty which contend for upon very
wrong foundation
Throughout the Col, MES similar resolu-
tions were adopted by public meetings
Gen. Warren, Tom Paine, Thomas JEFF
ferson. Alexander Hamilton, Patrick
Henry, Benjamin Franklin, Col. Mason of
Virginia, Judge Iredell of North Caro-
lima, and William Pinckney of Maryland,
are on the record in condemnation Of
slavery aud the vindication Of the "rights
of human nature outraged in the treat
ment Of the African race" In addition
to this, the leading Presbytsries, Confer
ences and associations Of the Presbyteri-
an, Methodist, Baptist, and Congrega-
tional Churches, had expressed their alb
horrence Of slavery; and several Of the
Colonies had prohibited the traffic and
commenced the process Of emancipation.
In view of such historical records as
these, it is vain for fancy or "any other
man" to undertake to lie down history or
blacken the reputation of the civilized
| WOrlu OF tue taSt century.
/ AN ELEPHANT DECLINED. President
Lincoln evidently thinks he has elephant
enough On hand and IS not DESTROYS Of
seeing any more Of the same sort. The
King Of Siam, plying . country with
two hundred and Fifty religions aud only
one soup = with several rebellions and
no elephant. offers TO send few Of the
latter to be let loose to increase and multi
ply in the continent Of America. The
President, in his reply remarks:
"This government would not hesitate
to avail itself Of SO generous "a offer, il
Il the object were one which could ho ma IL