Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1863-10-03
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THE DAY OF FREE sPEEcB--THE
ABOLITION OF WHITE SLAVERY

ABOLlTlON OF WHITE SLAVERY
Thank God devcutiy for this new era in
Tennessee. True, II has cost the loss Of
property and life, the desolation Of many o
home; the shedding Of the blood OF many
citizens both patriots and traitors. But the
liberty OF speech, the breaking OF the chains
which 90 long bound, not the bodies but the
very souls Of her white citizens have been
cheaply purchased, BY what would be Tor
any other worldly good too heavy an outlay.
Prior 10 the breaking out Of the rebellion,
did free speech and Tree press really exist
In THE Statef Did candidates for Office high
| or low, dare to say: II doubt the policy,
Justice and economy OF slavery, and would
like 10 see Il removed from our midst" No
man could have carried single county in the
state, who should have ventured q sentiment
30 frightfully radical" 1t would have
sealed his political death warrant Mechan.
les, tradeemen professional men, teachers
and laboring men were permitted TO say,
with impunity, II think the steam engine ie
curse. | regard the tbreshing machine
and subsoil plough as nusancts" -r..ls
l don't believe in railroads, and think
religion ie humbug. believe the Whig
party, or the Democratic party, are hot-beds
Of corruption think it would be a blessing
1 ifall the churches were pulled TO the ground
| believe colleges and female academies are
unmligated evils" And so one could go
on railing, abusing and villifying every law,
system institution and custom of the Com
monwealth, eaving and excepting always the
system OF negro slavery. People might take
exceptions to ones We've, and attempted 20
controvert them, but still any one or all Of
these views, could be expressed in Tennessee
and their holders be unmolested. But name
| slavery in like manner, and thousand eyes
in an instant are blazing at the daring sIeak-
er with malignant fire, and lynch law usual
terminated the audacioss utterance. No
man was suffered to attack slavery, although
only one man in thirty owned slaves.
Discussion OF this subject was forbidden
thing II was to be accepted by every one
as humbly as II il had been a gift from
heaven. While none were permitted to
speak or write against slavery, orators and
newspapers all over the State were making
infamaiory speeches in its behalf Slavery,
strange to tell, claimed and exercised the
right TO agitate the State, and at the same
tune, with the voice of a tyrant commanded
the State on its peril not TO agitate slaveryl
Slavery was higher than the State. Slavery
wac the tyrant, despot, unquestioned, uncc a.
trolled dictator OF the Statei II ruled the
college; il ruled the pulpit: il ruled the
counting room; yea, il r.,ed the humblest
workshop like q h'.,vdy minded Nero, resol.
we'd to rule wahout q rival Do we exag.
geratef "e do not; we have fallen short OF,
ratcer than gone beyond the truth.
What was the consequence Of all this
insolent despotisn, which bridled every
mouth and every newspaper in the Siatef-
Why, the non Shareholders were afraid to
allow themselves the luxury Of a moments
independent thought They trembled like
Persian slaves at the nod OF the merciless
master who reigned over them. lnfidel
clubs were tolerated. books and pamphlets
in defense Of Atheism, Mormonism, Mes.
merism, Spirit rappings, were circulated
openly; Jews, Gentiles, Mohammedans, and
the thousand and one sects OF Christianity
could all proclaim their own views and de-
nounce those OF all other people, but the non
STAKEHOLDER dared not open his lips against
slavery. This is no txaggeraiion, no extrav.
agant picture; it a plain unvarnished truth.
The linn e, the bones and muscles OF the
negro were euslaved, but a bondage more
CALLING than corporeal bondage enslaved the
white man was only Tree in name, while in
fact he was the slave of worse bondage
than negro slavery. .rc
| The slavery OF soul is worse than that Of
the body. 1t il. more degrading, more de-
grading, more oppressive, and harder to
throw of. It follows its unhappy victim |
everywhere. sleeping and waking, in public |
and in private, in church, market and farm. |
What are the pains Of the overseer's lash to |
the sense of humiliation, OF the loss OF man.
hood, which he must feel who is the victim
of mental slavery. +4 ''
| Eonslaveholders, surely YOU feel that this
white slavery has lasted long enough, and
that this is O most proptious time to throw
off the letters which have 70 long enthralled
not only your bodies, but your very SOULS
Dare TO act and think for yourselves hence
forward. Tell the STAKEHOLDER that you are
his equal in all respects, and tina. you win
di, ,ciss and inve -tigate freely every question
which he Investigates and discusses. Pro.
claim your freedom openly. Tell the despots
who have 80 long subjugated you that you
will be free. -. 3D.. .. sd.