Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-30
slavery ana the Methodist Church.

In our correspondents letter nom Philadel-
phia will be found the report and resolutions
adopted by the general Conference of the Metho-
dist Church on the subject of slavery. Our
views upon slavery arc well known we have al
WAYS believed the Institution a great moral, so.
cial aud political evil but il was an evil which
time. under the operation Of natural laws, and
the force of public opinion throughout the world
was growing less formidable every day. 1t was
an evil we inherited from the colonial govern
ments, and could not be torn out Of our social
and political system without endangering the
life of the nation, which we esteemed of vastly
more consequence to liberty and civilization
throughout the world than its forcible destruction.
Many a life has been sacrificed by the indiscreet
zeal Of an ignorant surgeon insisting upon using
the knife, when, had he made a correct diagnosis
of the case he would have arrived at the %conclu-
sion that nature in good time would restore the
patient TO sound health. Relatively, slavery has
been growing weaker and weaker, US compared
to the strength of the nation, every year since
the Declaration of Independence.
at is Important" says the present Superin
tendent of the Census Bureau, Hon. James @. G..
Kennedy, in his report to Congress, made May
Is, 1862, "to observe the growing disparity be-
tween the pace at which the white and colored
races are advancing in this country. While the
whites from 1850 to 1860 gained SO per cent.
the slaves and free colored increased somewhat
less than % per cent and the total increase of
the slave and free colored. for seventy years, was
but ass per cent, against 757 per cent. for the
whites" The tables which Mr.. Kennedy pub
fishes shows that the slaves. compared with the
whites, have relatively been diminishing ever
since the Formation of the Constitution.
III these are facts, why could not the over
jealous men of the North. who bear a strong
family likeness to the Pharisee who said his
prayers in public places so that he might be seen
or heard, or to Hudibras' hero, who
Compounded the sins he was inclined to,
By damning those he had no mind to-"
Why, We say, could not these men let the sub
iect alone. In view of the terrible consequences
which have followed these ~fanatical attacks on
slavery, we cannot understand how any man Or
set of men, can rejoice that they have from the
beginning been foremost in this contest against
slavery. A diseased limb on the natural body
has nothing to commend it; it is grievous to be
borne, causing much pain and great incOnveni-
ence, but the Quack OF 4 surgeon who kills his
patient in endeavoring to remove it, when all the
symptoms show that the patient viii recover if
let alone and is kindly nursed and treated, would
deserve the universal condemnation of the CON-
munity; and what should be said of or done to a
man who boasts of his acts, which have resulted
thus fatally, we leave to the good sense Of every
Christian and philenthropist. For one, much as
we dislike slavery, we consider the crusade
against it, conducted as il has been, and resulting
in the civil war which has rent our country in
twain and drenched il in blood. destroying the
Constitution and imperilling all of our free in
situations, as a thousand fold greater evil than
slavery. We do not think that any man who
has the right feeling, can boast of his particips-
ton in the acts which have produced this great
calamity.-[Detroit Free Press.