Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-02-19
10 the Citizens Of Henderson County

10 Inc citizens OF henderson County
1t is probably known to many Of you
that Freedom Convention of the Slave
States is called, to be held at Louisville,
Kentucky, on the 22d Of this month, but
having received letter from the Exec
utive Committee of this State, with a re-
quest to take measures to have this
county represented, | consider it proper
to have the address OF the General Com
mittee published for your consideration.
In the present state of public feeling,
and the hourishing condition of the slave
market here, it is hardly supposed that
any meeting viii be called or held in
Henderson, with view to have it repre-
sented in said Convention; but that Com
vention will be held, and its discussions
will touch questions interesting to the
people of the county, however much they
may deprecate its session with its aims
and objects. To ignore the anti
slavery movement now going on in the
so-called Slave States, and the moral and
physical force represented thereby, is
equalled in lack of wisdom only by the
ostrich, which to escape pursuit, plunges
The number and influence of those,
who believe that the rebellion drew and
still draws its only inspiration from slave
ry, and that we owe to that miserable in
shtution all the horrors of bloody civil
war, increase daily, and the determine
ton to end slavery with the rebellion is
daily strengthened.
1t is impossible for Kentucky to dodge
the issue forced upon the country by the
revolution springing out of the slave
holders rebellion she must take part,
and if complaint is made that her peace
is broken, she can blame only those of
her favorite ons-Breckinridge Buck
ner and others of that class who disturb
her repose. Rebellion produces revo-
luton, for it is manifest folly to sup
pose pacifcation, permanent and lasting
can take place till the antagonizing
interests and institutions are removed
or assimilated In our form of gov
ernment political parties naturally spring
up, but if one of those parties, blind
ed by faction, foryets the public good, re-
fuses to submit to the peaceful action of
the Constitution, and attempts to take
the nations life, we are called to exam
inc the fundamental principles, policy,
and interests represented by the rebel
lious party, to see if any real antagonism
exists between them and the national
safety and prosperity. This examina-
ton is going on, and it is fast becoming
the settled conviction, not only of Amer
lea but of Europe, that slavery-the
handspring of the rebellion-is inimical
to free democratic government and the
progress of true civilization. Look
around you to-day and see the advance
of this conviction, step by step, since the
commencement of secession and war.
Can you hope to stay its further ad-
vance? and do you believe the Ameri-
can people will allow mere class inter-
est to dominate and destroy the gov
ernment, and that class interest human
slavery2 Do not deceive your.
selves There are difficulties in the way
Of emancipation comingss chiefly from
the appeals of demagogues to prejudice
and passion, but whatever may be the
difficulties, and from whatever source
they may spring, they will be met and
overcome rather than the nation shall
die
In my humble jugment the question
is not, Shall slavery be abolished? but,
rather, How shall it be done7 and for its
discussion ard solution, political sagacity,
founded on sound morality, is needed.
Passion and prejudice and an Unsuitable
selfshness have imperiled the nation and
baptized it in blood; we must be rescued
by Justice and self-denial, for, as we can
not escape by any policy, the moral gov
ernment of the Universe, our salvation
must come, even if through years of
pain, through justice-the bravest policy
and the highest manifestation of religion.
By divorcing morality from politics we
have drifed, under the lead of uneasy
politicians, into atheistic lines of policy,
and the fruits-they flow in streams of
bitter waters.
1t would be a desirable thing if we
could comply with the demand of GER
tain class of amiable citizens and lay
aside the "nigger question:; but the
man who can discuss, in an intelligent
manner, the political affairs of this
country, as to the cause of the war and
the means of paciGcation, and not touch
the nigger question, is an intellectual
curiosity, and would be happy to make
his acquaintance 1t is precisely that
the white mans interests are insepara
bly, connected with the disposition to be
made of the negro, that the question
comes up One is never reproved fol
discussing the hog-cholera or the milk
] .. Il. 60 &ba.v o
and cures, because it is understood tina
the welfare of these domestic animals
the hog and the cows not the sole oh
| iect of the discussion, but as it is cor
nected with the welfare of the human
family. So with the negro question.
There is,. indeed, high moralit
which demands that we shall be ou
brothers keeper, protecting him agains
wrong and oppression-a doctrine, q
some think, taught in the Testament
= and this is precisely the lesso
the world is learning, through rel
olution, fire, and blood; but as
does not pay in the valleys c
commerce, few having reached mors
height so grand, since the day of th
Martyr of Calvary, it may be unwise
press the argument from this point
In this discussion one is constant
houted with the phrase NEGRO equality
" Are you in favor of negro equality !?
Now 1 want to silence this by an honei
appeal and in short manner:
If there is one white man in Hende
son, so morally and intellectually low an
degraded, as to fear becoming inferior
: free negro, let him speak out, and
there is one white man so cowardly as
fear that thirty millions of white folks
this country, can be overcome and poll
: ically and socially degraded by four M
lions of free negroes, let him also spea
!. If you say it is necessary to enslave IL
negro-to cut him off from education 81
;: the humanizing influences of the fami
r relationship, to prevent his rising social
and politically above you, do you not 3
that you thereby actually acknowled
his essential superiority If you a
free yourselves, does making others fr