The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-03-30
AN ARTICLE UPON SLAVERY
REPLY OF REV. HAMILTON TO
REV. j. b. BALTZLY.

on the slavery question, you desire reply to
| that sermon from me for publication [ have
read it carefully and weighed its merits i'm
partially, and have consented to comply with
your kind request. I suppose you have not
suspected me of any weak partiality for the in
stitption of slavery, nor for those who desire
its.abolition; therefore, in soliciting a reply
from me, yoa expect fair and impartial cx-
position of the subject, with appropriate criti-
| cisms upon the authors sentiments and defined
position. He has consented to have his name
and production appear before the public, and
both have become public property, subject to
the will and pleasure of the people-it is not
my purpose to criticise the rhetorical fouri-
shes and profound composition of Master of
Arts, neither will L question his right to de-
Inounce SIN, under any and every lorm. IF he
is truly loyal to Gods moral government, he
I must obey Gods commands at all times, and
not wait for some particular time, when his
surroundings will justify and protect him in
the onslaught-Luther, when combating the
evils of the social state, did not wait fer par
ticular time, when the popular will and the
authorities would be sufficient guarantee for
his security neither was he afraid to beard
the lien in his lair,-Our modernized Luther
an, first surveys his surroundings, and conslllts
the popular viii, before he thunders against
an imaginary evil of the social state. His fee
bic and remote thunderings, with harmless
| flash of lightning, will not hurt any body,
neither will it purify a distant southern at
mosphere. If he really wishes to employ the
thunder bolts of heavens artillery against
slavery, he ought to go South or, he might
| proftably employ such power against the ty-
rants of human kind in the North.
The subject of slavery, or involuntary SER
vitudc, has become political question in this
country; and Whenever, wherever, and by
whomsoeyer that question becomes discussed,
is political partizan. The minister that at
tempts this in the pulpit, is governed by po-
litical partialities and motives. What, then,
must be the opinion of the public, who heard
Mr. BALTzLY say in his sermon, al will pot
suffer single one of you to go away from th 8
temple to-day, and say that / preached poll
tics that is, / will give no room for such as
sertions. l will SO preach that if any zone go
away with the wild clamor of politics poll.
tics on his tongue, this community may pro-
nouncc him perversionist, q bigot, a fanatic
or a fool, if You please"-I suppose the people
who heard, or read that sermon, and have
come to the conclusion that it was political
sermon, based upon political theme, must
bear without murmur, the dtgDJfed and
christian application of a christian minister !,
1 have read his productions, and am we'll
convinced of its political purport but Twill
not admit, that am either ga perversionist,
fanatic, or fool" / believe that possess the
powers of diseernment to some extent; but they
may be not so well educated and matured, !, or
developed as those of Mr.. BALTzLY., would
be afraid to hazard such an opinion before an
enlightened audience. It does appear TO me,
that when he gave uttcrance to such thoughts,
his moral and intellectual faculties wero not
restrained by christian sentiments and graces.
A little serious and prayerful reflection would
have caused him to soften his language, and
made it more in accordance with the dignity
of his Office His reply to the committee is
sufficient evidence of the political character of
his sermon, in which he refers to the question
of slavery, which has given our nation mere
trouble, and cost it more blood, than any and
all others combined" And, he intimates that
"our national life is being consumed by the
terrible worm of slavery" &c.,-that negro
slavery in America "is antagcnistic with the
spirit of Liberty'-ssthat it is sucking out the
yery lifc-5lood of our free institutions p
Are these not the cant phrases of every abol-
ton political demagogue H55
He tells us that JOSEPH was stolen from his
father, and sold as a slave to the Midianites.
Was there no providence in this ? Was it
permitted for wise and gracious purposes p
Did he not tell his brethren 50, when he saved
them and his father from starvation? He
says, '.just so were the first colored slaves
shores and sold as slaves to dealers in men,
This is an indisputablc fact.' Am to infer
that they were slaues when first taken? IF
SO, their status was not charged for the worst
when transferred to America, and to christian
masters. But it is an indisputable historic
fact, that they were stolen 2 / have not seen
that fact established, therefore am inclined
to question the veraciry of the author. / have
always understood that the antagonistic tribes
sold their prisoners TO the slave ships, it being
more profitable than to kill them The pur.
chase of those degraded and unfortunate me-
groes was an act of humanity, forit saved them
from cruel death, and from horrible degra-
dation. Will Mr. BALTzLY deny the impro-
we'd condition Of the negroes in the South un-
der the supervision of christian masters or
will he dare to affirm that they are more de-
graded in the South than they were in Africa.
Having made the assertion. that the negroes
in the South werd stolen from Africa, he char
ges the Southern people with being man-steal-
ers, when he knows that they bought their
first negroes from the slave ships, and that
the negroes they now have were born and
reared on their plantations He would have
spoken more truly, if he had have charged the
abolitionists with man stealing. This is the
true cause of our present trouble, and which
has cenvulsed our civil institutions, and which
has resulted in the cruel death of hundreds of
thousands of white men-the defamation of
the poverty stricken negro's and the extrava-
CANT expenditure of our country's means, which
has brought it to the verge Of bankruptcy.-
He has emphatically quoted the laws of God,
which says, Thou shall NOT steal ;" but, in
stead of applying it to the South, he should
have applied it to the dishonest abolitionists
contractors. and plunderers of our
country's treasury. Why does he not hurl
the thunder.bolts of heaven against them p
Probably, they are the alife. blood, of his sup
porti Does. he prefer the favor, appreciation,
and friendship of such men, to the favor, ap-
probation, and friendship of God? Where is
his Loyalty to Gods moral government, when
he truckels ard panders to the vices of such
men Would not the denunciations of the
Bible against such men. be very appropriate
sat this time 2' He has not the moral cour-