Daily State sentinel., 1864-01-15
Pror sks S.v Tort Journal q cgmm' rec.
Rnrlfnn IiherIN.

our ~psce wi not permit " ID copy ths% Ht'lcie
We must. however. notice the failure et fhe Ad T
xerti-er dist nguish be-~een the servaiif- ana
the slave, of PurltaIs. The llw QuOtel jid not !
appiv 10 .iaves But our ou1ecr i 20 show the I
importsnt historical and political truth that men
seeking the origin Of principles Of Liberty IN
America must look elseShere than TO the Pun +
tans Thi- fact Is not c0utroveTted by one OF
the Nes England papers which are discussing
our articles The lalse issue raised. That "e are
abusing the mernorv Of the Puritsn-. does not
trouble u il, the least We are giving history.
We are defending Puritan character agIins mis-
representation We challenge discussion Of the
fact- cite
The memory Of the Puritan fathers IS the IN
heritance Of the whole country not the special
possession Of radical abolitionists- The latter
seem determined 10 give 70 those Pur'tans a hcti-
tious character. and to claim them as the found
ers of free institutions in America The idea i a
pure absurdity The Puritsns were noble set
of men. but BY no means the men that some OF
their degenerate sons wish them 10 be considered.
Their vices have been inherited well as their
virtues and have gone into the national charac
ter They had some grand points of character.
aud they had some great sas and crimes 10
answer for Whatever may be said OF the growth
of free principles in America, this y true, and
history stamps IL thus that cannot trace our
liberty to the Purtabs of Massachusetts, We
owe them little or nothing on that account
Liberty had to fqhi against their doctrines and
practices Nor do we say this to their reproach
They made no pretences 10 free principles III
we could call them bodily from their graves they
would be astonshed at the sight of American IN
stitutiOgs M they exist among US, or rather as
they existed within years. They never
dreamed OF free speech. n free press, liberty OF
conscience, and all the safeguards of liberty
which we have enjoyed.
American liberty was born at a later date.
This is the graId historic truth we seek TO make
plain Let no Imae inc that we charge the
Puritans alone with enactlng oppressive laws
New York. Maryland and other colonies also
enacie,. and wicked statutes. We have
never heard New Workers or M,ryhnders claim
superiority for their ancestors the ancestors
of their country men. and therefore We are con
tent 10 let the old burehers sleep in peace But
these pertirAeious members of New England so
ceties are constantly thsuSting their Puritan an
cesiry in the faces of Americans, and Boosting
that Puritan principles must triumph II the cOun
try would be Tree and happy. This mikes II ne
cessarv TO call Puritans TO ,he witness stand and
stree they are all safe in ancient dust. We must
cite their statutes and ordinances To exhibit thei
character
Mr. Sumner wrote his letter 10 the New Eng
land Society either in absolute Ignorance OF his
tory. or with total disregard of truth This we
I have proveI On the slave question. the ''conse
4 Grafton TO bumIn liberty OF which Mr. Sumner
spoke is shown To be something very dIiferen
from what he wished people To beiIeve
But the subject Of slavery IS not the only sub
I iect involved in "A question OF "human liberty.
Politicians of the radical class seem to think tha
il is They are willing to destroy the best hope
of liberty for the human race. to abandon tn
grand principles ON which tree government rests
and re enact Puritan statutes tor all the land, /
they can possiblv effect what they call liberty fo
IL. RldK Z
plunge the negro himself into the nseries o
/ want exposure starvation and leath-siivery o
| the worst form-if they can only remove mn
from that particular condition of slavery agalns
I which their special prejudices are directed lhei
narrow and short sighted view OF the subject o
liberty is leading the country Into dangerou
position imperiling even now the hopes of tia
world in free government: while II Is tra1sierrln,
the nesro from Southern slavery to a miserab
I death and a shallow grave in the frozen ground
Ii is of the highest Importance that We know
precisely what the general principles oi lO
erty which the radical men expect to- have esttb
lished in this country The New England So
cietv affords opportunity TO know In rtn
rerifas Over their wine these gentlemen spok
out their minds In this aspect we regard tn
toast which the New England Society tee
graphed to Montreal as important. We repeat
/ here
The New England Society in the citv of Ne'
/ York TO the New England Society in Montreal
! Greeting:-Thanks TO your generous wishes
We shall not cease to labor for their complet
/ fulfllment. and by the blessing of God, and ou
still victorious arms. We mean in our next ami
ver-arv 10 celebrate i'm all States. from Milne &
California. the National Jubilee IN honor of tn
eternal principles of libert, under the law whic
the Pilgrim, emerging from the cabin oil tn
Ma,hover, laid down as the corner stone oil IN
nation
! What nre the principles of liberty, according
the law which the Pilgrim, emerging from III
cabin of the Mayhower laid down as the corner
stone of the nationI
What is the kind of liberty which these peopl
nropose TO have triumph i'm the country betor
another December
Let US answer these two questions out of hist
~. We have shown that the Puritan law W.
slavehuldng and slave trading-iorbiddr
emancipation and requiring extradition of fug
tive slaves We must acquit the New England
ers intending u restore negro slavery Perhsl
they were ignorant of this feature of the Purita
, law But the general principles OF the Purit'
law relating u personal and public rights. are
fully sustained by the doctrines aud the prtctIS
of the radical party for two years past, that q
I reader cannot fail 10 be astounded nj the clio
parallel and believe that radical success will r
suit in restoring similar legislation
! Absolute submission 20 the moral and relig gi0
views of the Puritan court one general r
+ oniremeut of their law Intolerance of anythir
not "orthoiox" doctrine. under penalty of VIII
n ping b,uiShme aud death. another. II
r liberty of the person was dependent on the pc
son supporting the Puritan doctrine and avodii
all opposition. To oppose the doctrines of q
: Puritan court WAS punishable by refined systel
! of torture Witness the ingenious whipping
n Quakers ut the tail of cart, as ordered IN {
: statute quoted below. Nor do we use the wo
n torture unadvisedly Startling it m
i seem TO some members of the New England ;
- ciety II is nevertheless a solemn truth that I
Puritans bv law authorized torture to extort
4 formation about coneierates
In l64l or about that time. the following ID
blackeued the statute books of the Puritan
therS:
And no man shall be forced bv torture to CO
fess any crime against himself or any other. u
less il be in some capital ease. where he is d
" fully convicted by clear and sufficient eviden
e TO be guilty: after which, il the case be OF III
!. nature that i is very apparent there De ott
l, conspirators or confeierates with him. then
y nav be tortured. vet not with such tortures
ie are b.rharoCs and inhuman"
< The Puritans were not ash amed of that statu
- PIT .t..,..