St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-05-15

the surface uNllnS IHe peTlOu L nave
described, threatening to overthrow all
that had been ingeniouSly built up, and
to break aslInder all that had been la
boriouSly cemented together. In their
anxiety to avert every danger threaten
ing the Union. they attempted to re-
press the slavery question by com
promise. and, apparently, with success.
at least for while. But however firm
~ those compromises seemed to stand,
there WAS IL force of nature at work,
which. like restless flood. silently bur
increasingly and rresiStibly washed
their foundation away. until at last
the towering structure toppled down.
The anti-slavcry movement is now
on" of the great chapters of our past
history. The passions of the struggle
having been buried in thousands of
graves. and the victory of Universal
| Freedom standing as firm and unques-
tionable as the eternal hills, we may
now look back upon that history with
an impartial eye. 1t may he hoped
| that even the people of the South, if
they do not yet appreciate the spirit
which created and guided the anti
slavery movement. will not much longer
misunderstood it. Indeed, they griev-
ouSly misunderstood it at the time.
| They looked upon it as the offspring of
Il wanton desire to NEEDLE with other
peoples affairs, or us the product of
hypocritical seltshneSS assuming the
mask and cant of philanthropy, merely
to rob the South and to enrich New
| England; or AZ an inSidious contrivance
of criminally reckless political ambition
striving to grasp and monopolize power
ut the risk of destroying Il part of the
country. or even the whole. 1t WAS.
perhaps. not unnatural that those i'll
| terested in slavery should have thought
so: hut from this great error arose
their fatal miscalrulation as to the
strength of the anti-slavcry cause.
No idea ever agitated the popular
mind to whose origin calculating selfish
ness was more foreign. Even the great
uprising which brought about the war
of Independence WAS less free from
selfish motives. for it Spraug from re-
| siStance to IL tyrannical abuse of the
taxing power. Then the people rose
against that oppression which touched
! their property; the anti-slaNcry move
mrnt originated i'll an impulse only
moral. Ii was the irresistible breaking
ont of IL trouble of con>ciencc.-I trou-
| bic of conscience which had already
disturbed the men who made the Amer
/ lean republic. 1t found IL voice i'll their
anxious admonitionS. their gloomy pro
/ phecics. THEN ScrupulouS care to exclude
! from the constitution all forms of eX-
preston which might have appeared
to sanction the idea of property in man.
/ 1t found IL voice in t'ic fierce struggles
! WI, i,.h tod in, lia
promise. 1t was rcprcs>cd for Il time
| 10y material interest. 10y the greed of
gain. when the peculiar product of
slave labor became one of the principal
staples of the country and mine of
wealth. But the trouble OF coScicncc
raised its voice again. Shrill and defiant
as when your own John Quincy Adams
stood in the halls of Congress. and
when devoted advocates of the rights
of man began and carried ON. in the
face of ridicule and brutal persecution.
an agitation seemingly hopeless. 1t
cried out again and again. until at last
its tones and echoes grew louder than
all the noises that were to drown it.
The anti-slavcry movement found ar
raycd against itself I'LL the influences.
all the agencies. all the arguments
which ordinarily control the actions of
men. Commerce said. Do not disturb
slavery. for it> products fill our ships
and are one of the principle means of
our exchanges. Industry said. Do not
disturb slavery. for it feeds our ma
chincry and gives us markets. The
greed of wealth said. Do not disturb
slavery. for it is an incXhauStihle fount-
ain of riches. Political ambition said.
DO not disturb slavery. for it furnishes
us combinations and compromises to
keep parties alive and To make power
the price of Shrewd management. An
anxious craftsmanship said. DO not dis
turb slavery, for YOU might break to
pieces the union of these states.
There never was Il more formidable
combination of interests and influences
than that which confronted the anti
slavery movement III its earlier stages.
And what WIS its answer .'Whethcr
all you say he true or false. it matters
not. hut slavery is wrong" Slavery is
wrong, That one word was enough. 1t
stood there like Il huge rock in the sea.
ShiVcrin- t. spray the waves da>hing
upon ii. Interest, greed. argument.
| vitupcrition. calumny. ridiculc. perse-
cution. patriotic appcal.-it was all in
vain. Amidst all the storms and assault
that one word stood there unmoved.
intact and imprcgnable slavery is
wrong.
such was the vital spirit of the anti
slavery movement in its early develop
mcnt. such IL spirit alone could inspire
that religious devotion which gave to
the believer ali the stubborn energy of
fanatici>m it alone could kindle that
deep enthusiasm which made men will
ing to risk and sacrifice everything for
Il great cause it alone could keep alive
that unconqucrablc faith in the certain
ty of ultimate success which boldly at
tempted to overcome seeming impOSsi-
hilitieS. 1t WAS indeed great spirit.
as. against difficulties which threw
puSillanimity into despair. it painfully
struggled into light. often baffied and as
often pressing forward with devotion
always fresh nomiShed by nothing but
Il profound sense of right : encouraged
10y nothing but the cheering sympathy
of liberty-loving mankind the world
over, and by the hope that, some day.
the conscience OF the American people
would he quickcned by Il full under
standing of the dangers which the eXis-
tence of the great wrong would bring
upon the republic. No scramble for the
spoilS of office then, no expectation of a
speedy conquest of pnwer.-nothing but
that conviction, that enthusiasm, that
faith i'll the breasts of IL small band of
men. and the prospect of new. uncer-
tain struggles and trials
At the time when Mr. Sumner entered
the Senate. the hope of final victory
appeared us distant as ever: but it only
lppeared So The statesmen of the