New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-09-25

t"ierated under assumption of its organic wrong
and with intention that il should he pios,eutel "
Establishment. IL pointed out what was held wrong
in thc shirt and dangerous in the measures OF the
Garrisonians and closed with direct and earnest
address 10 orr Southern Methodsis to take ean ~
active measures for the abolition of slavery. ne
document was extensively circulated ana corulait
ludorsed 10y Southern MethOdists. Dr: oiin, long "i
Georgia then president OF kauuOipi-h'coh N"ii'e,
i'm Virginia sent compliments Il the Nouihlui
writer which may not repeat. Inc great c,neI-
ence. indeed, between the GaTrlsohl'lS ana US
was This: We hoped 10 carry a large hodN oI me
South with nS IN the ant-slayery direction. ehuhg
in q peaceful emancipation they opened . furious
onslaught upon all the south auke. awhhen n 1
fierce antagonism that baniShed an such uheS hnn
ended i'm orr civil war. Both of us, the TART
sorians and Methodiss. were, rs thihk the result
has shown mistaken. We were mistaken IN expect
ing any actual measures ofemc ncpaton from SOUTH
eTuers. whole however sincere thcl H'i a'itl-
Saveryism: they were worse mistaken ~ supln,sng
that a peaceful immediate emancipation was
possible and most absurdly mistaken IN surposng
The direct route to that result was the ninrlaing
of the South 10 madness Ana sch wac tle eIIcT'
Of their dOings. IL was not unill HARRISON mai
feasaucCs took place that Southern Methodlshl
stepped upon the platform that maintained the
rghtfulncss and perpetuity of slavery. II was
bV those lnalfeasances that Southern anti-slavery
ism was DESTROYED slavery grew into the slave
power" and puttingon her iron armor. threatenedte
establish her deSpOtism over our entire Nation Anu
l call n very distinct attention TO this my state
ment that a moral enterprise Garrisonlsm was an
ignomnons failure. il mover raised the secular
North to ANYTHING like ms or my antl-SiaNerY ieNel
Had the slave-hOdng statesmen coolly maintained
a firm eqnanimity had they been calmly aud unag-
gresslvcy persistent rs rock, the slaNe-power III
spfe OF his work would he standing in It's pride oi
place nj this very hour. Down 10 the last moment
before the war; If rightly recOec. even the lead
ers of the Republican party at WASHINGTON wete
most shamefuly ready. in order to retain the south
in the Union, to concedc the perpetulty OF slavery
and 10 silence all Northern freedom of speech before
the save-p0wcT. All that the GaTrisonlans uid was
TO bring on the war and the war contrary 10 their
expectations and principles, abolished slavery NOT
a. a humanitarian movement, hut as n war measure
I ~ q fha t9qrI
slave-power.
DISSENT FROM MIR. GARRIsoN's METHODS.
There seem to me TO be two great fallacos run
ming through Mr.. JOhnson's view of the history
First, that tho Genuinencss or reality OF all ami
slavorvism is to be tested and decided by its ac-
cordance with Mr. Garrison and his abolition
societies Outside his horizon all Is proslaveryism'
The absolute issue Is Garrisonism and pro-siaNerS
ism. Second, by my friends presentation the ques-
| ton was purely between abolitoniSm ana pro-
slaverism He takes no fair note OF the reasons ana
motives. wise OF unwise. derived from fears Whlch
proved Just. of disunion. war; aud tho final es-
| adjustment thereby of Southern slave empire
entertained bv thousands of genuinely anti-slavery
men. who would have exultcd in the cessation of
slavery The nature of these two falacies viii soon
perhaps appear
One If the earliest effects OF the destruction Of
Southern anti-slavoryIsm was the disruption Of Our
Methods: Episcopal Church into North and South
on the slavery question. One Of our Southern
bishops had become eutangled by marriage with
slavery. and our General Conference required him
to emancipate or cease his functions. Unto that
time the South had never even proposed to elect n
STAKEHOLDER to our Eplscdbatc now she seeded
fronrus because no slavehodne bishop would he
| allowed. This run'Urc took rlnce. mark, ~ 1874
This was think, before Horace Greeley ever wrote
or Theodore Parker ever spoke against slavery OF
! Bccchoi's star had ever risen over thG biGos yh
| pnlpif Were we in 1914 q pr0-elaverv church,
I Tho next conec0ucnce al Garrisonism was not
ONLY the aunhllatiOn of all Southern anti-siaYcrN-
| isu Int the increase 81 the predominance Of me
slave nower. he unanimous South was filled with
Terror and wrath. and noured tori its menaccs OF
| lisruiou and war in loudest thunders. An anti
abolition reaction was aroused IN INC Norm, ere
l atng factltious pro-s1Nery Ism; Whicn utal ~
| prescriptions and mohs npou Ahohtionlsts Com
morcalsts dreaded RE distinction OF trade. ma
riof- feared the dissolution of fine Union and were
/ Denounced by the AbOliti0nists as prO-sl1voTy
1rn-r ,-o, ferrad i's tolerance 10 the unknown
evils 10 result from assailing us existence The
yviscst and best men were brought 10 solemn pause.
Ii was then that churches sioud s,ill and Dulpits
| crew silent and very often were Filenced. But the
Slave mower gradually by successive strokes Of aG-
[ rr.ss,or solved the problem. The men9ces OF the
slaveocrats, the proclamaton IL sHyciy was mol
/ orlv 10 he Tcrpctuaied. hut 10 be. indefinitely eX-
| tended the Mexican War for that extension, the
snrroutltlous annexation OF Texas 10 secure pre-
| Inuinauce for the slave States. the fhustcrs. the
Kansas inids al followed IN succession 10 assure us
at or onlv safety was the destruction of slavery.
How inst tits dread OF National dlsunion and war
/ was how truly II might IN prospect make the
most ardent ant'-slaVcry man l,n,e ana u"uni' ne
| the terrible baptism of fire aud blood through the
long years that followed has fully taught rs Many
of ua, myself among the nninhef. oileh Inlculed
| tle idea that the south would really and truly
lei loose !he dogs Of war. We taught The people:
| qud tle uccule believed, that 1.-THE South could
nct ie kicked into a war;" and so the war came
| nuevncctod found us unpr pared and over
I whc,med rs with early defeat and long disaster.
| Down 20 the latest dates Mr. Johnson most mis-
takcnly taught that. even # our armies came
into hostile array, q truce. a compromise, and an
| emancipation would follow! Ana now say that
every man of candor ought IN reject Mr. JohnsoWs
assumptions that the antl-slaSeTyism of our
| Northern people is TO be measured by their CO.
alesance with Mr.. Garrison or that az who stood
| undecided or opposed anti-sayery action. or even
| the great share of them. within the churches or
without were the pro-slavery wretchos he describes
| in the language am about 10 quote.
rrAr. ATTITUDE or THE METHODIST CHURCH.
Il was Of this period of dark suspense before the
war that Mr.. johnson saws IN language rather
poctical than historical. that "the representatives
| Of the popular Christianity of that day were deaf
10 the croans and agonics Of the slaves inseusible
of the humanity Of the negro indifferent to the sin
and shame If slavery. etc" lie adds 1.-The Amer-
con churches were The bulwarks of American
slaverv'r etc. mo clergyman Of that day could
have espoused the cause without rsking the loss Of
his parish and his reputation al the same time"
Now. how can 1t he true that n church in
different to the sin and shame Of slavery which in
1914 chose. with rare unanmity 70 lose one-half
its territory and of its correctional property rather
than accept a slave-holdne Bishop Our ministry
unanimously refused ordination by slayeholding
hands That rupture took place here In pro-
slavery New-Yorl The wcll-icpOrted debate shows
some significant facts that have some bearing on
nv friends two flllaces First, prosecution
10 that general conference 10y appeal from u slave
holding State. NAMELY from the Baltimore
annual conference: the prosecution was con-
Quoted by a Baltimore delegate 10 the mans
condemnation: Just because Baltimore Metho-
d-sm wonlA not have slaveholding preacher!