New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-12
THE FALL OF SLAVERY.
RTCoLLECTIONs OF AN ABOLITlONlsI'
BY OLIVER JOHNSON.
THE Fo1rNDING OF 1.-THE LIBERAToR."


tons of the anti-slavery movement III pos'on,
,,,tbin sight of Bunker Hill and in the shauo" VI
ro,onil Hall-a resolution taken upon careI"l con
;aora+io, and after some very bitter experiences
=. = demonstration of the hard common SENSE loi
,,bicb he was ever afterward distinguishes ii-'
eft impulse as my last artclestated, was 10 es'"
Tsb The Libeydf0r in Washington, ana mus "''",
s,,sr, in its own citadel. But he was hoV 'ohs ~
discerning that such step might orlnS 'no "0'
mont TO disastrous end. Washington N"' wv
the fulcrnm to afford the requisite pui0,
r,ust throw his weight upon the ond OF 'no II W. =
battle ,nust first be fought to eStaDsh 'ic i's"'
yoss tbo suhiect of slavery, and this contest III
+ho +ben indammable CONDITION Oh the 0""'
mid could not be successfully wageu upon Si"'
col The shareholders would be certain u '"N0
alarm from the establishment OF an uncofnpionn'S
ing antl-slavery journal at the Nationai oapi,I'
and 20 suppress it with strong manu- WIN
.orIo of tho North. in their indifference and bind
ness. would be almost sure to say: 0eINou nm
ri,tt he had not been mad-cap, he would no
more have established his incendiary shce' on 0",o
soiI than he would have walked into powder mag
oz,,,c Nth lighted torch" And yet the very peo-
No who yyould have said this. when they saw the
first number oil The LiBerdtor with Boston imprint
o,cloir,ed: Coward Why does he not go TO inc
Sontb instead of assailng slavery at TINS sa1e us
tanceg The people of New-England are not slave
boders and this fanatic has no right TO poster us
with this perplexing question" But Mr.. GarrisonS
clearsichtedness enabled him to discern, even al
that early dav, that the influences which chleny
sustained slavery were supplied by the people OF
tbe North He clearly that all efforts TO redeem
the South would be vain so long as the Northern
neople through ecclesiastical, political, commercial
and social channels, supplied the moral power by
which the slave system was upheld.
BOSTON was then the heart of New-England, and
smoke for il far more emphatically than she does
now. The cotton traffic had grown TO gigantic pro-
portions there and by it men gained great wealth.
Cotton factories were springing mp on every slde,
giving profitable employment to large numbers OF
MGR. women aud children, and by opening extensive
markets for agricultural produce, enabling the farm
ers 70 pav off their mortgages and redeem them
selves from the slavery ofdebt. The cotton traffic,
in short was regarded as the chief source of New
Tpglands prosperity and the people were impatient
Of everything that seemed likely to disturb It, 1t
was almost universally believed that cotton could
he raised only by the labor of slaves, as no freeman
would submit to the hardships necessarily involved
In its culture. The appearance of The LtbTdtor
consequently set the whole cotton interest INTO
fever of excitement Southern planters, filled with
rage wrote to their Northern customers protesting
against such paper, as calculated 10 excite the
slaves 10 instruction and dcluge the South in blood
Northern merchants yielding readily TO such APP
peals to their cupidty and their fears, cried out
against the anti-Slayery movement as wicked and
inexcusable conspiracy. The press was their will
Ing servant and so to great extent was the pulpit
as well especially IN the cities and larger towns.
These merchants occupied the most prominent pews
I'm the churches. and contributed largely and
literally for the support of the ministry and
for those missionary and other benevolent
organizations that enjoyed the favor of the
churches. The pulpit was thus sorely tempted to
swerve from the laws of humanity and rectitude
md become the apologist if not the defender of
slavery. When | say that 1t often yielded TO this
temptation or where it did not fully yield, was Sc
duced into scarcely less guilty silence, set down
naught in malice, but only record the truth of his
tory for the instruction and warning of other gene
ratiops If this truth were hidden, it would be i'm
possible to estimate Alright the courage, foresight
and self-sacrifcing spirit Of Mr.. Garrison and his
associates
Dr. LYMAN Beechor was then at the head of the
orthodox pulpit in Boston. Tho great controversy
between Orthodoxy and Untarianism was drawing
nigh to its elimination in The complete enforcement
of the two parties DR.. Charming, the leader on
Tie Unitarian side, was a man Of gentle and hu-
maue spirit, not liking controversy, while DR..
Beecher was a born belgereut. Mr.. Garrison was
conscentiously and strictly orthodox, and there
fore naturally inclined to seek support in the first
instance from the orthodox pulpit and church.
When ne was in Boston in 1927, editing The Na-
fonGl PhlantbropiS', he became a warm admirer of
Dr. Beecher, partly on account of his attitude on
the Temperance question but still more because of
his great powers as a preacher, and, naturally
enough, the Doctor was the frst minister TO whom
he appealed for support in the warfare against
slavery. He was bitterly disappointed in finding
him Indifferent to his appeal g have too many
irons in the fire already" said the Doctor. "Thcn,"
said Mr.. Garrison, "you had better let all your
irons burn than neglect your duty to the slave"
The Doctor, like almost all the clergymen Of that
day. was a coOnizatiOnist, believing that freedom
TO the slaves with liberty to remain in the United
States would be a curse they must be sent Africa
whence their fathers had been stolen, and carry to
that country the Christianity of their mas
tiers. To him. therefore, Mr.. Garrison's doctrine of
Immediate emancipation upon American soil was
rcpulsiye and he told him 50. Your zeal" he said,
" is cornmcudable; but You are misguided. If YOU
will give up your fanatcal notions and be guided
by us the clergy we viii make you the WiberfOrce
Of America"
Mr.. Garrison had learned the doctrine of imme-
datism from DR.. Beecher himself The very key
note Of the revivas of that day. which the Doctor
took 50 prominent a part, was the duty Of every
sinner to repent instantly and give his heart to
Christ but the men who were most eloquent in
urging this doctrine IN its application to the sin of
uubelef were prompt to deny it IN its application to
the sin Of slavery Sin III general was something
for which there could be apology or excuse, but
tie particular sin Of treating men as chattes and
compelling them to work without wages could only
be put away, if at all, bv process requiring whole
generations for its consummation! Such was the
moral blindness of the time-a blindness not of the
multitude alone but of the professed expounders of
The will Of cd