New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-26
THE FALL OF SLAVERY.
,rcoI1ECTIONs OF AN ABOLITIONlsT,
BY OLIVER JOHNSON.
. STORM OF OPPOSITION.

Mot
an nnncorance of The Librator was manifest by the
'ne .bo,. made 70 prevent its circulation and
-, rs iutrppid editors from the field. The
S-.,la,.o Association of Columbia, 5. c., com
re .cooriipr to The Charleston Mercury OF
ortIernen Of the first respectabi1ty," on the am
- O.+ober 1881. Offered a reward OF Sl,ooO
a. +ba apprehcnsion and prosecution to conviction
- white person who might be detected IN dis
s-rntino or circulating The Li6erotor or any other
,nbIcations of seditious tendency" The autnori
a.. Of Georgetown. D. C., enacted law l"hi"s
!. nanal for any free person OF color 10 take Aio'
Che most office ct the paper published III DoS'on,
r,lled Tie Liberator." In Raleigh n - Ui',u
- f,,ua q TIN, bill against the editor and the
,,;sTe~ evidently in the hope of finding way to
tr,ng them 70 that State for trial winter III tla'
w and Identified old paper The National Ine,"-
senoor n1blished in Washington, proposed that MI
ts-ris,p sbouli be indicted and tried in Virginia
81 that after conviction, demand for MS suIreh'
a. sbouId he made upon the Governor OF Massa-
cbusetts. Mr. Hayne, sf South Carolina, the cnaiN-
rion of notification, having received Dy Mal' d
eonv of The Ltbsra0r wrote 10 the Hon. harrison
Cav O,js Mayor Of Boston. asking to DO informed
who sent It; aud Mr.. Otis, desiring to obhge his
distinguished friend, sent deputy to MI Garrison,
boniuc 10 extract from him confession that he was
The rnilry man Mr.. Garrison, with the true Yankee
Instinct. answered the interrOgatory of Mr.. OtlSs
s,,arf tv propoundng another viz: " By what
Eoritv does the Hon. Robert Y. Hayne ask me such
aorestioa p Thus were the great South Carolinlan
and his Northern tool foiled In their attempt to
make the ant-slavery editor cTiminate himself and
o, the foundation for a requistion for his person
mon the Governor of the old Commonwealth, But
II was lett TO the Senate Of the State Of Georgia to
Fan the climax Of malignant folly in the passage of
resolution Offering a reward Of $4,000 to be
Maid By the Governor to any person or persons
,r-os+iur and bringing 70 trial. under the laws OF
The State the editor or publisher of The Liberdor"
This was nothing less than bride TO any rudian
who might choose on any dark night to 60 to the
sfice Of Mr.. Garrison, seize and convey him TO
Southern vessel lying at the wharf not far distant
Il response to this threat Mr.. Garrison said: Know
his. We patrons Of kdnappers. that we despse your
threats as much as we deplore your infatuations
nav. more-know that hundred men stand ready
10 I'll our place as soon as il is made vacant by viO
ence. The LBerator shall yet Twelve TO warn
you of your danger and guilt-lve to plead for the
,erishing saves-live to hail the day of universal
Emancipation. For every hair of our head which
Eou touch there shall spring up an asseIter Of the
nights of your bonGsmen, ana an upbraIder of your
crimes"
And how were these menaces and threats received
1T the North Not by any means with the indg-
freemon Jealous for the liberty of the press but
with cool Indifference if not with positive SYM
pathy. The Northern press made constant obeisance
10 "King Cotton" and dared do no more than to
suggest, with whispered humbleness, that perhaps
It might be carrying things little too far to kid
nap the miserable fanatic who was disturbing the
peace of the SOUTH The newspapers that dared to
speak in terms of honest indignation Of these at
tempts 10 destroy the freedom of the press were
those of smallest circulation and might be counted
On ones fingers. The moral stupOr that rested upon
the press and the people of the North at that time
seems utterly incredible now.
The Southampton VA instruction Of slaves. led
by Nat. Turner occurred in the Summer Of 1881,
when The LibaatOr was only few months old
Turner was himself a slave and be persuaded his
seluded followers that he was prophet sent by
God to lead them out of the house Of bondage.
There was never the slightest reason to suppose
hat he had ever seen so much as a single copy of
The Li5erator and If he had done so he would have
lound in ii nothing to encourage his murderous
Vroject but on the contrary something to dissuade
hin therefrom. For Mr.. Garrison from the very
tart avowed his opposition 10 war under all cir
substances. In the very first number of his paper
be ap0sTophized the slaves in these memorable
Eords
Sot by the sword shall your delverance be;
Nj by rebellion, or foul treachery,
CpspriUging suddenly, like swelling fooh;
Revenge ana rIDine ne'er did bring forth good.
Gods time Is best! nor viii II long delay;
And glorious shall the irat be! Watch and pray
FOrlO! the kindliug d. WI that usLers III the fay
But in spite Of all such prOtestations, and not
withstanding the notorious fact that Mr.. Garrison
was a nonresident the press at the North, as well
at the South insisted that he was responsible for
theNat. Turner n5urrec,ion, with all its cruelties
and horrors. Governor Floyd in his message to the
Virginia Legislature, said there was too much
eause to suspect that the plans Of the nsurrec ton
bad been designed and matured by unrestrained
fanatics 10 some of the nei yh boring States" That
This an allusiOR TO Mr.. Garrison aud his asso-
,iates was universally understood at the time.
Northern newspapers found it hard 20 believe that
body Of "contented laborers" like the Virginia
slaves could revolt against the authority of their
Kind masters unless they were invited TO do so by
mischievous fanatics; and who but Garrison
could be the guilty cause Of such madnessf There
were moments when II seemed as if the misguided
public opinion of the hour would demand the sup
preston of The LJsrdtor and II is not easy now to
See what II was, except the restraining interposi-
ton Of Providence, that prevented the people in
their madness from doing all that the Shareholders
desired. Few newspapers Of that day exertcd an
Influence so powerful as that of The National Intel
hge8o, in which the respectabity, learning, states
manshp and conservatism Of the time were near
mated. To the people Of New-England this paper
dared to appeal in these terms:
No one knows better than We do the sincerity with
which the intelligent population Of New England abhor
ana reproOate the incendary publications which are
intended BY their authors 10 lead 10 precisely such
suits (as concerns tAo whltes) the southampton
Tragedy But We appeal % the people Of New England
u not m behalf OF the innocent and children Of
the whites, then behalf OF the blacks,
termination VIII be the result Of general cOmmO-
ton. whether they VIII continue 10 permit their hu
maniy 20 be- uuoer TIE repTOach OF approving
tolcratIng the atrocities among them which a l.
ready caused the plains OF the South to be MANFRED
human flesh and blood. To be more specific