Year: 1860

pie will not so much as listen to Us, let III


calmly consider their demands, and yield


to them if, in our deliberate view of oul


duty,we possibly can. Judging by all they


say and do, and By the subject and ma


ture of their copnoversy with us, let u


determine, if We can, what will satisfy


theml 4


viii they be satisfied if the Territories


be unconditionally surrendered to them


We know they will not. In all their


present complaints against US, the Terri
tories are scarcely mentioned. Invasions


and insurrectioDs are the rage now. Will
it satisfy them il, in the future, We have
nothing to do with invasions or insurrec-
tons We know it will Dos We so
know because We know We never bad any
thing to DO with invasions or insurrections;
and yet this total sustaining does not ex.
empt US from the charge and the denun-
citation.


The question recurs, what will satisfy
them ! Simply this: We must not only
let them alone, but We must, somehow,
convince them that We do let them alone.
This, We know By experience. is no easy
task. We have been SO trying to convince
them, from the very beginning of our or
ganiaation, but with no success. In all
our platforms and speeches, we have con-
staDtly protested our purpose to let them
alone; but this has no tendency to con.
vince them. Alike unava;ling to to con-
vince them is the fact that they have new
er detected a man of US 10 any attempt
to disturb them.


These natural. and apparently ade-
quate means all failing, what will convince
them! This, and this only; cease to call
slavery acr0ng, and join them in calling
it right. And this must be done tho
hly-doue in acts as we'll as in a0o1tls.
Silence will not ae tolerated-we must
place ourselves avowedly With them
Douglass Bews edition law must be enac-
ted and enforced, suppressing all decla-
rations that slavery is wrong, whether
made in politics, in presses, in pulpits. or
IN private. We must arrest and return
their fugitive slaves With greedy pleasure.
We must pull down Our Free State con
stitutions. The whole atmosphere must
be disiDfected from all taint of opposition
to slavery, before they will cease to be-
lieve that all their troubles proceed from
US.


l am quite aware they do not state their
case precisely in'this way Most of them
would probably say to Us, Let US alone,
do nothing to US, and sag what you please
about Slavery" But We do let them "a
lone-haVe never disturbed them-so
that. after all, it is what we say, which
dissatisfes them. They will continue to
accuse US OF doing, until we cease saying


i am also aware they have not. as yet,
in terms, demanded the overthrow of our
Free State Constitutions Yet those Con.
stitutious declare the wrong of Slavery,
with more solemn emphasis, than do all
other sayings against it; and when all
these other sayings shall have been ST.
fenced, the overthrow of these Constitu-
tious will be demanded, and nothing be
left to resist the demand. 1t is nothing
70 the contrary, that they do not dem and
the whole Of this just now. Demanding
what they do, and for the reason they do.
they can voluntarily stop nowhere short
of this cOnsummation. Holding as thoy
do, that Slavery is morally right, and So
cially elevatiDg, they cannot cease to de.
mand full national recognition Of it, as
a legal right, and social blessing.


Nor can We justifably Withhold this. on
any ground save our conviction that Sa-
very is wrong. If Slavery is right, all
words, acts, laws, and Constitutions a.
gainst it, are themselves wrong, and
should be silenced, and swept away. If
it is right, We cannot justly object to its
nationality-its universality; if it is wrong
they cannot justly insist upon its extern
sion-its enlargement. All they ask, we
could readily grant, if we thought Slavery
right; all we ask, they could as readily
grant. if they thought it wrong. Their
thinking it right, and our thinking
it wrong, is the precise fact upon which
depends the whole controversy. Think
ing it right, as they do, they are not
to blame for desiring its full recogni-
tiou, as being right; but, thinking it wrong
as we do, can We yield to theml Can
we cast our votes with their view, and o.
gainst our ownl In view of our moral,
social, and political responsibilities, can
wc do this


Wrong as We think Slavery is, We can
get afford to let it alone where it is, be-
cause that much is due to the necessity
arising from its actual presence in the ma
ton; but can we, while our votes will pre-
vent it, allow it to spread into the Nation
al Territories, and to overrun US here in
these Free States I


If our sense of duty forbids this, then
let US stand by our duty, fearlessly and
effectively Let us be diverted by Done
of those sophistical contrivances where
With we are so industriously pliod and be-
labored such as cropping
for some middle ground between the right
and the wrong, vain as the search for
man who should be neither a living man
nor dead man--sueh as policy of don't
osre' on question about which all true