Year: 1859


, people Of the Commonwealth Of Massachusett
e must answer. They may try to evaee 1t to-day
r they may try to dodge it to tomorrow; the.
n may try to silence it with the previous question
+ or motion to indefinitely postpone in tn
: State House they may try to slur it over in th
o platform Of the political campaign approaching
j. they may try to evoid it in the discussions o
g the political press they may even put it out o
sight in the homilies of the pulpit and the relig
e ious newsparers-but the question must be an
s swered! 1t has been written out in sight of men
' and there is no escaping it after that. The mur
e derer who, medtating on his deed Of blood
3 thought that,


g "If it DONE whom It's dOne then 'twere well
. It done quickly"


could as easily wash out the memory of that day
and make the event to "tramel up its consequence
could as easily close the eyes of that inner Wis
| ion which he has shared not with any who shared
not his consciousness of guilt, against the spec
tire that crowded him from his STOOL and usurped
t his place at the banquet-as the Commonwealth o
Massachusetts blind her eyes to this question


which is glarng out upon her from the skies
that hang the North Star out to guide the fugi
tive in his fight and speaks to her in the very
murmur of the forest, which hears only, besides
that murmur, the tread of the bondman on bis
way to Canada The question must be met, then,
has Massachusetts right to abide by an unhal-
lowed compact? And deep down in the heart of
Massachusetts, if not very loud and audible to
the outward ear, yet clearly, distinctly, ir tones
which imperatvely demand audience, the answer


to this question has already formed itself into sylla'
,rh; H. raf,c to
heed them. Load applause.1 Massachusetts has
no right 1t is the common sense of universal
humanity, it is the doctrine of religion and moral
ity, it is the principle of law ITSELF which forbds
obedience to an immoral injunction, compliance
with the terms of immoral compact. If ask
the men of Massachusetts,, Will you ratify bar
gain made by your predecessors to sanctify mur-
der with the warrant of statute law and judicial
precedent ?--the men Of Massachusetts, will prob.
ably look at me with mingled astonishment and
Indignation hesitating between the latter emotion
for the insult offered and the former that any man
should dare to offer such an insult. And vet If
you sci to institute q careful comparison be.
tween murder and chattelization of manhood--if
against the single atrocisy of the one crime you
balance the complex and innumera5le atrocities Of





avow his belief that it is less immoral less Grim.
insl, TO sanction slavehodng than it is to sane.
ton murderi If any, for him have this ques,
tion Bring the matter home to yourself in such
form as will set it closest to your most central
consciousness, whether it be in imagining that you
to be the victim of the or the other crime,
or in imagining that come object of your tenderest
affection is to be that victim. Fancy to yourself,
for moment, the alternative presented, whether
the wife that you love, whether the daughter now
blushing into beautiful womanhood, around whom
cluster your strongest affecti,ns, and upon whom
rests fathers purest pride, shall fall dead at your
feet, and tomorrow be laid away in the safe sanc,
tuary of the grave, with the shelterng clods of
the valley above her form, or whether she shall be
grasped by the kidnapper and torn from your very
presence to be exposed for sale the auction
stand Of the human flesh market, and be struck
off to him who will bid the largest sum of filthy
gold for the privilege of desecrating that sanctuary
of the Holy Ghost polluting that dwelling place of
the social and domestic affections, and turning
that most beautiful specimen of fair humanity into
the abode Of impurity. and the scene of the deep
est degradation! Picture to yourself the present.
alton Of that alternative, and then anticipate your
own answer to my question; AMI in that an
swer hear your judgement of the comparative
guilt of him who strikes the merciful blow of MUIR
der, and him who binds around his victim the
poisonous coil of the slaves chain, blisterng body
and spirit together at every point of contact fes'
tering to the core of the SOULS inmost being With
a corruption darker than essential impurity itself,
and more terrible to bear than the fires of unend'
ing perdition. You have answered the question
long before have done asking it. and have been
reproving me in your souls for lingering in my
tardy and haltng speech behind the unerring and
lightning like readiness of your response. Well,
then, you have answered the question, whether
Massachusetts has any right to give back the run
away slave to his master /; for you know that all
these sophistical distinctions which our sel6shness
and pride-sometmes with dabolical malice more
than diabolical ingenuity whisper in our ears-you
know that these are of avail before the search
ing eye which looks TO the motive of our act, and
sees that we are false to the convictions Of our own
souls when we seek the justification for our wrong
in the color of it's victim.


Grant, if you will, that the fugitive bondman
coming from Carolina or Virginia belongs to an in
ferior race. will not stop to argue that question
now but the inquiry might very we'll arise, why is
it that this naughty Saxon race. so conscious of its
own superiority, is afraid to trust a rival race
to compete with it on equal terms for the worlds
prizes? Concede that it is an inferior race with
which we have to deal, what then Is that in
feriority the justification for rebbing it of that
precious boon which the Father has bestowed up
on it? Or, in other words, do you Justify plunder
oy the poverty of its victim Do you say that be
cause the poor man has but one email eve lamb,
brough; up in his bosom, while you have many
focks and herds spread over your rich estate. sou
may therefore feed your guests with the flesh OF
his lamb, and dread no coming Of Gods stern
prophet on the morrow to make you condemn
yourself with your own lips, and ratify the con-
domination with the words-"Thou art the man !"
You know it is no justification; The slave comes