Year: 1861

this country, rests as much upon the North
as upon the South. Indeed, so far as
am able to ascertain" continues DR.. N. L.
Rice, "the Southern people did not engage
in the trade, but all the vessels were built
and sent out from the North. I do cot
know that it was upon moral grounds that
the South, except Georgia, opposed the im-
portation of slaves. 1t is, nevertheless, a
fact that for some reason they did oppose
it." This historical fact not only exhibits
the duplicity, not to say hypocrisy, of the
Abolition world, who clamor so ferociously
against the South and African slavery, but
it also, to great degree, exonerates the
predecessors of the present slave holding
population, from connection with the al
legged criminality of the African slave trade
as practiced upon this continent for CEN
tury and three quarters.


3. As further illustrating the argument
now in hand, it can be established that the
relation now borne to the slave by his owner,
is not affected by the manner in which the
African was originally brought to this coun
try. The crimiuality, that was attached to
those who introduced the slaves, does not
adhere to the present owners, and so the
fact that African slavery may have origl-
uated in the perpetration of grievous wrong,
does not constitute the relation thereby
formed, necessarily sinful, nor demand with
out regard to consequences, a destruction
Of that relation This will be made clear
by considering in the first place the differ
ence between a wrong and the effect of it.
In this depraved world, sin, and so injustice,
are blended with everything, and if the
circumstances and relations that are created
by any acting causes or agencies, are to de-
rive their moral character solely from the
manner and agents in and by which origi-
mated, then nothing, as product of man, on
earth, is exempt from the charge of immoT-
ality and injustice, and so the sinfulness and
crimiuality of the agent. Man not only at
taches to, but so vitiates all his acts and
their effects, that nothing is to be tolerated
or preserved which had its origin in con-
nection with SIM The conclusion is absurd.
A man may, in an unlawful way, become
the father of natural offspring, but will that
fact justify the destruction of the children
in order to cause the parental relation, the
product of sin in this case, to cease =
Neither does it in the case of the relation
of master and slave In the second place
if this be not the true principle, then every
land holder in America, except few In
Pennsylvania, who inherited the purchase
of Wm. Penn, is committing sin because
the land was originally taken by violence
from the aborigines of the country. And
Great Britain holds her present land titles
under the rights of the Norman conquest
Now who does not know the lawless, un-
Just, dishonest and barbarous character of
this conquest? So, too, the present titles
of all Europe, Asia and North Africa, are
derived from source not much less cruel
and unjust.


Thus there is an end to all right and hon.
esty, as to the possession of the civilized
world, and by this false principle and abo-
lition doctrine, every man is bound to give
up any property, and cease his relations to
every object or person, whose existence or
origin or antecedents, hundreds of years
ago, may have been associated with sin or
any manner of violence. This is verify a
sweeping doctrine, and if human society
was once subjected to it, there would not
a relation or an object of property remain
in the world. But We imagine, in the next
place, that the advocates of this error are
not practicing it. Our bitterest censors,
as shareholders, are those who are now en-
joying wealth secured by their ancestors,
who were the first and chief slave traders,
and who furnished slaves to the South for
her money. If Southern slaveholding orig
mated in sin-others than the South COM
mitted the sip-aud if we who hold the
slave participate in the guilt of the original
transgressors, what excmpts their descen-
dants and heirs to property procured by
slave dealing, and who even yet abet and
support slavery by buying and using its
products? The point is dismissed as ab-
surd.


4. Again. We admit that fraud and vio-
lence were too frequently resorted to, in the
original introduction of slaves into this
country, and we are utterly opposed to the
opening of the traffic for many reasons, but
we think that the recollection of several
facts in connection with the slave trade, as
carried on in this country during the las
century, may relieve it of some of the abom-
nations now associated with it in most
minds. 1t was tolerated by great and wise
and excellent men, in Church and State,
both in England and America.


1t rescued thousands Of Africans, not
only from the degradation of heatheuism,
but from actual and even barbarous slavery
in their own country, and saved large num-
bers of those taken captive in war, from
slaughter in cold blood, and introduced
them into state where, of all other condi-
tions, the African is happiest, and where
innumerable blessings have been poured
upon him. Thus it was that che traffic
commended itself to the men of that day.


5. Let the origin, however, be what it
may, it is sufficient for US to know our atti,
tude is not criminal in reference to the re-
suit of the slave trade, and as God by His
Providence, has intrusted to US the guar
dianship of four millions of souls, descend
ing from more than three hundred thous'
and sons of Africans imported among US,
it is ours to stand in our lot.


Copscious of no participation In the sins