Year: 1859

There can be but one true way, and consequent
", but one effective way to treat the question oi
chattel slavery in this country. We must con-
stantly recollect that Slavery is crime--a DIRE
and ovorshadowing crime--and we must act up
on this basis and assumption. we must MAKE
tbs fundamental truth the central, motVe-po"er
of all our efforts against Slavery Working from
eny other premise is nonsense--losing sight oil
tbis and we are anchorlcss and floating. Vain
is he who builds his anti-savery faith on any 9TH
or grouuds--such faith bears not the tost OF COM
PROMISE it is faulty in its purpose and the rights
of humanity are not to be trusted with 1t In the
hour of peril. Whenever we wander from the
first principles of reform we cease TO be elhc'en'
reformers The world asks what our motives are,
for i, has rightio know. If our motives arc
faulty, if they are not true to priN&pe, the woriu
places no confidence in us, and we are arle 10 at
tract neither sympathy nor aid.
7 Ro5bing man of himself is the highest form
of rebbery; 1t indeed, the internal climax OF
all robbery No man can 20 further in thet
than this. because there is nothing more valuable
to steal--, is the point where the thief graduates
and takes his highest degree. To thus rob man
and reduce him to chatelhood is to offer the high
est p0SSlDl0 Insult anu ihu'SHi'J w ''"N'''' ~


ture and to Natures God. 1t is the crime OF
crimes--the embodiment of all wrongs--"the sum
of all yllanes" And it cannot possibly be diff
ferent. No matter hos tenderly the master may
treat the slave, how slightly ho may work him.
how sumptuousy he may feed him or how ele-
gantly he may clothe him, his guilt as slave
holder is not essentially altered or lessened' lie
robs the slave of himself and here is the essence
of his crime. MAN cannot hold property in
man :" this is the fundamental truth upon which
Freedom erects her citadel. The incidents OF
slavery are nothing-the fat of the existence oil
the relation of master and slave is the crime with
which we have to do. To be OWned by another, to
he ranked with things, to have nothing but what
belongs to your master, to be utterly subject to
his dictaton and caprice this is slavery. mod
el master you may have to-day, tender to a fault,
treating you with all kindness, arraying you in,
fine linen and setting before you the fat things Of
earth-to-morrow you may be sold to soMe Legree
who will make your life one of bitterness and
horror-Mis is slavery. TO hold this system, then,
up to public hatred and execration, is our duty.
We need to nourish anew that stsrn detestaiion OF
the principle of slavery which unperversed man
hood ever feels. We need to arouse again the
spirit of true freemen. to break the spoil OF apathy
and indifference which despotism has flung over
the people. We want 20 impress upon the public
heart and Judgment the fact that slavery is an in
eomparable crime to be continually considered and
treated as such.


With this view OF slavery--this conviction of
its inherent criminality ndelibly stamped upon
the conscience of the community, we have basis
fer rational action towards its extinguishment.
As a cri ne, we shall feel thar it can no more be
established or protected by tdD than can any other
crime, What legalize murder? Then no more
can slarely be legalized, which is itself murder
and MANY other dreadful enormities combined,
We shall stop talking about the rights of slave
holders as such Would we talk about the 'legaP'
rights or the constitutional" rights of an organ
;xed hand of horse-theves Then would
We waste breath in dilating upon the legal or con-
sritutonal rights of man thieves. We should no
more descend to the folly of speaking of slavery
as an "institution" since we have not yet denom-
iuu:ed piracy an "institution." Nor should we
assume that slavery is a system that ought to be
"restrcted" and regulated" for crime is not
thing to be regulated but 20 be abolished


But when we lose sight of this foundation
principle, and base our opposition to slavery on
any other assumption, we are fatally at fault Our
reasoning is necessarily detective II slavery has
any rights it has all rights necessoryto Its susie
nance and perpetuity. If man can bo property
anywhere, be can everywhere. If the slave be-
longs to his master in Maryland, he belongs to
him righuully in Pennsylvania or wherever else
he chooses to take him. If the master has val
i'd property right in him, local law ought no: to