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Page 4
Ralfe, referring to the adoption of the Federal Constitution, says,
"It was no easy task to reconcile the local interests and discordant
prepossessions of different sections of the United States, but it was
accomplished by acts of concession." Madison says, "Mutual deference
and concession were absolutely necessary," and that the Southern
States never would have entered the Union, without concession as to
slave property. And Governor Randolph informs us, "That the Southern
States conceived their property in slaves to be secured by this
arrangement?"
We are also informed by Patrick Henry, Chief Justice Tiglman,
Chancellor Kent, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Justice Shaw, Chief
Justice Parker, Edward Everett and others, that no union of these
states ever could have taken place, had not the right to hold slave
property, and the sole right to control that property been conceded to
the southern States. And, Edward Everett, moreover, tells us that the
northern States "deemed it a point of the highest policy, to enter
with the slave states into the present Union." The reader will
observe, that a majority of the authorities referred to, are northern
men of the highest distinction.
I remarked in the preceding pages, that whoever invades the rights of
the South in her slave property, violates the law of the land, and is
guilty of a civil trespass; and I will now prove from the sacred
record, that in opposing the civil laws of their country, they violate
the laws of God, and consequently are guilty of a moral trespass. The
primitive church of Christ was, under all circumstances, and at all
times, subordinate to the civil authorities. They never stopped to
inquire whether the laws were good or bad, just or unjust; their
business was to obey the laws and not to find fault with them.
Christ and his apostles enjoined on their followers unreserved
obedience and submission to the civil authorities. I need not here
quote the language of our Saviour; it must be familiar to every Bible
reader. I will, however, quote the remarks of St. Paul and St. Peter,
on this topic. The former says, "Let every soul be subject to the
higher powers." "Whosoever therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth
the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves
damnation." He instructs Bishop Titus to put his flock "in mind to be
subject to principalities and powers, and to obey magistrates, to be
ready to every good work." "To speak evil of no man, to be no
brawlers, but gentle, showing meekness unto all men." St. Peter says,
"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of men for the Lord's sake;
whether to the king as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that
are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers." There is neither
precept nor precedent in the Bible, which will countenance opposition
to the laws of our country. No, not one word in the sacred volume,
that can be thus construed. Opposition and resistance to the civil
authorities, is one of the many corruptions winch have crept into the
church of Christ. Men "have become wise above what is written;" and
truly as our Saviour said unto the ancient scribes and pharisees,
"they shall receive the greater damnation."
What a marked contrast between Christ and his apostles, and the
apostles of modern reform, _alias_ abolitionists. How dare they
professing Christianity to fly in the face of the laws of their
country? How dare they resist the execution of those laws? How dares
Mrs. Stowe inculcate disobedience and open resistance to her country's
laws? Great God! shall our country ever be freed from the dark and
damnable deeds of religious fanatics? Shall our country ever be freed
from the curse of curses, religious ultraism, bigotry, and delusion?
Let those who profess to be the followers of the meek and lowly
Jesus--those who profess to take the Bible as their guide, cease from
their unwarrantable and seditious opposition to the laws of their
country; or otherwise let them renounce the Bible, lay aside their
Christian garb, and appear before us in their true colors, that we may
know who they are, what they are, whom they serve, and under what
standard they are fighting. Throw off your masks, gentlemen; don't try
to deceive us any longer; some of us understand you, and we intend to
expose you, and hold you up to the public gaze, as long as the good
Lord will vouchsafe to us health and strength sufficient to sit in our
seats, and hold a pen in our hands. Your conduct is a reproach to the
Christian name, a stigma on the Christian character.
SECTION II.
There are nearly four millions of slaves in the United States; and the
question now presents itself to every free born American citizen; what
are we to do with them? The abolition party demand their immediate
emancipation. Is it practicable, safe, or proper? What would be the
consequences? What would be the consequence of turning loose upon
ourselves four millions of human beings, to prowl about like wild
beasts without restraint, or control, and commit depredations on the
white population? Four millions of human beings without property or
character, and utterly devoid of all sense of honor and shame, or any
other restraining motive or influence whatever! And they too, under
the ban of a prejudice, as firm, as fixed as the laws which govern the
material universe. In that event, is it not probable; is it not almost
certain, that there would be either a general massacre of the slaves,
or otherwise that the white population would be forced to abandon the
soil? Will any one pretend to deny that either entire extinction of
the African race would be likely to result from universal
emancipation, supposing the manumitted slaves should remain in our
midst, or that otherwise the consequences would be disastrous to the
white population? None, I presume. What then shall we do? The slaves
are among us; they must be governed and provided for, and is it not
our duty in making provisions for them, to act with reference to the
general welfare of all concerned--white and black? Is there an
intelligent man in this nation, who has reflected on the subject, that
really believes that the condition of the African race in the United
States, would be bettered or improved in any respect, by immediate
emancipation? I have clearly shown in the following pages that it
would not. Facts prove the contrary. Yes, stubborn undeniable facts,
that none but a knave or a fool will gainsay. We know that
improvidence, idleness, vagrancy, and crime, are the fruits of
emancipation; not only in the United States, but also in the West
Indies. We have already stated on good English authority, (Lord
Brougham), that the West India free negroes, are rapidly retrograding
into their original barbarism and brutality; and the London Times
quite recently asserted, that the British emancipation experiment was
a failure; that the negro would not work; that his freedom was little
better than that of a brute; that the island was going to the dogs,
and the negroes would have to be removed, &c. Have we any reason to
believe, that a different result would follow emancipation in the
United States? No, we have none, for it is a notorious fact, that free
negroes are everywhere idle and vicious in this country, and that
crime among them is ten-fold more common than it is among Southern
slaves.
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