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"voluntary Slaveholding."

"voluntary Slaveholding." image
Parent Issue
Day
3
Month
November
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

- Weunderstand that ihe Presbytery of Washtenaw have resolved that "voluntary slaveholders" ought to be excluded from fellowflhipofthe churchcg. Their resolutions, however, have never been pubüshed, so far as wc know, and therefore we make no comment onsuch a singular conjunclion of words, but we find the following ready made to our hands in the Voice of Freedom. The Convenlionof Congregational mins isters of Vermunt have recently met togclher, and aftcr talking over the merits üftlic case, thoy resolved, "That we consider voluntary slaveholding, or the claiming and using property in man, as sinföl in the sighl of God, and as a giievous wrong upon the rights ot man." The Voicc of Freedorn ?ays : "It seems to us as much a solecism to 6pcak oí voluntary slaveholding as it would be o speak of voluntary horsestealing. VVhy fetter and dog a rcsolution with such an unseemly adjective? - Did the comtiiiuee really suppose the religious cüminuniiy in Vermont were prepared to endorse stich a sentiment? What would be thought of the ethics of a ministerial commiüee who should gravcly report it as their solemn belief, 'That we consider voluntary horse-stealing, or the claiming and using of slolen horses, as sinful in the sight of God, and a grievous wrong iipun the rights of property. And what if such committee should add, "That we are not behind any of our fellow c't'zens either in ihe sti enth of our eonvictions tl at horse-siealing is a moral, social, and political evil, or in ihe strength of one dcsiree lor its enlire and speedy removal.' And further - 'That we would not díctate to our horse-thieving brethren as lo the mode of action, inasmuch as the process of breaking off from stealing is exceeding difficult and doubiful.' We ask, how would acommunity ofhorse-thieves be affected under such treatment? Would they no jump at the first. chance to form copartnership with these resolution makers?" From a Boston Paper. The principies of the Non-Resistants are often confounded with those held by members of the peace Societies. They are, however, hardly in any respect the same. The Non-Resistants not only deny the necessity of war on any occasions, but they refuse to support any government whose ordinances are maintained by physical forcé. They rñake a virtual declaration of independence from thegov ernment - they will pay it notaxes, except oncomp'.'lsion - they will hold no offices under it, civil or military - they will not even serve as jurors in courts of juslice, and hey will not appeal to those courts to redress any wrongs which they may suffer. They offer no resiítance to those who would injure theni in their persons or properties - they profess to forgive l'reely all such injuries, and in the systein of society which they would substitute for the present system, they would have no mnchinery of grvernment, and no law but the law of love - the maxim laid down by Christ, "Do into others as ye would that others would do unto you.,' - Should any refuee 10 abide by that law, they would subject thenito no punishment except such as God and conscience mighl inflict. Some of the most ultra members of the sect go a step farther than ibis. They de ny the moral right of individuals to hold more property apart for their individual purposesthan their real necessities require; they refuse to pay taxes of any kind; - and declare their unvillingness to scal 'their testimony' to this effect with their blooo. Mr. Alcott, the gentleman who has favored the public, through the columns of the Dial, with those mystic oracles entitled 'orphic sayings,' is of this class. He is of opinión that the eenliments held by the non-resistants are what human governmentscall sedition,and thal the non.resistanls of New England will soon be heard at Washingtoh. In the conflict which is to ensue between the governmentand the non-resistants, he thinks the latter will be successful - the government will fall for want of supporters, and the ncw system will then be set up! In giving his views on these points to the society, on Tuesday, he averred that there was now in existence in this country 'sedition and rebellion enough to upset the government, and heresy enough to upset the cïmrch;1 that both church and state would soon be overturned, and the sooner the better. We think Mr. Alcott will see the church and the state endure during his day at least, and that he will be disappointcd in his hope or expectation that the power of the government will ever be brought into conflict with the members of the Non-Resistant Society. If anyerrors may bcsafelytolerated,wethink ibeirs are among the number; their absurdily will forever prove a sufficient guar antee against their general adoption. The jnfallible effects of the establishment of a United States Bank, are thus briefly set forth by the Boston Courior: 'The Whigs in New England have no wish for a Bank, and the capitalists, and all others who look to the practical effects, know that the only advantag6 they could derive from such an institution, would be the abslraction of castern and northern capital to the south and west, where its leturn would bo rather problematical."