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Brig Creole: For The Signal Of Liberty

Brig Creole: For The Signal Of Liberty image
Parent Issue
Day
9
Month
February
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

1 siated in my last, that since the Eman cipalion Act of the British Parlinment,(and its glorious resulls, I should have added,) nothing had occurred bo important in its hearing on the anti-slavery question as the daring and successful altempt at solt' rescue of the 135 slaves on board the above menlioned brig. I alluded to some of ihooc ucaiiiigo only - ;liere are oiliers equa ly or more important. The case of the Amistad brought us inlo colusión with the decTf'pid Government of Sjain a government likeour own, upholding the interests of slavery. The Amistad capíives obtained their freedom against the seüled purpose and determined effurts of our Go vernment through the indefatigable perseveranceofa few Abolitionists headed by that devoted friend of mnn, and indoroitahle foe to slavery, LewÏ3 Tappan. Our Governmeat take up the case of the Creole under very different circumstances. - The impellincr power in the former case was iis own zeal for slavery in the abstract, for no immediate interest of our slaveholders was in dnnger. This zeal isnow stimulated by the direct interest of the holders of twelve hundred millions of property who hold in our hands the keys o our government. No stone will be left unturned to produce a re3ult favorable to their wishes - }he sur render of the mu'.ineers for trial and death and compensation for the remainder. - The last wil!, after un efforí, probably be given up asa hopelesscasej bu' the claim will bc made in order to offer ;ts relinqui&h ment asa compromise for securing the for mer. Their chance for success is smal indeed. Their antagonisis are the British Government, the British people and las but nol least, in this case, the colured sub jects of her Majesty. whom no minister o the Crown wiil outrage or offend, out o deference to a foreign slaveholdmg power The British Government must be aware that in a contest wilh us, their black subjects in the West Indies, would be the right arm of their strength. When they wish to cut off this right arm, theo wiil they aliénate a million of freemen on our borders by rsmanding to certain death a portion of their brethren who dared to strike for freodom on the high seas, ar cc.' lor which, if white, they would bc lauded tü the skies. Will the British Government admit so odious a distinction belweeu their white and black subjects, whoh the conciliation of the latter is an object of such pressing moment? It is impossible! The blacks of the Creóle can be regarded by the Brilish auihuriües in no other light than ns passengere, subject to duress, from which they had a moral and legal right to free themselves by any degree of violence, which was necess;iry to the attainment of their object. Do we deliver up Canadian revolters who take refuge in in our territory? Not at all. Will they deliver up American refugees,guilty of no crime, who scek an asylum on British ground? Let no one believe them bo weakand so criminal. How many subjects of other governments have we who have fled to us (and oftcnthnes with arms in their hands and perhapa those hands reeking in blood) andlaimed the proiection of our soil? Shall ve, can we turn round and demand ot'anither government tbosé pi:r.-ioiia who haVe led from a hundred tuld wcre tyranny ïere, bccause forsootli some degree of vioencc attended ibeir escape? VVk shall löt - we cannot, but our slaveholding goernment can and will, yet only to be aughed at for their pains. The Briiish ave their pride as well as we. Ours is 0 offer an asylum for those (whiies) who uffer politica! persecution and oppression broad. Theirs is to throw the broed hield of British liberty over all, black or white, who escape frorn personal thraldom nto any portion of their wide domnin. - Whcn we are prepared to surrendi r the ole or the Greek to the Emperor Nichoas or the Sulton Mahmoud, beeause the ebelled, we moy with porne color of reaon, demand the escaped slave for In master, bccause he roseagainst him. No kilish, no Northern American jury would )ring in any other verdict against those nen than justifiable homicide. I rctraci he last assertion. A guilty consiiiuüonal cornproniise would lie the hands of nny American jury, whüe their henris woulo acquit him of all crime. Alat! for such of compact . Let us rojuice lliat the decisión is with hose whose consciences are not feitered by any unrighleous compact of a past age who are ready to declare a freeman de facto a fieeman dcjure, who will pronouncc the freedom of 130 human beings cheaply bought with llio lifeola bloodihirsy 8ltive driver, and eome drops of the biood jf the captain and crew of a siave sbip. - Anyoiher decisión would be a stab ai Iiberty. Let not the slave holder count on any ïorthern aid in his uttempt to get the he- roes of the Creóle wiihin his grasp. It ii 1 contest which he and hiö government must fiht out by themselves. Our symathies are all against him - our iniercsts are not on his side, and whatever a few servile editors or heartless politicians may -ay to the contrary, we know and feel thai he British Government is right in thi? maller, and we rejoice over every successtul blow struck for freedom.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News