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For The Signal Of Liberty

For The Signal Of Liberty image
Parent Issue
Day
23
Month
March
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Messrs. Editors: - I was present during tfiö discustsiun on ihasubject oí 'slavery, ai Farmington on llie 2d and 3d instant. Ij assure you I was ëoülewhal aiuused as yell as surprised lo sec the shifts and 1 terfuges resortcü to by ihja principal dispulant, General Cook, on ihe pro slavcry side of the question. ile in iho ouiset acknovvledged that slavery is in ilselfa great wrong, and expresseu u wish that it tnighi bettbolished, but contended that the abuliÍtionisis were pursuing measures calculatcdi to produce a dissolutiou oí' tiio unión, and j to prove his proposition, he read extracis ijfotn Mr. Biracy's letter accepiing his nomination fur ihe Presidency, Gorrilbinuh'ö roterboro adareás, the Llaverniu petition, &c. These arguioenls werej met by Mr. Beckley, and as 1 conceiviv successfully refutec!. Tho General ihenj attemptcd to justify slavery us it cxists inj the United ÍSiates, by sliowing or allempí; j ing to show ly Btbie tesiimony thal it wtisj pructiced by the chosen people ut' God and' ihiit it rcceived the divine [probiitiori. - Ha was again triumphanlly dciven froinj his position. íle then brouht lbrward an entire new proposition, vu-.h wusibai persons taken caplive in war, were legitmate sybjects of perpetual slavcry, and; they and their postenty bccame chittelized, and were proper anieles of inerclr.md.izv' or cuinmerce, ar.d inusmuch as it is iinpossible to ascerluin who are the ofF?[)iin of those taken in war, or to dislinguish between themand those who ure the üffspring of ihodo who had been stolen, all mii'ht legally uruljurtly be held inslavery.Novv Mossrs, Jfcitors, i conccive thal' justice iö immutable, tliai it is au attribulc}, of the Almighty, and iliut what was rightj a thousand yeitrs ago is right now. Al-, lowing, Uien, ihat 1 urn right in my conciu- sions, and that it wa6 right in the earjyj setllement of America to enslave such of; he Africau rac as liad heen caplurcd iul war, and had consetiuently becoine arti-j cles of commerce, mere chaltels accordingj toGen. Cwk's theury, what a set of block-i heads must the Uniied Sta;es (Jongreasj have been composed of, who ia 1807 pas-j sed a law prohibiring the (-reign slave trade, and making it piracy fur any person to engage in it. Surcly thoy tiiustj have had u luaited knowlcdgü uf ihe prin-j ciples of justice and the nmural righis of man, or "(Jen. Cook, is nio&t ctegiously nistuke'n ii his conclusión. Suüicc it tol Biy thül on the 2d day towards night, the General lelt the iiold and 1). W'. O. Cha- pin E(. was Cdlled to finishj tic conlest. He opeued liie argument hy.somej handsome allusibna lo the pOlïtical institütiótïé oTiiör country, and alter electrifying llie audience by his saliies of wit and huniuur, he pruceeded 10 ihe quesüon, and utiged that as the slalule laws are aiaoug llie politica! msiituiions of the country, and llnil slavery being a creature of siatute law, those who opposo slavery are acling in opposition to the politica! institutiuue of the country; conseciuently ihe principies and tneasures of the aboiition society are nol inaccordance wilh tbc polilical ins'itutions of the Governmenl. This, Messrs Editors, istKe sum and sub 6taneo of his argument. N'w if the conclusión of Mr. Chapia argumejú s correct, all who disapprove of any of our laws and make use of means (let thein bo ever so proper) to procure a repeal or abolishment óf them will find themselves arrayed against the politicalinsiituti.msof thecoun try, and exposed to the censure oí théii fellow citizens, and liable to the penalties of law. It appears to me that the ver) alender pegs to which the gentlemen werf obliged to resorl, lo hang an argument up on, will sho# (!o use a hotnely phrase; how ncar they came to being used up. Yours re?pecti'i.illy,