Selling Christians At Auction

We mcnüoned last weck arr.ong our naiiona customs, the very remarkable and peculiar one of robbing a portion of our population, manyo them Christians, for the purpose of Christianiz ing foreign heathen. We sliowed that the pla of supportiny foreign missions by slave labor wa unknown in o;her countries, and that Aniericru Chrisiians are entitlcd to all the honor that can bo dcrivcd from its practico. We now proceed to mciition another custon of ours, which we assert to bc natioual. in whic wc. as a Christian nritio:i. stand almost alone - that of scllhig Chrlstians at auclion. The se] ling of human beings has been customary in al ages. We rcad concerní ng the mcrchants jO Babyion that they traded in slaves ond souls o men. The sellingofslaves was usual among th Greeks and Romans, and all ancient nations, ex cept the Jews; In all these cases, the scilers anc buyers were ksatken. Again, it has been usu al for Mahometans to scll Chrisiians. Greek and Circassiane, as well as negroes from África are found in their slave markets. The instance in which the Algerines reduccd our American seamen to slavery, is familiar to all. In these ca ses, the buyers and seüers are Nahomctuns.Again, in the barbarpus state of society, among people who dimly apprehended tbc truths o Christianity, it was formerly customary for persons nominally Christians to sell one anotíinr. - But as rcvelaüon and sciencc have extended tliei sway over the mass oi rnjnd, the horrid custom hus disappeared. In England, France, Geimany, Prussia, Spain, and even the dominions o tlie Pope, who is comnionly considercd to be the Beast of Revelations, it has been swept away. - The only Christian couniries to which we can look for countenance in manselling are Russia, Brazil, and a few of the West India Islands. - Shal! we take these for our patterns? The practice of se Hing human beings at all is attended with eflècts destructive to the best interests of society. But the cvils are greatly aggravated by a public sale to the highest bidder. It brutalizes and degrades the mirul, and Icads individuals familiar with the spectacle, to despise liumanity, in the person of the victim . old. The elaves at Washington are usually marchcd to the slave mart ui coftles, chained by the hand and neck. When placed on the stand, all, of botli sexes and all ages, are examincd, feit of, turncd about, and made to exhibit themselves as brute beasts are when sold. The demoralizinL eflect of the traffic, eapecially upon the rising generation, has been set forth by many humlred peiitioners in the District of Columbia, who haveentreated Congress for its abolitiou. That thie custorn of Christians selling Christians at public outcry to the highest bidder is natonal, is evident,1 . Because it. cxists by crprcss nalional legisation. The slave codes of Virginia nnd Maryand, from which States the Federal district was nken, were re-enacted by Congress and have )een in force ever since. Traders are licensed n that District by Ccngress for $400 each to ell Chrietians. The power of Congress to abolsh slavcry in the Federal District has been quesioned. juet tor the purpose of making it a peg to ïang an argument on. But the power of Conerress to abolish the public aúction sales of human esh, is indisputable. Mr. Giddings urged this istinction in the House of Representatives in 839, until he was questioned, motioned. orderd, and finally gaswed downby those who could ot argvc him nown. If both houses of Congress nd the President have established an institution y Imc. it is nationah is it not? 2. Selling Chris'ians at auction is a national nstitution, inasmuch as it is savrVonci and aprorrjJ by all the national dcnominaüons of Chrislians, except the Friend and Freewill Japtists. The ecclesi.nstical authorities of the esbjterian. Baptist, Methodist, Episocpnlian and Cntholic denominations, do not express any diaïpnrobation of the practice, at Washington, or elsewheie. nlthnucrb a portion of their members are continuallysubjpct to public sale, and another part of them frequcntly appcar as buyersand selers. The purchasers at these auctions.arc donbtpps often members of the same"dcnominatioi with those whom they buy.3. ít is nntional. innsm ueh ns it has reeeived the express or implied approbqtion of all nathval ■parties. except the Liberty party. Whoever heard of the Whig. or Democratie, or National Republican. or States Rights pnrty beinsr opposed to the public sale of lmmnn heines nt Wnshinsrton, nr of makinsr an eflort Ur the abolilion of the traffic when they hnve been in power? These parlies have had more important business on their hands thnn to repeal tHn law of thcir own makinLr. It was not too unimportant to enact, nnd its continuance is sustained by botli tbe great noliiicnl parties. embraeinr almoet all the voters in the nation. Bolh parties are dumb on the subject. They wjll not sav a word in Conress. unless to uphold it If you doubt ihis. ask those who have the best means of knowing. Inquire of Pcrter. Woodbridfre, or Howard, or any othcr member of that body. 4. It is national. inasmuch as it has received the implied approbation of every Pn-sidcnt of the United States. It is the duty of the President to recommend to Congress the adoption of sucli mcasures. as he may deem of public utility. - They have uniformly done so. The f reign slave trade has often been recommended to the atten (ion of Congress, in strains of eloquence, and the nstional trensure has been expended for its suppres3Íon. The local affaire of the district are alluded to in nearly every annual message. But vhat President has recommended the withdrawal f the licensee for selling American Christians t auction? 5 it is naiional, inasmuch as Consress has een urged for many yearp, by many thousand etiiioners, to aboüs'i the practice, and they haxe, oftenrefvsed. Many citizens of the district, ïave petitioned for this very thing. The memers cannot plead forgetfulness of the subject. It ïas been brought to their notice froni millions oí eemen, and hasexisted in all ita doformity, wiihn sight ana hearing of the hall in whicli they aily fleclaim concerning the righis of men. We hope our readers, especially thosewho are irofessediy Chrisiians, will leel for the disgraceof thcir country :md the ir religión, and use thcir earncst endeavois to sninationaüze this hideous custom by evcry menii3 in their power - by bearir.g tlieir testimony agaitlst it in their rel igioits connections - by abjuring all support o-f those partios which mnininin it. and condecrating their political power for ils overthrow, by bca towing thcir guffreges for those men only, who i f clectod to oillcc, will preclude al) necessity of petitioning for its removal,by their own voluntary apd manly cubrís for its eternal extirpation froin our land.