,,the ,,way ,,to ,,abolish ,,slavery4   
,,by ,,charles ,,stearns1    ,,author   
,,of    ,,facts ,,in ,,the ,,life ,,of  
,,gen4 ,,taylor1 ,c41 ,,taylor1  ,,cass 
,,and ,,van ,,buren ,,compared1 ,,and   
,,encroachments  ,,of ,,the             
,,slave-,,power ,,upon ,,the ,,rights   
,,of ,,the ,,north4    ,,boston3        
,,published ,,by ,,the ,,author4  #ahdi4
    ,,for ,,sale ,,by ,,bela ,,marsh1   
,,no4 #be ,,cornhill4                   
,,introduction4      ,after the flood of
 light respecting the evils of the      
execrable system of  chattel ,slavery1  
thrown upon the minds of the community  
by eighteen  years of ,anti-,slavery    
preaching2 it would seem almost a work  
of  supererogation to attempt to cast   
any more light upon the subject2        
therefore in this work1 nothing will be 
said in reference to this part  of the  
subject2 but every effort will be made  
to convince the reader of  the efficacy 
of the remedy here proposed4    ,it will
 be necessary to say at the commencement

 of this work1 that the  author is no   
politician1 and does not write for party
 purposes2 neither  is he the agent1 or 
the organ of any ,anti-,slavery society1
 but writes on  his own authority1 and  
that of truth2 being responsible to no  
man for  what he shall assert4    ,my   
object is to present to the public mind1
 what ,i deem to be the only  true and  
effectual remedy for the terrible       
disease of ,slavery4 ,if in  doing this1
 you are condemned1 reader1 judge not   
hastily that ,i am  wrong2 but give me a
 candid and impartial hearing4 ,in the  
language of  the apostle1 prove all     
things1 and hold fast that which is     
good4    ,i am not a disunionist1 from  
any wish to see anarchy casting its     
direful  shade over our land2 but from a
 sincere desire to prevent confusion    
worse confounded from reigning in our   
midst1 as most assuredly will be  the   
case if ,slavery exists many years      
longer4 ,let us then give the  pull1 the
 long pull1 and the pull altogether1 and

 drag this terrific  monster from his   
hiding place between the walls of the   
sanctuary1 and  the halls of            
legislation1 giving him no rest1 until  
he flees from earth1  back to perdition 
from whence he sprang4    ,,the         
,,author4          ,,the ,,way ,,to     
,,abolish ,,slavery4      ,slavery is   
the medium through which the corrupt    
passions of men flow  with resistless   
power4 ,beneath its influence every     
plant of virtue  sickens and dies4 ,its 
putrid form taints the air which we     
breathe1 and  exhales all manner of foul
 odors1 which render it so obnoxious to 
truth  and purity1 that these angels    
would speedily end its existence1 if it 
were not for the support it derives from
 other sources than itself4  ,although  
coarse and brawny in its outward        
appearance1 yet it is within  full of   
disease2 and nothing but continual doses
 of medicine enable it  to present the  
appearance of life4 ,it is said that a  
celebrated  magnetiser1 once preserved a

 dead body from putrefaction for a long 
time1 by the power of magnetism4 ,at    
length he withdrew the magnetising      
power1 and the body instantly crumbled  
to atoms4 ,thus with ,slavery2  withdraw
 the enchantments from it1 which        
priests1 politicians1 and  speculators  
have thrown around it1 and it expires of
 its own corruption4  ,it lives only by 
this outward support1 just as the virtue
 of some men is  caused only by their   
being paid or praised for it4 ,apply1   
then1 the  finger of truth to its       
gigantic form2 let but the mighty arm of
  righteousness lay hold of these       
sustaining influences1 and sweep them   
from it2 and it will fall as quickly as 
a huge statue would1 if the  pedestal on
 which it stands should be removed from 
under it4    ,slavery1 to be sure1      
reaches mountain high1 towering over all
 other  eminences in this nation2 far   
above the highest steeple1 or           
,state-house  cupola1 7church and       
,state27 yet tall and commanding as it  

is1 it shall  be laid lowly in the dust1
 if but truth can reach the props and   
guards  which keep it alive4 ,herculean 
though it may be in strength1 it shall  
then become powerless and impotent2 the 
life that is in it being like  the light
 of the moon1 not its own1 but derived  
from a source  independent of itself4   
,what then are the props of ,slavery8   
,they may be divided into two  classes1 
political1 and religious ones2 or in    
other words1 both church  and state may 
be regarded as sustaining the dreadful  
system4 ,it is  recorded in history1    
that at one entrance to a certain island
 there was  stationed an immense brazen 
statue astride the water which lay      
before  the island2 and that there was  
no ingress to the city1 except by       
sailing  betwixt the legs of this       
statue1 each foot of which rested on a  
promontory of the island4 ,imagine1     
then1 the great giant ,slavery  standing
 with one foot on the ,american ,church1
 and the other on the  ,union1 requiring

 all wishing to enter the port of       
popularity and renown1  to run this     
gauntlet1 and you have a faint idea of  
,slavery4 ,it plants  its right foot    
firmly on the government of the ,united 
,states1 and  receives its principal    
support from that2 but to make its      
foothold firm  and sure1 it extends its 
left foot to the ,church1 and there     
finds  additional support4 ,without     
these two props1 it cannot exist a      
moment4    ,but let us see if it is true
 that it exists by the power of these   
two  institutions4 #ast4 ,does the      
church give it any support8 ,we would   
bring  no railing accusations against   
the church2 all we wish to know is1 does
  it render any support to ,slavery8 ,it
 will not be questioned1 that in the    
slave-holding ,states ,slavery is       
sanctioned by the church4 ,every one    
knows that slave-holding is no          
disqualification for church membership1 
throughout the entire ,south4 ,very few 
ministers refuse to hold ,slaves1  and  

neither ministers nor church members are
 ever censured for the act4  ,the author
 has resided several years in two ,slave
 ,states1 and knows this  to be the     
fact4 ,he travelled and preached        
constantly1 and was therefore  in the   
families of a large number of religious 
people2 and he never knew  of a case    
where slave-holding was spoken of as    
rendering a man unfit for  church       
membership4 ,he was at many revivals of 
religion1 and never knew a  word said to
 any of the converts about giving up    
their ,slaves1 except  what he said     
himself4 ,slave-holding was considered  
no more inconsistent  with              
,christianity1 than hiring servants is  
at the ,north4 ,no man dreamed  of      
giving up his ,slaves because of his    
conversion4 ,slave-holders were  the    
most prominent men in the churches2     
elders1 deacons1 class-leaders1         
stewards1 and ministers4 ,of course if  
the church consider it right1 the       
people generally will2 for who ever     

heard of a purer public sentiment1  than
 what the church approves of4 ,streams  
never rise higher than their  fountains2
 and1 of course1 as the fountain of     
morals in any community is  always its  
religion1 never than the religion of    
that country4 ,it is idle  to expect the
 community to be better than its        
religious teachers2  therefore such     
teachers are always regarded as more    
pure than the mass  of the people4 ,and 
the very idea of a church1 is a company 
of people  professing more purity than  
others2 of course whatever sin is       
practised  in accordance with the will  
of the church1 will be by the rest of   
the  community4 ,if adultery was        
considered no disqualification for      
church  membership1 how long would it be
 before the land would be full of       
adulterers8 ,it is plain that whatever  
sin takes refuge in the bosom of  the   
church1 will be practised by the world2 
therefore all attempts to  correct any  
great evil are useless1 as long as the  

church upholds them1  and at the same   
time possesses any power4 ,take1 for    
instance1  intemperance4 ,what a mighty 
argument it was in opposition to        
temperance1  that church members made1  
sold and drank rum8 ,and if this        
practice was  followed universally by   
church members now1 as it once was1 what
 hope  would there be of the progress of
 the temperance enterprise8 ,as ,christ 
says1 if the light that is in the world 
be darkness1 how great is that          
darkness4 ,the church lays claim to     
being the representation of             
,christianity1 the embodiment of virtue4
 ,it says1 we are holy and  inspired2 if
 you speak against us you blaspheme     
,god1 for we are his  children4         
,then1 of course1 if it upholds         
,slavery1 it says that it is a good and 
divine institution2 perfectly adapted to
 promote the welfare of mankind4  ,if   
the church forbade the practice of      
slave-holding1 as it does those of      
drunkenness1 adultery1 theft and murder1

 and excommunicated those  practising   
it1 as it does those guilty of the above
 sins1 the case would  be far different1
 even if its members were in the habit  
secretly of  practising it4 ,if it even 
preached against ,slavery1 it would be a
  different matter2 but instead of that1
 we have ministers justifying it  from  
the ,bible1 and exhorting ,slaves to    
obey their masters1 because ,god        
requires it1 and threatening them with  
hell1 if they disobey them4 ,then  we   
have the spectacle of a large church at 
the ,south1 seceding from its  northern 
brethren1 because the latter did not    
like to have a bishop hold  ,slaves6    
,they would not remain in connection    
with a church at all opposed  to        
,slavery4    ,but all this you may say  
does not apply to the northern churches4
 ,well1  if the northern churches       
countenance the southern in             
slave-holding1 it  certainly does4 ,if  
they recognize them as ,christian       
churches1 receive  their ministers as   

,christian ministers1 and forbear       
reproving them for  their sins1 then is 
the northern church guilty of upholding 
,slavery4 ,and  it gives a double       
sanction to it2 for it says we believe  
,slavery is not  incompatible with      
,christian character2 and we have been  
brought up away  from its influence4 ,it
 does more to support the vile system1  
than even  southern churches themselves2
 for southerners expect those brought up
  under the influence of ,slavery1 will 
think it lawful2 but when they see      
churches living away from its place of  
existence1 countenancing it and         
fellowshipping it1 they conclude at once
 it cannot be wrong4 ,why the  churches 
of the ,north should countenance it1    
what motive they have in so  doing1 is  
not for us to say now4 ,the great and   
appalling fact stands out  before the   
world1 that there is scarcely a church  
throughout the whole  of the free       
,north1 but what is in some way in      
fellowship with ,slavery4  ,if they do  

not fellowship southern churches1 they  
do northern churches1  which give the   
right hand of fellowship to southern    
ones4 ,and where is  the church at the  
,north1 the members of which are all    
out-spoken  ,abolitionists8 ,is there   
scarcely a church where no union with   
slave-holders is made a test of         
admission8 ,we have never heard of but  
one1 and that the church of the         
,covenanters in ,pennsylvania4 ,to be   
sure1  the ,wesleyans will not recognise
 the southern churches1 as ,christians2 
but they will fellowship those that do2 
exchange with their ministers1  and     
receive their members1 and more than    
all1 allow their members to  vote for   
slave-holders1 even for ,gen4 ,taylor6  
,certainly1 no church can  be           
,anti-,slavery which has members who    
voted for that king of southern         
slave-holders6 ,that this is true1      
witness the case of ,seth ,sprague1 of  
,duxbury1 who is a ,wesleyan1 and made  
almost the first speech in favor of     

,gen4 ,taylor made in the ,state4 ,but  
all our churches contain such men1  and 
certainly are upholding ,slavery4       
,witness the great number of  ministers 
in this ,state1 who voted for ,gen4     
,taylor4 ,drs4 of ,divinity1 as  well as
 those less honorable2 and some         
illuminated their houses in honor  of   
his election1 as in the case of ,dr4    
,e41 of ,salem4 ,others preached        
sermons in favor of the act1 as in the  
case of ,dr4 ,s41 of ,north             
,brookfield4 ,probably there is scarcely
 a church throughout ,new ,england1  all
 the members of which1 who voted at all1
 voted against the extension  of        
,slavery4    ,before proceeding to      
comment upon the guilt of the church1 in
 this  respect1 let us for one moment   
consider the terrible situation of the  
poor ,slave1 as hurried from his family1
 he is transferred to the  chain-gang of
 a negro driver1 to be transported to   
,california1 or ,new  ,mexico4 ,husband1
 where are you going8 plaintively       

enquires the  sorrow-stricken wife1 as  
he is knocked off upon the auction block
 to the  highest bidder1 and returns to 
bid farewell to his companion4 ,wife1 ,i
  know not6 ,farewell6 farewell6        
responds the sobbing husband2 and away  
he  is hurried from her presence1 and   
perhaps beaten for speaking to his      
wife4 ,an eye witness of these scenes1  
and one who has himself been  separated 
from his mother1 says he has known the  
driver beat with sticks  the husband and
 wife as they clung around each other's 
necks1 just  before parting4 ,the author
 at one time1 while travelling in       
,kentucky1  met a ,slave who seemed very
 much dejected4 ,he stopped and asked   
him what  the matter was4 ,oh1 said he1 
,i have been to take leave of my wife1  
who has just been sent off to ,missouri 
to live with my young mistress1  lately 
married1 and ,i never expect to see her 
again1 as long as ,i live6    ,what must
 be the humanity of these persons who   
cannot feel for the poor  ,slave in such

 conditions as these8 ,no one denies    
that these things  continually happen at
 the ,south2 and yet but little sympathy
 is excited  in consequence4 ,the hearts
 of the people have become as hard as   
adamant4  ,their sensibilities are      
totally blunted4 ,they are destitute of 
all  feeling4    ,what a picture has    
just been presented before this nation6 
,a new  territory1 free from ,slavery1  
demands protection from its awful curse4
 ,a  large majority of all the people in
 the ,united ,states1 treat this prayer 
with contempt1 and virtually say it     
shall not be granted by voting for      
candidates for the presidency1 known to 
be in favor of its admission  there4    
,here the mangled victims of ,slavery1  
have these #ej years1 lain  bleeding    
upon the plantations of the ,south1     
loudly calling upon our  government to  
desist from protecting their cruel      
masters2 but their  cries have been     
stifled by the clamor of noisy          
politicians1 who have  talked of the    

necessity of preserving our glorious    
,union1 at whatever  expense to the     
crushed and manacled ,slave4    ,a new  
era seemed about to commence4 ,the      
question is obtruded upon the  whole    
country1 and becomes the pivot upon     
which the presidential  election is made
 to turn4 ,shall these cries of three   
millions of ,slaves  be made louder and 
more acute1 or shall a barrier be       
interposed between  them1 and all       
increase of their sufferings8 ,shall    
,mexico be the slough  of despondency1  
into whose terrible mire shall be cast  
the gasping  ,slave1 and a new mart be  
opened for the gratification of men who 
examine  the bodies of their victims1 as
 a man does a horse he is about to      
purchase1 and women as well as men2 or  
shall a sword of cherubic power1  guard 
all entrance to this country1 as the    
angel's sword protected the  garden of  
,eden8    ,this was the question brought
 before the people of this country at   
the  last election1 and how was it      

decided8 ,let history shrink back       
astonished as she pens the degrading    
fact1 that the whole country was  rocked
 with emotion1 and reeled with the      
mighty efforts put forth1 to  place a   
man in the presidential chair known to  
be in favor of this  extension4 ,it     
needs no argument to prove the turpitude
 of such a people4  ,their guilt is     
self-evident1 their hypocrisy glaring4  
,it stares all the  world in its face1  
like the lurid flames of hell1 ascending
 from their  subterranean enclosure4    
,guilt1 did we say8 ,there are no terms 
in the  ,english language sufficiently  
strong to describe the wickedness of    
this  transaction2 and yet the church   
participated in it4 ,no warning voice   
was heard from her public bodies        
arousing her members to opposition to   
this direful deed4 ,on the contrary1    
many of her ministers volunteered to    
help forward the accursed transaction4  
,the piety of ,gen4 ,taylor was  vouched
 for by reverend fathers in ,god2 and   

saints of the most high1  were found    
bowing in reverential adoration before  
this ,juggernaut4 ,few  and far between 
were the voices of single ministers1 in 
opposition to  this course2 and now that
 the deed is done1 who exclaims against 
it8 ,who  comes out from the churches   
where these guilty men rule8 ,who       
refuses to  hear ministers preach or    
pray who voted for ,gen4 ,taylor8 ,what 
society  has yet dismissed its minister 
for so doing8 ,what church has passed   
resolutions in opposition to the        
recognition of such men as ,christian   
ministers8 ,why1 a highway robber has as
 good a claim to the character of  a    
,christian minister1 as one has who     
voted for ,gen4 ,taylor4    ,we have yet
 to learn of the first church ejecting a
 member for this  flagitious            
transaction2 and yet voting for ,taylor 
is as much worse than  common stealing1 
as a man is of more value than a beast  
or a dollar4 ,by  voting for a          
slave-holding warrior1 you say that     

,slavery is right1  reputable1 and      
worthy of praise4 ,instead of frowning  
upon the  slave-holder1 as you would    
upon the horse-thief1 you elevate him to
 the  highest office in your gift2 thus 
doing all in your power to render       
slave-holding honorable4 ,it is just as 
great a crime to aid in elevating  a    
slave-holder to the presidency1 as it is
 to hold ,slaves4 ,it does  more to     
uphold ,slavery2 for it says we will    
heap the highest honors of  society upon
 slave-holders4 ,we will place them     
where all their influence  can be used  
to strengthen the system2 and it serves 
to shut the mouths  of ,anti-,slavery   
men2 for it will not do to cry out      
against slave-holders  as robbers1 when 
our ,president is a slave-holder4       
,besides this1 a very large portion of  
the church cast their votes for a  man  
pledged to go for the extension of      
,slavery1 although not nominally a      
slave-holder4 ,gen4 ,cass justified the 
extension of ,slavery1 and argued  in   

favor of the unconstitutionality of     
prohibiting its extension2 and          
thousands of votes were cast for him1 by
 church members4 ,to their praise  be it
 said1 many church members and ministers
 refused to vote for either  of these   
men2 but what action have they taken in 
their churches in  reference to those   
who did8 ,if such acts as these are to  
be passed  over1 in silence1 then is the
 sanction of the church given to        
slave-holding1 and the extension of     
,slavery4 ,recollect that the  question 
was not1 should ,slavery exist at all8  
,on that question there  might have been
 some excuse for inaction2 but it was   
should it be  extended over a territory 
nearly half as large as the whole of the
  ,united ,states8 ,it would seem as if 
,christians could not have hesitated a  
moment on this point2 as if the whole   
host of ,god's elect1 as the church     
claims to be1 would have been marshalled
 in battle array against the  myrmidons 
of the slave-power4 ,but no1 a death    

like silence pervades the  entire church
 upon this point4 ,it matters not to her
 whether ,slavery  covers the earth1 as 
the waters cover the sea1 or not4 ,her  
mission is  to let it alone4 ,to cry out
 against gambling1 whoredom1 ,sabbath   
breaking1 and such unpopular sins1 is   
her duty2 but to advance before  public 
opinion1 and create a purer one1 is no  
part of her work4 ,she is  so engaged in
 saving souls1 she has no time to attend
 to the bodies of  the people4 ,but     
seriously1 is it not a terrible state of
 things when the  churches of our land  
are asleep over such a dreadful evil8   
,when the  voice of the watchman is but 
faintly heard1 if at all1 in rebuke of  
the  most heaven daring of crimes8 ,we  
appeal to all who are in the habit of   
attending church4 ,does your minister   
every ,sunday1 exclaim against the      
horrid enormities of extending ,slavery1
 to say nothing of it where it  now is8 
,do you hear from his lips as severe    
denunciations of those  engaged in this 

wicked business1 as fell from the lips  
of ,jesus ,christ1  as he reproved the  
oppressors of his day8 ,no1 you do not1 
only  occasionally4 ,it is considered a 
rare instance of courage if a minister  
dares to rebuke his people for having   
voted for ,gen4 ,taylor8    ,what1 then1
 is to be done in the matter8 ,that the 
church at the ,north  upholds ,slavery  
can no longer be denied1 for she goes   
farther1 and  upholds its extension2    
yea1 farther yet1 she countenances      
fighting  for its increased power1      
murdering men1 women and children1 that 
it may  exist1 where it could not       
without this fighting4 ,o1 shame on a   
church  having in its folds a single    
member who cast a vote for that most    
wicked  of men--,gen4 ,zachary ,taylor6 
,but declamation will avail nothing     
without  action4 ,we propose a remedy   
for all this wickedness4 ,we call upon  
all  true friends of the ,slave to leave
 those churches where ministers or      
members voted for ,taylor or ,cass4     

,further1 we invite you all to make a   
critical examination of your relations  
to ,southern slave-holding  churches1   
and see if your associations1 your      
conferences1 or your  conventions1 are  
not in league with slave-holders1 or    
with those who are  allied with them4   
,if you belong to a church not having a 
single member  in it who voted for      
,taylor or ,cass2 yet if your church    
fellowships those  churches having such 
members1 are you not a pro-slavery      
church8 ,to  fellowship the churches who
 retain pro-slavery voters1 is to say   
that  such voting is not wrong4 ,but if 
you cut loose from all such relations1  
do you not fellowship northern churches1
 who have slave-holders  themselves in  
their bounds2 for instance the northern 
,methodist ,church1  having still       
slave-holding members8    ,but if you   
are clear from all such connections1    
there is still another  point we beg    
leave to submit to your serious         
consideration1 which brings  us to the  

second great pillar the statue of       
,slavery stands upon4 ,you  have seen   
the influence given to the system by the
 church2 now look at  the power given to
 it by the ,government4 ,this is the    
principal  foothold of the dreadful     
system4 ,destroy this prop1 and ,slavery
 falls2  but before advancing to this   
position in our argument1 let us see for
 a  moment how ,slavery is acknowledged 
by law2 for it is in this relation we   
are about to contemplate it4    ,the    
,government of the ,united ,states      
creates no ,slaves2 it only  recognises 
as lawful the ,slavery existing in the  
several ,states1 or to  use the words of
 the ,constitution1 held to service or  
labor1 under the  laws thereof4 ,the    
laws of the several slave-holding       
,states are made  the standard for the  
general government's action upon this   
subject4 ,no  quibble can possibly evade
 this1 for it is not necessary to prove 
that a  runaway ,slave justly owes      
service to his master1 but only if he   

does1  under the the laws of his master4
 ,the master has made certain laws1     
claiming his ,slaves as absolute        
property2 the ,constitution says1       
persons owing service under these laws1 
shall be returned1 thus making  the most
 complete provision for the support of  
the system4 ,the laws of  the ,state in 
which the claimant lives1 are the rule  
to go by1 not the  feelings of the      
judge1 respecting the abstract question 
of the  possibility of one human being  
owing compulsory service to another4 ,it
  is just as much a violation of his    
oath1 for a judge to refuse to  deliver 
a ,slave proved to be such1 under the   
laws of the ,state1 without  a bill of  
sale from the ,almighty1 as the ,vermont
 judge did1 as it  would be to refuse to
 deliver the ,slave with the bill of    
sale from the  ,almighty4 ,if it is the 
bond that we contend for so strictly1 as
 the ,jew  did for the pound of flesh1  
we must abide by the bond1 which says1  
not  if the ,almighty furnishes a bill  

of sale1 shall the ,slave be delivered  
up2 but if the laws of the ,state say he
 is a ,slave4 ,the recent  decision of  
judge ,edmonds in behalf of ,belt1 the  
most favorable one on  record1 fully    
recognises this principle2 and ,belt    
owes his liberty not  so much to the    
humanity of the judge1 as to the absence
 of positive  proof that the laws of    
,maryland uphold ,slavery4 ,a copy of   
the ,slave laws  of ,maryland was       
produced1 but it only said published by 
authority1 and  not by the authority of 
the legislature1 therefore ,belt was    
allowed to  go free4 ,the omission of   
one word in a book1 saved ,belt from the
 jaws of  ,slavery1 more than any other 
thing4 ,to be sure1 it was proved that  
the  master did not take legal steps    
after the seizure of ,belt1 and         
therefore  had no right to him2 but the 
main reason for his discharge was1 not  
the  wrongfulness of delivering him up1 
not because ,god had given ,lee no  bill
 of sale1 but because a lawyer could not

 swear that a certain  book was the laws
 of ,maryland6    ,from this decision   
there is no appeal1 until a higher      
authority has  decided differently4 ,all
 that a slave-hunter has to do1 is      
merely to  bring an attested copy of the
 laws of the ,state1 in which he lives1 
and  prove that in such a ,state he held
 the person claimed as his ,slave1 and  
there is no redress for the panting     
fugitive4 ,he must be returned to  his  
former bondage1 without any power to    
protect him from the punishment  his    
master may choose to inflict upon him in
 consequence of his escape4  ,thus is   
,slavery legalized by our laws2 and if  
we cannot expect a higher  standard of  
morality than what the church upholds1  
certainly we cannot  expect practices to
 cease1 which the government pronounces 
lawful4  ,people are not generally so   
much in advance of their laws and       
religion1  as to refuse to perpetrate   
what those laws and that religion       
justify1  and pronounce honorable4 ,thus

 the whole influence of jurisprudence1  
and  church action1 is thrown around    
,slavery4 ,is it any wonder1 that it    
exists in so much power1 and now seeks  
to extend its sway over new  territory8 
,what then is necessary to be done to   
remove this prop from  under the        
colossal statue of ,slavery8 ,plainly1  
to repeal all laws  recognising its     
existence4 ,do this1 and refuse to obey 
any of the claims  of the ,south in     
reference to this matter1 and ,slavery  
ceases as soon as  the earth would cease
 to turn upon its axis1 if the ,almighty
 should  remove his hand from the crank 
of the mighty wheel4 ,or to drop all    
figure1 as soon as the ,slaves should   
arise and assert their liberty2  which  
would be almost instantly1 if it were   
not for the ,north4 ,we are so  hemmed  
in now by compromises and promises1 that
 even in the act of  voting not to      
extend ,slavery1 we unconsciously pledge
 ourselves to  sustain it where it now  
exists4    ,but let us examine another  

point a few moments4 ,what gives        
#bej1jjj  slave-holders power to hold   
#c1jjj1jjj of ,slaves in bondage8 ,not  
the  power of non-slave-holders at the  
,south1 for they could not be relied    
on1 in case of an insurrection4 ,they   
suffer so much now in consequence  of   
the degradation ,slavery attaches to    
labor1 and are so impoverished by  its  
influence1 that few and faint would be  
the blows they would strike  in behalf  
of slave-holders2 as a body they are    
envious of the  slave-holders1 and would
 like to see him deprived of all his    
,slaves4  ,they gain nothing by the     
existence of ,slavery1 but on the       
contrary  suffer much2 for the labor of 
,slaves is so cheap1 that their services
  are not demanded2 and they are not    
respected as a general thing1 except  in
 those sections of country where but a  
few slave-holders reside4 ,what  motive 
have they to put down a ,slave          
insurrection8 ,there is not a man of    
them but would be more independent than 

the present slave-holders1 if  ,slavery 
was abolished2 for there is so much land
 lying idle at the  ,south1 that the    
,slaves after emancipation would be     
under no necessity of  working for their
 former masters4 ,it would not be with  
them as it is  with the free laborer of 
the ,north2 for their power would be so 
great1  that they could take possession 
of the best plantations1 and leave their
  masters to look out for themselves2   
and the latter being unused to labor    
would be miserably off1 which would     
reduce them to a worse condition1  than 
that of the poor whites1 who would      
immediately become the  aristocracy of  
the ,south4 ,in fact1 if an insurrection
 of the ,slaves  should take place1     
there is not much doubt but it would be 
encouraged by  the non-slave-holders of 
the ,south4 ,who1 then1 give the        
#bej1jjj  slave-holders of the ,south   
their power8 ,let the winds of heaven   
answer1  as they blow across the fertile
 fields of the ,south1 and waft the     

scent  of the cotton1 rice and sugar    
plantations1 to the nostrils of the     
money-loving northerners4 ,let the      
cargoes of bleached cottons and         
handsome prints1 slave-tools1 hats1     
boots and shoes1 whiskey1 and all  other
 northern goods1 as they sail into      
southern ports1 testify4 ,let the  ships
 freighted with produce from one        
southern port to another1 the  great    
carrying trade1 for which our fathers   
bartered their virtue1  loudly respond4 
,there goes not a vessel from the ,north
 to ,savannah1  ,charleston or ,new     
,orleans1 but it carries within its     
timbers and on its  decks1 proof to the 
slave-holder of northern readiness to   
sustain him in  his foul business4 ,in  
proof of this1 let me ask who voted for 
,taylor at  the recent election more    
than the great merchants of the ,north8 
,did not  capitalists universally cry   
out1 ,great is ,zachary ,taylor6 ,was   
not  ,abbott ,lawrence1 the prince of   
northern manufacturers1 loudest in his  

professions of zeal for ,old ,zach8 ,go 
throughout our country1 up and  down all
 its cities and villages1 and enquire   
who in those places voted  for ,taylor1 
and you will be told that the great     
manufacturers1 the rich  merchants of   
those towns and cities did4 ,that they  
poured out their  ill-gotten gains in   
behalf of ,gen4 ,taylor's election2 that
 the ,south  might be pleased1 and      
northern industry protected6 ,perish the
 word  industry from the vocabulary of  
man1 if this is the basis upon which it 
rests4 ,what6 northern industry only    
protected by electing the greatest  of  
idlers to the presidential chair8 ,who  
feels less sympathy for  northern       
workingmen than the man who drives three
 hundred laborers to  their daily toil1 
with the crack of the whip sounding in  
their ears1 and  who robs them of nearly
 all their earnings1 and forces them to 
live in a  state of prostitution8 ,is   
such a man a friend to the rights of    
northern  laborers8    ,but it is these 

pretended friends of home industry1     
which means any  thing but their own    
industry1 who stand pledged to support  
the ,south4 ,it  is they who are so     
anxious to see ,slavery extended1       
because they can  sell as1 they think1 a
 few more goods for the use of the newly
 imported  ,slaves6 ,yes1 they are      
ready1 as one friend of the ,slave has  
remarked1  to annex themselves to       
perdition1 if by so doing1 they could   
sell  cotton cloth to its inhabitants   
for six cents a yard4 ,they are         
unwilling to have ,slavery abolished1   
for that would open one of the  finest  
countries in the world1 to the ingress  
of free laborers1 who  could manufacture
 their own goods1 and would not purchase
 so many of  ,abbott ,lawrence  ,co41 as
 they at present send to the ,south4    
,but they  are short sighted even in    
this2 for the abolition of ,slavery     
would open  a market for many more goods
 than could be manufactured ,south1     
which  would enrich the ,north much more

 than her present losing trade with the 
,south does4 ,they do not comprehend    
this problem1 for if they did1 the      
,couriers1 ,daily ,advertisers1 and     
,atlases1 would be filled to overflowing
  with denunciations of ,slavery1 just  
as they were of the ,mexican ,war1  when
 political capital could be made out of 
such denunciations4 ,then the  tariff   
must be upheld1 or the ,north will go to
 ruin1 and they hope to  obtain the aid 
of the ,south in this matter1 by        
assisting them to sustain  ,slavery4    
,the great body of northern             
manufacturers1 care as little for  the  
existence of ,slavery1 as they do for   
the sufferings of men perishing  on the 
scaffold1 for crimes against law and    
order4    ,they are almost wholly       
selfish1 as is evinced by the character 
of the  men they set up for office4     
,they care not whether #c1jjj1jjj of    
,slaves  clank their chains in their    
hearing or not1 so long as the busy hum 
of  their cotton-mills at ,lowell and   

,manchester1 and the noise of their     
trip-hammers in ,pennsylvania1 are heard
 to resound above these cries4  ,the    
music of silver dollars rattling in     
their vaults1 as drawer after  drawer is
 deposited by their cashiers1 is        
sufficiently beautiful to  them1 to     
operate as an offset against the shrieks
 and wailings of the  ,slaves4 ,what    
though the ,lord of ,sabbaoth lends a   
listening ear to the  sobs of the       
bondmen1 it matters not to them1 as long
 as the gold clinks  in their chests4   
,all heaven may cease its songs of joy1 
to listen to the  shrieks of the ,slave2
 but worlds of ,slaves might shriek and 
groan1 until  the noise shook old earth 
from its foundations1 and sounded in the
 ears  of saints like the sound of many 
waters to the apostle ,john2 and  these 
men would not turn from the dull music  
of their water-wheels1 or  the clatter  
of their spinning-jennies4 ,indeed1 it  
is a question1 whether  they would turn 
from their tables of discount1 and their

 columns of bank  stock1 if ,god himself
 should speak from heaven1 and request  
sympathy  from them4 ,sympathy6 they    
have none6 ,their hearts are made of    
silver and  gold1 polished to an icy    
coldness4 ,if the blood of the          
slave-driver's  lash should increase    
until it flowed over the entire ,south1 
and turned  to red the color of the     
element upon which their ships sailed2  
it would  not mar the harmony between   
them and the ,south1 until it rusted the
  bottom of their vessels1 and rendered 
them unfit for the carrying trade4      
,to be sure all the people who vote aid 
these cotton lords in sustaining        
,slavery2 but let them pursue a         
different course2 let the leaders of the
  two great political parties of the    
,north1 adopt another principle than    
that of subserviency to the slave-power1
 and the people would not long  object4 
,the result of the last election has    
fully shown the willingness  of the     
people to adopt the watch-word of their 

party1 whatever it may  be1 and it would
 be arguing a great amount of villany on
 their part to  suppose1 that they would
 refuse to follow them in the paths of  
righteousness1 when they clung so       
closely to them1 as they took the most  
conspicuous part of the broad road4     
,certainly the great body of the  ,whigs
 and ,democrats1 would not refuse to    
travel towards heaven1 if their  leaders
 should say so1 when they have sprung   
with such alacrity to join  them in the 
road to hell4 ,how it would be with the 
rank and file of the  ,free ,soil party 
we know not4 ,as they have shown a      
readiness to burst  party bonds1 these  
would not operate upon them so much2 but
 charity  prompts us to believe1 that if
 the leaders of this party were to      
propose  the measure of a secession from
 the ,union1 the ,anti-,slavery feeling 
of  their followers would willingly     
respond to the call4 ,it is then to the 
leaders of both church and state1 that  
the rebuke of ,nathan to ,david         

applies1 thou art the man4 ,it is the   
prominent men in all parties who  are to
 blame for the existence of ,slavery4   
,a word now respecting the abolition of 
the laws which uphold ,slavery2 or  in  
other words in regard to the amendment  
of the ,constitution4 ,if this  can be  
carried out without dissolving the      
,union1 we should like to know  it2 but 
how can it8 ,what is it to alter the    
,constitution1 but in fact to  dissolve 
the ,union8 ,the ,constitution is the   
bond of ,union2 the  instrument which   
binds the ,north and ,south together4   
,how1 then1 can you  change it1 in its  
important features1 without1 for the    
time being1  dissolving the ,union      
between the ,north and ,south8 ,let us  
see4 ,a proposal  is made to ,congress  
for an alteration of the ,constitution1 
in respect to  ,slavery4 ,that is1 the  
,north is tired of the bargain she made 
through her  fathers with the ,south1   
and wishes a new one4 ,of course1 if    
this new  bargain is made1 the old one  

must be declared no longer binding2 and 
we  have virtually a dissolution of the 
,union1 although a re-union may  have   
followed4 ,this shows that the          
dissolution of the ,union will not      
necessarily create civil war1 any more  
than the passage of any other law  by   
,congress4    ,the great question is1   
how shall this alteration of the        
,constitution be  brought about8 ,of    
course1 as long as we assert that it is 
good enough  already1 we shall not wish 
to change it2 therefore we must first be
  convinced of its wicked character1    
which we hope all our readers are       
convinced of by this time2 but as some  
of them may not be1 we will dwell       
awhile on this point4 ,no intelligent   
man will deny that it was the  intention
 of our fathers to sustain ,slavery4    
,mr4 ,lysander ,spooner  himself admits 
it4 ,sufficient proof exists of this    
fact to satisfy every  reasonable mind4 
,almost all politicians admit it1       
certainly all honest  ones4 ,no one     

doubts that our fathers meant to uphold 
,slavery1 when they  adopted the        
,constitution2 and the question now with
 us is1 not so much  the technical      
meaning of the ,constitution1 as its    
real import4 ,we know  that honesty     
always leads us to decide upon the      
meaning of an author1 by  understanding 
the circumstances under which he wrote4 
,for instance1 if  an editor speaks of  
fighting earnestly in the approaching   
campaign2 he  would be deemed a very    
dishonest man1 who should assert from   
the  authority of this language1 that   
the editor recommended physical         
fighting1 and was in favor of bloodshed2
 but he would be no more so1 it  seems  
to us1 than one who knowing what our    
fathers were debating about1  should    
contend that they did not mean ,slaves1 
because they said persons  held to      
service4 ,of course1 being partners in  
the guilt of the  transaction1 they did 
not wish to brand themselves with       
infamy1 by  inserting the word ,slaves1 

any more than the duellist is willing to
 term  himself a murderer1 instead of a 
gentleman of honor2 or a lewd woman a   
harlot1 instead of a lady of pleasure4  
,intoxication is alluded to1 by its     
victims1 in various genteel terms1      
instead of the plain one--drunkenness2  
and robbing and stealing on the  ocean  
in time of war is termed by the mild    
name of privateering4 ,so with  all     
villany4 ,robbers are only lightening   
the pockets of their victims2  thieves  
only picking up the crumbs of the rich2 
and slave-holders are  only masters2    
,slaves1 persons held to service1 or    
other persons1 or  something else1 to   
hide the shame of the guilty ones4 ,go  
to the ,south1  and you will never hear 
the word ,slave spoken2 but it is my    
people1  my boy1 my girl1 c4 ,if you go 
so strictly by names1 you might never   
know by living at the ,south1 that they 
consider their servants ,slaves4        
,what1 then1 did our fathers mean1 by   
other persons8 ,the clause reads  as    

follows3           ,representatives and 
direct taxes1 shall be apportioned 99 99
 by       adding to the whole number of 
free persons1 including those bound     
to service for a term of years1 and     
excluding ,indians not taxed1           
three-fifths of all other persons4      
,our enquiry is not what the            
,constitution can be made to mean1 but  
what  is the natural and fair import of 
its language8 ,of course1 we can        
pervert the meaning of any instrument1  
and by false reasoning and wordy        
controversy1 make black appear white1   
and vice versa4 ,when ,i say  ,john1    
come to dinner1 to a fair1 impartial    
listener1 my meaning would  appear      
plain2 but to a technical quibbler1 ,i  
might be made to be a great  tyrant4    
,for instance1 ,i assert authority4 ,i  
utter a command4 ,i do not  ask ,john to
 come to dinner1 but ,i require him to  
come1 and a long  argument might be     
entered into to prove my tyrannical     
nature1 such as  that ,i was forcing    

,john to eat whether he wished to or    
not2 that ,i  required him to eat a good
 deal1 a dinner1 instead of a little1   
and  above all1 that ,i was disposed to 
force him to obey me4 ,by such          
reasoning1 the kindest of parents might 
be proved to be severe and  hardhearted4
 ,on the contrary1 if ,i say dinner is  
ready1 ,john1 the same  quibbler might  
accuse me of indifference to my child's 
welfare1 that ,i  did not care whether  
he came or not1 and so on4    ,now in   
all these cases1 that sterling quality1 
common sense1 is to be  brought into    
requisition4 ,when ,i promise to carry  
my friend to ride  to-morrow1 unforeseen
 accidents are of course considered as  
an excuse  for the non-fulfilment of my 
promise2 but ,mr4 ,lysander ,spooner1 in
  behalf of my friend1 might enter an   
action in law against me2 for there  are
 my words in writing1 ,i will take you  
to ride to-morrow2 but common  sense    
would excuse me1 if my horse should be  
sick1 or my carriage be  stolen4 ,mr4   

,spooner argues like an earnest man1 to 
prove that these  expressions do not    
mean ,slaves1 because they cannot be    
proved to have  reference to such a     
class1 by the exact meaning of the      
words4 ,the word  free is not the       
correlative of ,slavery2 for a variety  
of reasons1 he  says4 ,he thinks all    
persons mean aliens4 ,now1 what an      
absurdity4 ,who  ever heard of          
three-fifths of the aliens in each      
,state being added to  the naturalized  
citizens in making out the apportionment
 of  representatives8 ,how many         
representatives have seats in ,congress1
 in  consequence of aliens residing in  
their districts8 ,not one1 and yet      
twenty-five men are seated there1 in    
consequence of ,slaves residing in      
their districts4 ,it is a burning shame 
for a man to prostitute such  noble     
powers of thought as ,mr4 ,spooner      
possesses1 to such a silly and          
contemptible mode of reasoning4 ,why1 if
 his arguments are correct1 all  poetry 

and figures of speech are wrong2 all    
metaphorical language1 and              
personifications in writing are out of  
place2 and nothing is left us but       
plain1 straight forward words1 which    
have a precise meaning1 and can  mean   
nothing else4 ,if ,i say the wind blows1
 ,i lie1 for wind is an  action of      
something else1 and1 of course1 it is   
absurd to talk of its  blowing4 ,if ,i  
say ,i am in pain1 it is not true1 for  
the pain is in me2  and if ,i talk of   
,god's moving the world by his arm1 it  
is false1 for he  has no arm4 ,if ,i say
 the giant of ,slavery stalks abroad1   
over our  land1 it is false1 for there  
is no such moving thing as ,slavery1 for
  ,slavery is merely the term applied to
 a particular act of a man2 but who     
accuses me of falsehood in speaking of  
these things8 ,to put the  strictest    
literal construction upon every word of 
the ,constitution1  would involve us in 
some of ,j4 ,c4 ,calhoun's criticisms1  
such as men  not being born1 and not    

being born equal1 c4    ,let us follow  
,mr4 ,spooner's idea a little1 in       
relation to free persons1  meaning      
naturalized citizens4 ,mr4 ,spooner says
 that all the ,state  ,constitutions1 at
 the time of the adoption of the ,u4 ,s4
 ,constitution1  used this word in no   
other sense than the one signified in   
the ,english  law1 and of course that   
the ,u4 ,s4 ,constitution used the word 
in that  sense only4 ,this argument1 if 
it proves anything1 proves too much2 and
  we apprehend will operate fully as    
much against ,mr4 ,s4's idea1 as in     
favor of it4 ,according to this law1 the
 word free1 ,mr4 ,s4 assures us1  means 
persons possessing citizenship1 or some 
other franchise or  peculiar privilege1 
as distinguished from aliens1 and       
persons not  possessed of such franchise
 or privilege4 ,then the word free in   
this  instance1 must mean only the      
opposite of aliens4 ,aliens are those   
not  entitled to vote1 or to hold       
office4 ,these are1 ,i believe1 the only

  privileges which they are debarred    
from4 ,then as the word free1 means     
those possessing the privileges which   
aliens do not possess1 it cannot  mean  
either women or children1 for they do   
not possess either of these  privileges4
    ,thus1 according to this definition1
 free persons are only voters and       
apprentices1 and all other persons1 are 
foreigners not naturalized1  and women  
and children4 ,but ,slaves do not       
possess1 and never have  possessed these
 peculiar privileges1 always having been
 debarred from  the right of voting and 
holding office1 and surely cannot rank  
as the  opposites of aliens1 any more   
than women and children1 and therefore  
come under the head of all other        
persons4 ,if free persons are the       
opposite of aliens1 and aliens are those
 deprived of peculiar  privileges1 then 
none can be free persons who do not     
possess these  privileges4 ,but ,slaves 
never have been known to possess them1  
therefore  they cannot be free persons4 

,free persons1 ,mr4 ,spooner says1 are  
those  possessing some franchise or     
privilege which aliens do not4 ,now1 in 
the  name of common sense1 we ask what  
privileges have ,slaves ever possessed1 
which aliens do not8 ,let their scarred 
backs1 gaping wounds1 and broken  limbs 
answer4 ,slaves possessing privileges6  
and yet this is the  definition ,mr4    
,spooner chooses to give to the word    
free3 ,persons  possessing citizenship1 
or some other franchise or privilege1   
not  possessed by aliens4    ,but a few 
words from the original adopters of the 
,constitution will  settle this whole   
difficulty4 ,says ,alexander ,hamilton  
in the ,new ,york  convention3          
,the first thing objected to1 is that   
clause which allows a                   
representation for three-fifths of the  
negroes4 99 99 ,without this            
indulgence no union could possibly have 
been formed4      ,in ,virginia1 ,mr4   
,madison said3           ,another clause
 secures to us that property which we   

now possess4       ,at present1 if any  
,slave elopes to any of those ,states   
where ,slaves       are free1 he becomes
 emancipated by their laws4 ,for the    
laws of the       ,states are           
uncharitable to one another in this     
respect4 ,but in this                   
,constitution1 'no person held to       
service or labor in one ,state1         
under the laws thereof1 escaping into   
another1 shall in consequence       of  
any law or regulation therein1 be       
discharged from such service1       or  
labor2 but shall be delivered up on     
claim of the party to whom       such   
service or labor may be due4' ,this     
clause was expressly       inserted to  
enable owners of ,slaves to reclaim     
them4 ,this is a       better security  
than any that now exists4      ,gen4    
,pinkney in the ,south ,carolina        
convention1 observed3           ,we have
 obtained a right to recover our ,slaves
 in whatever part of       ,america they
 may take refuge1 which is a right we   

had not before4      ,but the great     
question after all1 is not what the     
,constitution says in  words1 but what  
use is made of it8 ,if it is a suitable 
one for a free  nation1 it could not be 
capable of such an awful perversion as  
has been  made of it by the legislation 
of the country ever since its adoption1 
,mr4 ,spooner's idea being correct4 ,if 
it is ,anti-,slavery1 it is the first   
,anti-,slavery document1 and the only   
one1 ,calhoun 4 ,co4 were ever known  to
 cherish and swear by4 ,how remarkably  
keen-sighted must these wily            
southerners be1 not to detect the       
,anti-,slavery spirit of the            
,constitution2 and be hugging an        
abolition monster1 when they fancy they 
are pressing to their bosoms their own  
bill of rights to hold ,slaves4  ,the   
southerners are not generally duped this
 way1 and it is strange they  should be 
so much so1 in this case4 ,for our own  
part1 the very fact that  the           
,constitution is valued so highly by the

 ,south1 casts a shadow of  suspicion   
over it1 and induces us to reject it as 
an ,anti-,slavery  instrument4 ,the     
,south excludes even ,sunday school     
books1 tainted with  ,anti-,slavery1 and
 poems alluding to freedom1 are hardly  
allowed a  circulation there2 how       
strange then1 that this great magna     
charta of  human liberty should be so   
eulogised by them4 ,the fact is1 it     
suits them  well4 ,they never have      
complained of its not being pro-slavery 
enough1  but have always rested         
satisfied with it1 as their supporter   
and guide2  and yet northern            
,anti-,slavery men will talk of its     
being an ,anti-,slavery  instrument4 ,as
 well might the robber press to his     
bosom the precepts of  ,jesus ,christ1  
or the gambler and drunkard1 works on   
morality1 as the  slave-holder the      
,constitution1 if he believed it        
,anti-,slavery4    ,we are aware of all 
that can be said in favor of            
independence of mind2  we would by no   

means wish to bind any man down to the  
opinions of the  past1 or to say to any 
bold departure from established usages  
and  opinions1 ,you are wrong1 because  
you differ from great and learned  men2 
but still we would ask1 if the          
,constitution is as ,anti-,slavery as   
,mr4 ,spooner asserts it to be1 how     
happens it that such egregious  mistakes
 have been made concerning it8 ,can a   
real ,anti-,slavery document  be so     
misconstrued1 as to satisfy             
slave-holders1 who dread the least      
appearance of ,anti-,slavery1 as ,satan 
does the truth of ,god8 ,we will  grant 
for the sake of argument1 that it does  
not directly sanction  ,slavery2 still  
we assert that it is a pro-slavery      
document for the  following reason4     
,anti-,slavery is a bold1 outspoken1 and
 unmistakable  thing4 ,it is known and  
read of all men1 a living epistle1 and  
can be  no more mistaken for            
pro-slavery1 than the shining of the    
sun1 for total  darkness4 ,the          

difference between the two is so great1 
that they can  never be mistaken1 the   
one for the other2 or at least genuine  
,anti-,slavery can never be regarded as 
pro-slavery to the full  satisfaction of
 slave-holders4 ,we cast our eyes over  
the history of our  country1 and from   
the commencement of its political       
existence until the  present time1 we   
see ,slavery justified by the           
,constitution4 ,from the  ,president    
seated in the chair of ,state1 to the   
representative of the  smallest village 
in the most insignificant ,state of the 
,union2 from the  ,chief ,justice of the
 ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states1
 to the petty  lawyer and esquire of the
 country village2 from the wisest       
statesman1  to the most ignorant        
politician2 from all who ever filled the
  presidential chair1 down to him who   
hopes to fill it soon2 from  politicians
 of all parties1 to men who abjure      
politics2 we hear but one  voice        
respecting the character of the         

,constitution1 excepting a few  persons 
like our friend ,spooner1 who seem to be
 disposed1 for want of  better          
employment1 to test the power of their  
minds in arguing its  ,anti-,slavery    
character2 as the philosophers of olden 
times1 polished  their logical weapons  
in discussing such questions1 as        
,whether ,god  loved a possible         
unexisting angel1 better than an        
existing insect2 or  whether an angel in
 travelling from point to point1 passed 
through the  intermediate points2 and   
whether more than one can exist in the  
same  space1 at the same moment4 ,those 
mighty enquiries were the intellectual  
jousts and tournaments of the age of    
chivalry and knight errantry4 ,happy    
will it be for us1 if a moral ,don      
,quixotism does not intrude itself into 
our efforts for true reform4 ,there is  
to us a great similarity between  that  
celebrated genius's battle with the     
wind-mill1 and our friend's  long and   
laborious fight1 to prove the           

,anti-,slavery character of the         
,constitution2 for after he has made    
good his arguments1 and proved1 to  the 
demonstration of all1 that technically  
the ,constitution does not  uphold      
,slavery1 what good has he accomplished8
 ,he has indeed fought the  letter1 and 
perhaps come off victorious2 but does he
 invalidate its  spirit8 ,he rests like 
the knight of olden time1 upon the field
 of  chivalric combat1 with a deep sense
 of having been engaged in mortal       
warfare2 he has fought hard and         
valiantly2 but alas1 his foe still      
stands as powerful as ever1 and not at  
all disposed to yield the field4    ,if 
the ,constitution1 as we sail across the
 waters of political life1  affords us  
no sure and certain guide1 but is like a
 chart1 which has  always misled the    
mariner1 and instead of pointing the way
 to a city of  civilization and virtue1 
has directed him to the rocky shores of 
some  cannibal island1 of what earthly  
use is it to us8 ,we are sailing over a 

troublesome ocean4 ,dark and ominous    
clouds hang over our vessel4 ,the sky   
begins to gather blackness4 ,the red    
lightning shoots its lurid flashes      
before our eyes4 ,the thunder utters its
 dismal groan in our ears4 ,the  waves  
begin to lash and foam against each     
other4 ,our course is  uncertain2 but   
amid the gathering darkness1 we discern 
a light-house1  dimly visible in the    
distance4 ,we look upon our chart1 not  
knowing where  we are4 ,that describes  
our past route1 and asserts that a      
light-house is  erected at the entrance 
of the harbor we wish to enter4 ,we     
consult our  compass4 ,it indeed agrees 
not with the delineations of the chart2 
but a  lawyer stands at our side and    
proves the correctness of the chart4 ,we
  accordingly steer our vessel towards  
the light1 but to our dismay find  that 
it is but a false one1 held out by      
miserable wreckers4 ,our chart  was     
wrong4 ,it had misled us4 ,we tacked    
about and escaped the snare4 ,we  were  

not quite wrecked4 ,other seamen have   
experienced the same danger1  but we    
still cling to the chart4 ,we refuse to 
cast it from us1 and even  hearken to   
the suggestions of one who would tell   
us1 that the chart is  right enough4 ,it
 is only our wrong way of reading it    
that has led us  into danger4 ,we resume
 our voyage1 confident that we shall    
this time  avoid all harm1 for we now   
know what our chart means4 ,accordingly 
we  hoist all our sails1 and proceed in 
confidence to our destined haven4  ,but 
a blacker cloud than before casts its   
dismal shadow over our vessel4  ,we can 
hardly discern the words of our chart4  
,the efforts to correct its  false      
interpretations1 have so marred its     
surface1 that we can get no  light from 
it4 ,at one moment it seems to direct us
 as we are now  sailing1 then           
immediately in an almost totally        
opposite course1 so that  bewildered and
 confused1 we drop it entirely4 ,we then
 look to the  unerring needle of our    

compass1 and by its undeviating         
direction to the  star of hope to the   
mariner1 as well as to the fugitive     
,slave1 we are  able to keep from       
destruction1 until a correct chart is   
procured--one  which admits of no       
evasion1 nor contradiction1 and by which
 we are able  to steer our course1 until
 we reach the haven desired4    ,thus   
with the ,constitution4 ,it has misled  
us until we were well nigh  wrecked on  
the shores of southern oppression4 ,we  
now are not able to  discover what it   
does mean4 ,its literal meaning         
conflicts with its real  one4 ,shall we 
continue to trust the safety of the ship
 of ,state to such  a ,constitution2 one
 which has misdirected us long1 and the 
meaning of  which all its interpreters  
have decided erroneously2 or shall we   
abandon  it1 and trust temporarily to   
the northern star of hope2 to the light 
which gleams from the hearts of those   
,anti-,slavery men1 who are living      
,anti-,slavery epistles1 and true       

apostles of liberty2 to the faithful    
pointing of the needle of principle1 as 
it ever inclines in an opposite         
direction from the ,south1 and thus     
preserve our liberties until a true  and
 safe ,constitution can be adopted8     
,shall we trust to the dubious and      
contradictory readings of a bit of      
parchment1 composed by men like         
ourselves2 or shall we cut loose from   
all connexion with the dangerous        
islands of human oppression lying       
southward1 surrendering our profitable  
trade with worse than cannibals2 and    
launch our vessel upon the high sea  of 
freedom and liberty1 away from the rocky
 shores of these islands of  death1     
steering with an undeviating course for 
some northern harbor1  where we may moor
 our vessel1 and safely land our        
passengers8 ,what is  there in the      
,constitution1 after all1 so much in    
favor of liberty1 as to  satisfy the    
sons of freemen8 ,it may1 indeed1 do for
 such freemen as  could fight for       

themselves1 and yet bind chains upon    
their brethren2 but  for those who wish 
to abjure all oppression it will not    
answer4 ,the  constitutions of the true 
sons of liberty must be like their      
hearts1  polished brightly2 and free    
from the dust of pro-slavery1 as well as
  from its grosser filth4    ,but       
,constitution or no ,constitution1 it is
 human liberty we are  contending for4  
,we cannot stop in our labors for the   
oppressed1 to  prove the truthfulness of
 our enemies' weapons4 ,we cannot step  
aside  amid the heat and dust of the    
conflict between light and darkness1 to 
read lessons upon legal technicalities4 
,the cries of the bleeding  bondman     
sound too loudly in our ears1 to allow  
us to deviate from our  course so much  
as to descend to arguing for the        
sanctity of human  constitutions4 ,as we
 hear the noise of the wailings of the  
,slave1 and  every breeze wafted from   
the ,south is laden with the cries of   
#c1jjj1jjj  of stricken ones1 how can we

 care whether constitutions or churches1
 are  in the way of their emancipation1 
any more than a mother would care for   
the flames around her1 while endeavoring
 to rescue her child from a  burning    
dwelling8 ,the fires of ,slavery1 tended
 by northern priests1 and  fed by       
northern politicians1 have burnt        
fiercely these many years1  scorching   
and blistering even those who stood by  
and watched over them2  the ,slave's    
form has become almost a blackened      
corpse2 the little ones  of a fond      
mother's love1 are already gasping in   
the agonies of death2  and the shrieks  
of the living are reaching heaven1 while
 the glaring  flames1 have illuminated  
the firmament1 like the flames of       
burning  ,moscow2 and shall we turn the 
streams of the water of life away from  
these terrible flames1 because forsooth 
sacred idols block the wheels of  our   
engines8 ,no1 let us rather flood them  
all1 ,slavery1 pro-slavery1  churches   
and constitutions1 with such a deluge of

 celestial waters1 as  shall as         
effectually sweep from the land all     
these supporters of  ,slavery1 as       
,noah's flood1 removed from the earth   
the sinners of his day4  ,if we would   
abolish ,slavery1 we must be            
destructionists4 ,the word has  gone    
forth from the mouth of the ,almighty1  
that ,slavery shall be  destroyed4 ,the 
advancing spirit of the age in which we 
live1 has decreed  its overthrow2 its   
fate is even now registered on the      
scroll of destiny1  which contains the  
end of all oppression1 and we cannot    
thwart this  inevitable tendency4       
,reform has commenced to ride           
triumphantly across  our earth4 ,error  
is fleeing to its native dwellings1 in  
the rocks and  caves of the earth2 and  
truth with her holiday dress1 is        
ascending the  throne of the hearts of  
mankind4 ,truth1 too long hidden in the 
fastnesses of the forests1 almost afraid
 to exhibit its face1 although  thickly 
veiled1 is removing her garb of         

concealment2 is stepping from  her      
wilderness retreat1 and is boldly       
disputing the reign of the earth1  with 
the monsters who have so long ruled it1 
but to curse it1 and reign  over it1 but
 to mar its life4 ,henceforward1        
although many a long and  bloody battle 
is to be fought1 between the enemies of 
,god and man2 yet  truth shall conquer4 
,man is arousing himself to noble deeds4
 ,slavery1  that giant of despair1 so   
long planted in the road pursued by the 
pilgrims of truth1 like ,bunyan's gloomy
 giant of ,doubting ,castle1 is         
retreating from all its former          
strongholds4 ,there is scarcely a       
country  within the bounds of this green
 earth1 upon which the warm sun of      
heaven  sheds its benignant rays1 but   
what is delivering itself from this foul
  blot1 ,america only excepted6 ,britons
 and ,french1 ,danes and ,norwegians1   
,russians and ,turks1 ,seminole ,indians
 and ,mexicans1 ,algerines and          
,tunisites1 themselves1 are all casting 

the execrable system from them1  as a   
reproach to their fair names2 but young 
,america1 loudest in her  boasts of     
purity1 freedom and piety1 is lagging   
behind4 ,she only1 of all  the nations  
of the earth1 seems unwilling to let the
 captive go free4  ,she who fought for  
her own liberty1 the greatest of        
tyrants1 almost the  only ,pharoah of   
the earth6    ,but thanks to a few in   
her borders1 even her proud heart begins
 to grow  faint2 her limbs tremble      
slightly1 and like the mariners in a    
storm1 who  rush to the bottle to drink 
their fill for the last time1 she is    
growing  desperate1 and drinking more   
deeply than ever of the cup of ,slavery1
 as  the last draught she can obtain    
from its noisome fountain4    ,courage1 
friends of your race6 ,let the breath of
 the ,almighty inspire  you1 let his    
fiat strengthen you6 ,clothe yourselves 
in the panoply of  truth afresh2 gird on
 the gospel armor anew1 and make a      
bolder attack  than ever upon the       

,bastile of ,slavery4 ,this gloomy      
castle1 which has so  long frowned upon 
our liberties1 shall be razed to the    
ground1 and its  pining inmates set     
free1 to breathe the pure air of        
liberty4    ,onward1 friends of reform6 
,remember that the battle is not to the 
strong1 nor the race to the swift only1 
but that stronger is the armor  of the  
,almighty1 than all the weapons of your 
enemies4 ,gird on1 not the  clumsy armor
 of ,king ,saul1 but the breastplate of 
righteousness1 the  helmet of salvation1
 and the sword of the spirit1 the       
weapons which are  not carnal1 but      
mighty through ,god1 to the pulling down
 the strong  holds of ,satan4    ,one   
enquiry more remains for us to answer1  
which is1 how shall we  dissolve the    
,union8 ,it was asserted that if the    
,constitution could be  altered without 
dissolution1 such a step would be       
unnecessary2 but be it  remembered1 that
 this event can never take place1 until 
the ,south is  partly ,anti-,slavery4   

,the consent of the legislatures of     
three-fourths of  the several ,states1  
is necessary to accomplish this1 and we 
leave it to  all candid persons to judge
 whether there is any hope of such      
consent  ever being given4 ,the only    
remedy plainly is for us to abjure the  
,constitution1 proclaim ourselves free  
and independent of the ,south1 and      
organize a new and separate government  
at the ,north4    ,the steps necessary  
are briefly these4 ,let a convention of 
the people of  the ,free ,states in     
favor of this movement be called2 let   
the  legislatures of the several ,states
 withdraw their ,representatives and    
,senators from ,congress1 and let them  
meet together1 and send delegates  to   
this general convention1 as our fathers 
did to the convention where  the        
,declaration of ,independence was       
adopted4 ,let them meet1 and adopt a    
,constitution1 fix upon some conspicuous
 place for a seat of government1        
,buffalo for instance1 send home the    

constitution to be ratified by the      
several northern ,states1 and having    
thus formed their own government1  let  
them withdraw their portion of the ,army
 and ,navy from the ,south1  refuse to  
pay duties to the general government1   
and send a minister to  the southern    
government for the adjustment of all    
claims between the  two4 ,of course the 
,south would be too busy in settling    
their own affairs  to disturb us for    
awhile2 and if war come at last1 it is  
easy to see who  would be victorious2   
the ,north with all her resources1 or   
the ,south with  her #c1jjj1jjj of      
,slaves in her borders4 ,the whole      
territory north of  ,mason and ,dixon's 
line would then be open to the fleeing  
fugitive4 ,no  ,slave hunter would dare 
to venture on our soil1 to recover his  
lost  victim4 ,thus ,slave property     
would be useless in ,virginia1          
,maryland1  ,kentucky and ,missouri1 and
 probably those ,states would soon knock
 at our  doors for admission to our     

union4 ,that would destroy the value of 
,slaves  still farther ,south1 and      
eventually the whole country would      
become free4  ,but there is another view
 of it4 ,the ,slaves could then arise   
and demand  their freedom1 and nought   
could prevent them from attaining it4   
,at the  first tap of the drum1 there   
are #aj1jjj northern bayonets1 ready to 
be  thrust into the bosoms of the       
,slaves1 should they attempt an         
insurrection1 says ,mr4 ,underwood of   
,kentucky1 on the floor of ,congress4   
,this danger would have vanished4 ,no   
northern foe could then be ready to     
strike down the ,slave fighting for     
liberty1 but millions would  sympathize 
with and assist him4 ,of course the     
people of the ,north must  be converted 
before this change can take place1 but  
come it must4 ,it is  the only remedy   
for ,slavery that we have any confidence
 in1 and there is  no time to be lost4  
,come it must1 did we say8 ,it has      
already come in one sense4 ,the people1 

the bone and sinew of the country1 are  
nearly ready for the change4 ,the       
workingmen of the ,north can perceive   
the disadvantage ,slavery is to  them2  
how it degrades labor1 and prevents the 
exaltation of the laborer2  but their   
leaders are wily1 and will endeavor to  
persuade them1 that  the ,union is of   
more consequence than the abolition of  
,slavery4 ,there  can be no question1 if
 it were not for the leaders in church  
and state1  that a dissolution of the   
,union would be speedily brought about2 
but  these men1 always the curses of    
society1 stand in the way of all        
improvement in this respect4 ,if the    
people had been allowed to act          
according to their own impulses1 would  
,zachary ,taylor have been elected      
,president of this nation8 ,witness the 
mighty gathering of freedom's  hosts at 
,buffalo2 and see to what a pitch       
popular feeling arose1 when  the        
nomination of men known to be thoroughly
 opposed to slavery  extension was made 

known6 ,the noise of acclamation1       
arising from nearly  #ej1jjj hearts1    
sounded throughout this nation1 like a  
thunder-clap in  the ears of selfish and
 unprincipled leaders4 ,no event ever   
produced  such a change in the policy of
 corrupt men1 as this demonstration of  
the  first fruits of the spirit of      
freedom4 ,politicians as corrupt as     
putridity itself1 trembled and cried    
aloud for help4 ,a universal howl of    
despair went up from the hell of        
,slavery2 but the faces of the sons of  
freedom every where grew bright1 as the 
countenance of the mother is lit  up    
with joy when she beholds her first-born
 child lying in her arms4 ,if  such a   
mighty change took place as the result  
of this1 the morning light  of freedom1 
what will be the howlings of the wicked1
 and the rejoicings  of the good1 when  
the sun of emancipation1 shall shine in 
all the  brightness of its meridian     
splendor1 upon the dark and gloomy      
caverns of  ,slavery1 as will be the    

case when a similar convention shall    
nominate a  man for the presidency of   
the ,northern ,union8    ,if the faces  
of the southerners and their allies were
 elongated then1  what will be their    
length when the news of such a          
convention shall reach  their ears8 ,we 
repeat it1 the people are nearly ready  
for this change2  and only need the word
 of command from their leaders1 to adopt
 as their  watchword1 ,no more union    
with slave-holders4 ,but unprincipled   
leaders  never will be converted only by
 the people advancing before them2      
therefore our work lies with the people4
    ,men and women of ,america1         
descendants of those pioneers of        
freedom1 who  braved the vicissitudes of
 fortune in a new and wilderness land1  
that  liberty might be bestowed upon    
their children2 sons and daughters of   
the  warriors of ,lexington and ,bunker 
,hill2 children of the patriots of the  
revolution2 is there none of that spirit
 of liberty which actuated your         

fathers1 remaining within your hearts8  
,have the fires of freedom become  so   
nearly extinct in your breasts1 as to   
leave no spark of liberty  there1 which 
can be made to ignite the hearts of     
cotton which surround  you8 ,burns there
 no flame of indignation in your souls1 
at the  remembrance of the insults you  
have received at the hands of the       
,south8  ,say1 ye children of proud and 
tyranny-hating parents1 are ye sunk in  
such abject submission to your          
oppressors1 that no trampling under foot
  your own and the ,slave's rights1 can 
arouse ye from your stupor8 ,o1 is      
there no portion of that hatred of      
tyranny1 which prompted your fathers  to
 say1 resistance to tyrants is obedience
 to ,god1 left within your  bosoms8     
,then1 indeed1 are you recreant to the  
principles your fathers  struggled with 
adversity's power to establish1 the base
 and degenerate  sons of noble and      
energetic sires4    ,one word more1 and 
our task is finished4 ,what is the      

,south1 that ye  should cling so closely
 to her8 ,is she not a polluting harlot1
 deceiving  you by her gay attire1 and  
attempting to seduce you from the path  
of  virtue by her blandishments8 ,yea1  
has she not already beguiled your       
simple hearts1 and now that she has     
bewitched you1 and obtained power  over 
you1 seeking but to insult and cast     
contempt upon you8 ,o1 let us  break    
away from her polluting embraces1 and   
return to virtue and  integrity4 ,come  
out from her1 my people1 and be not     
partakers of her  sins1 that ye receive 
not of her plagues4