Communications: For The Signal Of Liberty: Free Trade And Sa...

This blief motto was inscribed on our nntionnl escuicl.eon, waving over our ships of war, during onr last struggle with gr-at liritain, for the maintainnnce ol those inalienable righta. lifc. liberty and ihe pursuit of hapniness. güafaniied in the natiónal ConsritütJon. To support tliat Constitution, our forefathers pbdged their lives for tunes, and sacred lionurs. To preserve it from the unhallowed grasp of a foreign despor, thy fought and bied and dieil, prefe üng death to an inglorimis submisshn to JBritish ty.rany. ilGiv, -vie Liberty or gite m dcath," said the illustrious Patrick Henry. Wis not 'lic nfringment ol these riglits by that hostile natiiwi the cause of the ast war? e have not forgotten the sensations pioduced, wlien our snilors were pressed on board their anned vessels. and doorled to invol. untary servirucle. On the principio tint f me member suflers, all the mernbers suffer witb it. the whole mtion keonly folt by sympaihy tho insults and itidignnies of their fellow co'intryrnen. And whcn the last diplomatic effort to obtain redrcss and pi even t the repétition of like ncgressions füiled. millions of money and effusions of blood were sacrifieed to secure the inestimable boon of liberty. .Nor s it di;ïinutt to conceive what would be the state of feoling, should white men now. in any part of our country, bc doomrcl to involuntary servimdc. In what light would ministers, deacons and chtircli nitómbers, ns well as oihers be vie wed, should they tnSk their fellow white men, cm them off from the bïëssings oí science, and cipccially of religión, break up ihn mirriagecovenant, separate parents and children - in short, subject them to all the pnssions of a system ot slavery like that nov existing in t&is l.ind of boiatcd liberty? Would not every heai' not thus giülty be fired wiih just indigintion. a d civil wir be the re; uit should such a stue o: things be persisted in? Would not eveiy pen. presa o'ñd tongue from one end of the land to the other, be employed to denounce such high-handed injiisticc till public opinión, (andby consequencc, legislation) more powerful, often. than armies and navies - more effiencious thon the most rigid laws, and before which nothing repugnnnt Diereunto can long stand, should eflectually remove such a foul stigma from our borders.Sucli was, und etill is, the estímate in wbich liberty is held, so far ns white men are coucerned Uut have sailurs rights and negroes none? Are all whito men entitled to the inaliciuile blessingso! libeity to which the cl red mnn is not entitled? Has the Creator made him of íhe same blood. endowed him with an unduratanding to perceive this superior good - a heart to desire it, and n will to choose it, rendered h.m, as we!l;is u.", accountable to his God - destined him to the same ttwnity t vrhioh othr mn tre bound, nd y1 - - ei- lawBi- i .101 .iliuw hiffl y n.iiuie th.it privilege wrïthoü wliich ex8tence is but a curae? No. far !e th( impious thought. Wc have othcr ihoughta ui llim who has declorcd himself no reöpecter o icrsons. From wlience. thcn, hi3 the inipres sion been obtnined that though hberty sa prico Icss boon 10 the white men, sjnvery js gyoti enüughfor the black men? Is it not mcicly be cause he is "giiilty of a skin not c-lorcJ like oul iwn?" Tbpugh bc mny desireit, lnngtiish foru. yet ior a renson beyond liis control, he musfnev er expect to enjoy it. And oiheis. tak ing ndvnn tüg! of thm circuiTistnnce in bis ense (cel at liberty o ciiattelizè. disfranchisc, imbrute him to 8u!aerve the lust of gain. Men reason and ;ict not thus, in reference to othcr things. II.:s not a sort of iiionnmanit se ized tlieir inin:ls in rclition to this subjoct? TIn natiön coulJ wéep'ovèr thé wöesjjf rheirfeliows tiken captive by the Alg;c mes ai.d nc ircurn:o.! n a gloömy dungeon, but they have no tears fo spare for r?.000.000 of the nationin hopt-lees bond nge in the great prison house of the Souilurn Sta es. Tha worldly-niimied. selfish men s'niuM eol ineresteil ori this subject, is no; sosurprising. but :hat professors ot-ieligion. even ministers and tieacons should reniain indifierent and callóos in relation to the suiFerings of their iellow-men - yea. even their brethren and sisters in au exiensive sense - this may excite our wonder. Le' me s y a word to niy Bip:ist brethren. You have read of the suflenngfi of J. G. Oncken in Gcrmany and the Mensteis in Denmark. TheseBaptist minit-ters. for Ho o h jr reason thun faithiu'l d scharging'.heirduty in holding meetings, preoching the gospe!, and aJministering the ordinanceo! bnptism by immersing the conver's n water, contrury to the established ordor of things in those couniiies. were disfranehised - were csst into piison - their goods confscated and tliir mcclinjrs bioken up. Whcn the intelligence of the inijiis: proceeeding8 by those gove-nrrents reached us, how dceply were you aflected Your prayeis went up to ihe throne in belmlf of your afflicted brethren. and nnw colleciions are being made in ihffurent pnrts of the couitry for iheir relief. - Uut is it not possible that tlmugh you have feit and still feel for your poor sufTerinii white breth ren. you may have been indifferent to the untold sorrows of thousands of your colored brethren nearer home. 1 o all the professed disciples of Christ, it should be a question of eerious consideration. Why so little interest in ihe sufieringsof the colored race? The fundamental principie ofour holy religión is benevolence. It teaches us to wecp with those fhfit weèp, to pity the wretched wiierever they are found; and under whatever circuirstances. - TI1Í8 was the feeling and mind of its blessed Author. They that are his. will possess his spirit- for if we have not the spirit of Christ we are none of his. Again. the mystical body of Chris! s made up ofbelievers wlienever and whercver ;hey are. Some ofthe members of that body nre among the down trodden and oppressed. Now ihere is a common bond of union and syrr.pathy exit:ng airong these rr.emhere, so that ií one .T.ember suffer, the rest suffer with it, nnd if one b_e honored, the rest rcj _ce wiih it. Can any norIcsserj members oí thnt body behold the sorrows nnd mguish that wring the henrts oi'Christ's colore - disciples and ièel unmovcd with p'ty? Where is the e idencü of your meiibershi p 1 you have n lympathy for those mcmbrrs that are cmslied by the iron hand óf oppression? But prrliaps yo will justify tiiis indiíTorence nnd take sides witli ■he oppiessDr from the fuct that t}:e ill-fhtcd race of Mam werf, nccording to p.-ediction to be servants of their brethren. Butifth: prediction of an event jusrifics the conduct of ihose who accoinplish it. hn is Judis in betrayin his L'rd. mil the Jews in putting Iiiin to death justifieil. ind so ofPopery in masstcreing the siiiüs in thedárk ages. And when Jehovah grants this nation permission to enslave the Américnri as hc 'lid the Israelitos to ensluve their encimes as a punishmerït for their ülitry, then and not i'!thcn. wjjl the oppressor bo júsrifieá nsthey were in oppressing thom And ilie p!en thnt 'Huis' agd the Apostles dirj r.ot conJemu, in so mony worda existin slnvery in ihe lïonian Étrtpire110 more jusified it, tlmn theiv süenoe on the sub. ject justilied tnany cruel and wickeri prncticesweistitig in theír times. To mention only the jladiarorial exliihirions in whTch ihons; il !s. gencr. nlly'cuptives taken in wir, and sometimos Chris' tians, were sl:iin. in order to gratify spectators with the mimic reprem htötion of bnftle. Jiur hat ylriinis pieccpt - nl! thiiiizs whiifsoevei ye would that oihers shoulJ do unto you d" unto t ictn likewise; viitunüy condcirins slnvciy. anil evcry other practice frr.udit vi:h nuüèy to our race. And weie i' universliy praoticed the oarth would becornc a pnradise. Wroligond ont■agc wou ld cerse. . lli nny clime. hinri wouUI recognize in his fellow man a fi;end and a brother. Bjt dijes any ona as'c. vvhat is my duJ-y towprds the slave, or in relation to slavery, I reply he snmc as it would be were tht-y white men. - Ministeis and cliurclies of evcry den uninatkm i li i North would lic at no loss as to their duty tu wards slaveholdmg charches and ministers at the Soutli were the oppressed white nierl. We would no sooner recuive their ministers into our pulpits, nor fei.'o vship such cliurchca or profesore of religión at the Lmd'-s Table. than wc would pirates, iiighway robbers or other classes .jiiiieii equally as bad. Our eympithies would !ie enlisied, and our pra}-ers would go up lor the ppressed. If petitions td Congress or the legslatnre in any way pnff rrcd an oppor'.uniu of iperating against the rnighty evü. we would not hesitate tó act. Our duty would be olear. Now .ill the difTerence in the enso supposed and the one in actunl existence, iej that the persoa in the latter have á skin of a darker hucj but whose soul3 are as whiiè, as precious, as priceless, and endlessas the oiher.