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Selections: Correspondence

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Parent Issue
Day
18
Month
November
Year
1844
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Peihaps i he following corrospondence may iterest my reuders enough to Warrant its pu'Ocatfoñ. Mr. Hamilton is tui Orthodox clergyman rom Mobile, and ti slaveholder. He recenty preaclied in two or three of the Salem )ulpits for the purpose of raising fumls to erect seamen's Bethel in Mobine. My friend, ames P. Boyce, feeling indignant that a traficker in human fiesh should be recogniíed nd fellowshippcd aa a Christain, wrote a corching article.upon the subject which hap)ened to reach Mr. Hamilton, and drew from íim the following eíter to which I append jy reply : Boston, Sept. L4, 1344. To the Edilor oj the Essex Co. fVaahingto-' vían : Sir : - By the politeness f W. Lawrence, Csq. of this city, I obtaincd sight of the very ourteous notire of me taken in your paper of hursday inorninfr, Sept. 19, 1844, and hendd 'Orthodox ihief-Dr. Hamilton - Clerical mpiídence.1 I write, ihereforo, to request the favor of ix copies of llie iid paper of Sept. 19, to n sent to me - directed to the care of W. W. Stono, Eq., No. C5, State Street Boson. At any p lace in Boston, you may ap-point, the aforesaid 'Orthodox Thief,' wül try, for once ni least,; to pay honestly tbe )rice of the arücle he wishes to obtain. Your humble serv't, VVm. T. Hamilton. Lynn, Sept. 25, 1844. Sir : - In cheerful complinnce with your re. quest, I mail herewith six copies of the last 3ssex Coufity Woshintr'oninn, and cannot 'orbenr commending them to your thoughlful perusal. You seorri to feel hurt that my worthy correspondent 'J. P. B.' should have dealt vvith you so roughly, but í ara sure if you knew hiini personaliy, and conld uppreciate the deep hatred of slnvery which prompted him to speak thus plainly of the enslaver of his brothera and sisters, you could "nave no other feeíniga toward him than those of respect and admiration. Jeans Chnst d' nouiiced the Plnrise a of old, as vipfirs.' and 'chilrjren of hel!,' aríd our friend 'J. P. B.,' feels that he has yet to learn that one who, afterthe lnpse of eicrhteen centuries from the birth of Orriet, cíareá in his name to traffick in human flesh, dnR3 not deserve epitheta eq-ially stron?. The siavelio'dor is not more Ihe 'victim of circ'omstancp' thnn wns the hypoeritical phansee- and doubtless these circumslances 6hould bó' considered. But I appenl to yonr own sober judgment, as a mnu, whether if J. P. B heJd your sister in elavery, any circum stances would prevent your cnlling Jiim a thief- and especially do I ask of you whelher if the enslaver of yonr sister was also a pfofes-ced di sciple of Jpsus Clviist, you would not make him wither benr-ath the scorching power of your indigrraljon ! I believe you would. Lay then all prejudice and self interest ask'e, and teil me if, vvith o clean conscience, you can cnmplain of a man because hé deñoiinceá Chattel slavery as Ihe worst of áná him who engaiges in it as (he worst of thives. I would not rant. I would not bé'pharasai cal. I would on no account forget that. you aremy brother, and tliaf, nurtured ünder tha binofui nfliiences, 1 inight myself have been a slaveholder. But these consideraties do not afiect the great question of rigkl.- Sluveholding isa sin, and Jike all eiir shotíld be immediately bolisherd,. JYoiit in the accepted 'time. No wbere in the seripftires which you profess to teach do 1 find anything soid of 'gradual' repentance, or 'gradual' reform. J do not fsely ijowever, like reasoning this point. lf you need to have it proved that it is wrong to holtl my sister in slavery for a single second, then pardon me for sayinej that you must be reason-proof. You may say that you treat your elaves wtilj in the dignified langunge of Henry Clay, that you keep them 'cleek nnd fat.' But ueed I say a word to strip sucb eophistry of its disgúise, nnd showit up in ell its naked infamy ? Il rust not. I trust you will admitthat if the enslaver of your boloved möther, in reply to your indignant demand for her instunt iiücraüon, should retort, wilh a sneer, that fhe .was 'eluek and fat,' you would put the brand of sliime upon his brow unti! jt went hissiag to the bon e. Do you say that slavery is one of the fegfol nstituiions of our country, sheltered benealfi the wings of her constitution, ond part and oarcel of her dumestic policy ? my rieud, this is too true. The laws which pro tect slavery, are, in the expressive phrasë of Föhn Q'iincy Adams, 'vvelded' in to our conátitution Yes, icelded in, and it is to1 be feared no human power can extract them without breaking that instrument to fragments. Be it ao then. Bstïer tear ali your written constiuuions to shredsand let them tre biown by the wiüiog wind to obl rafher than,enslave a single human being for one instant. Fiatjusttlta rvat cedvm. Lt tbere be justice though tlie heaven falls. íé not this the languaue of every true heaTt, and has t not therefóve passed iftto á proverb ?- Wiiv thea 6top to banter about human conptitulions and laws, est peradventure tiuy ffall' with the progresa of 'jn.-tiee ?' As for the 'policy' of this Nation, God; knows it ja infamous enough, and pliould be repudiateü bv evey humin being on the face of the eurth as uuequalled, this si!e of heil, in refiued atrocity. An.l l usjeci, iny friend, if Jonathan Walker, recent ly caplured on the high seas by ne of uur na'K-nil vessels of war, fur assisting the 'uppressed to go free,' and nuw iinprisuned in n loathaome dungeon

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Signal of Liberty
Old News