Press enter after choosing selection

James G. Birney And Charles

James G. Birney And Charles image
Parent Issue
Day
27
Month
January
Year
1845
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

What then shall he s'aid'nf Mr. Birriev'a sale of his slave, offer hé had pubücly profeïsed tosetthem all freeasa Christian dutvT -De. Jldv. Last week we ñoticed a question put by the Advertiser in connection with. the above. The subject obügcd ds to pretent a hnsty sketch ói' Mr. Birhey's early conneclion with sla very. Sonn afief his act of emoncipation in 1834, nñd while hè was yêt in the infancy of conversión to antislavery, Charles came to him aiid iippealed to his well known bumanity. Charles was a slave and fe'ared ihit lie would be sold to the soiith. His tnastèr had assured him of freedom ibr $G00 in cash, bui hehad not the inoney, and could not procure' it. He besought Mr. Bimey to lend o'r advance t, nnd thac he, Charles would repay it by service at the regular rate of wages. He promised 1o be faithful and satiefaciory: but that if he proved olherwise he would continue in bondage snd find some one to repay Mr. Biruey. Mr. Birney was then without anjar.ti-slavery friend to cr,tsel him, and Jived in a slave state: experience shed nu light. on his duty, and he liad bat just emerod from the slavery prejudices of his educalion. If under such ci.'comsi anees he slioukl Hill fliort of the requireraents of slrict principie, and allow Uie heart to control the head, it is not to be wondored at, and but áccords wirh oxperience.-Though poor, and possessing in his eniancipated siavès as rhuch laboras ha could compensntê, he could not fesist the pleadings of Charleb. Meting on the principie óf dóing as he would be done by, he consentea to be the agent for Cisarles's freedom. He pnid the S60C, and Charles ca:ne lo work it out by the wiiges of a fr'eeinun. Charles soon proved very unsatib-factor'y aud faithless. insuperable objections to his mombership in Mr. Birney's househulcl quickly developed themselves, and Mr. Birney was obHged lo require the fuJfilment of Charlea' own contract. To ennble him to effect it on the best possible terms, and suit hiinself in a niaster Mr. Birney onered to abate or loóse SlOO. Charles fouud u' suitoble master in the very place he had come from, but the htier could not pay cash. Rather f han interrupt Charles's plans. Mr. Birnry gave the rrquired credit, and Cburlcs passed from Mr. Biraey's control. Such vñs ihU mucb misrspresented transüction. Il was entirely of Charles's own proposal, and was hia ofiort fr freedom. It gavo to him the chance to work as a froeman - 10 control his wn earnings - ;ind therewith lo purchase his freedom. Ifis o!d luaster would have given no eucli privilege. He would have képt. Charles and his eamings loo, but Mr. Biincy beenmean agent to possess Charles of tho vaJuable chance, and in oddition lent him the sum reqaiöite to tijvest the old master of his power. When Charlea failód lo perfoifi) aöd repay so etipulated, he of conree irtilujwed luto his old conHition. È.a himcelfiad deíiberutely fuxieiied Jua privilege. The ransfer of Cbnries to a new master was Dot n ordinary eale. Uod it been Ir. Biroej ould have soJd Charles tor $r00 more, intead of $100 ]esátb8n the 3um he advaned fur hira. Such we say vras this much nbusëd trarls-" ctio;.. VVould that Ihose, who allow politica xciteraent to sweep away the nobler eraoons, which God gave to temper thé stern' aseions cf the heart, would go and do likeïse in the daily walks in íife. If efrór íbera' was, it was of the hcad, and 8t th piea of ie heart. It was du ring the moral darknese f 183-4, througli which a few individuáis, uriidèd añil alone, endcavored to grópe theif way to the light of truth, what wonder the1 liat a man, eVén tlie pioneer of überty shoard mnke asoütaiy etumbleb Eut Kir. Birney's own intuitive principie oon made hirrt sensible of error. With thit ense, came the desire of reparation. He eneavored to buy Charle?, arid frée hira, but he latter was then beyond bis reach. Tóthii lour Mr. Bimey acknowledges his error, repents it, nnd is rèudy tó" purchase fiecdomfor Charle?! if he can be foúrid . All these facta -werè détutled in a letter of Mr .■ Birney's to Col. Stohe oí' Ñ. ï. pubüshed ia 836 - and republished ogain and again by Liberty papers during the late election season.- " Yet not a single Whig paper would ptiWish t! All would reitérate the charge, thut Mr 3irney, pröfesBing aboTitionism had retained and sold oislave,but their paralyied pem could! not once trace the whole truth. These objections too, came from men, wbV followed the very objectiona by a demand thatwe should vote for a skveholder, aslave boyer and sellër, cf this very day. THüt é should pass by the repentani and ñtómng slaveholder of olden time, to support the un repentant one of the present, aniiü the liglitr now shed orí the subject; svhose politie'!' course has been a uniform pro?1avery corisist-" ency, and whose anti-abolititiri tentimerits were renffirmed to be the chefishèd ones of tlie day. Nay the very man, wiióih 1839!thë party itself rcjected because of the odioüabei" of these same senliments.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News