Newspaper Page Text
ANT
SLAVERY BUGLE.
.
KE1
"HO SITCDtf TOTS CIATEUDIDXJIS."
VOL. 1.
SALEM, OHIO, FRtPAY, MAY 1, 1S1C.
NO. 11.
ANTI-SLA VKlt Y BUGLE.
Published every Friday at
Salem, Columbiana Co., O.
JAMES BAKNAUY, Jr., General Agent.
benjamin s. joxrcs,
i. ELIZABETH JONES,
Editors.
GC5.? remittances to lie made, and all letters
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Finishing CoMMiTTi-.r.: Sam1! Brooke,
George GarrctHon , James Barnaby, Jr.,
Duvid L. Galbrcath, Let llulnios"
3. 32. TAXms, J&STraSS.
THE AMERICAN BOARD.
Here ia another of tho speeches made at
tho late Syracuse Mission Convention. It
will give an insight into tho condition of the
converted heathen which it would he hope
less to seek for in tho Missionary Journals.
The developements the Dr. has made, show
that American Christianity is the same whe
ther at homo or in tho Sandwich Islands.
Dr. Lafon said ho was born a slaveholder
as much as any man is horn a slaveholder; his
father was a Virginia minister and slavehold
er; he inherited slaves; sold them, and out
of tho avails obtained a medical education;
accumulated money; bought more slaves.
At the South, those who can hold slaves, did
so; they seemed to take more delight in this
kind of " property " than any other, and it
pave them more consequence. He went to
Missouri with ten slaves: sold enough of
them to make his slave property properly bal
ance with his other descriptions of property.
When he took the gospel as his rulo of life,
he had three choice young men. Three such
young men, il properly whipped, will, on the
excellent soil of Missouri, raise a great deal
of stulf. Somebody, he knew not who, about
this time, mailed him Garrison's Liberator,
enclosing a receipt for a year's subscription.
Soon after, he liberated his slaves; he doubt
ed his right to hold them ; and read in his
Bible, that he who doublet!) is damned if he
eat. That was bofore he bad discovered that
slavery was incompatible with Christianity.
People here know far more about the philo
sophy of slavery than is known at the South ;
they are blinded by habit and immediate con
tact. In three years he went as a missionary
to the Sandwich Islands: slavery met him
upon their shores; he did not know it before
bo wont there. In order to understand the
etl'ect slavery will have upon a people, look
at tho condition of tho Sandwich Islands,
when tho missionaries went there, and now.
Then, they were very degraded ; thievish ; in
temperate; murderous; and they had slavery.
Idolatry was abolished before the missiona
ries went there, and in this way : ungodly
men visited the Islands, and told the penplu
their cods were powerless; these men kicked
them about, and heaped every indignity upon
them ; and the Islanders seeing their gods
could not avenn-e their allronts, gave them up
In fact, said Dr. L.,ioolatrv is every where
in its dotage, as an obstacle in the way of a
nnro Christianity. Now what was the cause
of tho degradation of the people of the Sand
wich Islands 1 Was it idolatry No.
There are scriptural and historical reasons in
abundance to the contrary. In the time of
Paul, some of tho ablest men living were
idolators refinement, talent, learning and
idolatry, then existed together. The duels
were respectable in mind. How could this
happen, if tho mental and moral degradation
-1 f. : i I L.. : l-l...... 1
Ot tne population was iriuuceu oy iuuiu-.y i
Moreover, there is no dispute among the mis
sionaries, living or dead, as to the capabili
ties of the children ot tho sandwich is'and
crs. But as they grow up to manhood and
womanhood, they grow stupid, and are men
tally and morally grossly dencient. It was
a general opinion in this country that tho
peoplo there wero greatly elovated, and must
be companionable. This was a mistake.
Christianity was represented as having pre
vailed to some extent, and therefore the peo
ple must have been elevated. Diuhle's book
on tho Sandwich Islands is a standard work.
That states tho points of their reformation.
When the missionaries went there, tho Is
landers would murder for a sixpence worth
of property. That property was sometimes
a strip of cloth about the loins, which was
the indispensable dress, and tho only indis
pensable dress of a Sandwich Islander. They
would then murder for that. They would
then commit murder to get a bone out of the
hodv. of which to make fish-hooks. All that
had ceased. This was one point of reforma
tion. Then, they wo.ild get drunk at the
first opportunity. Now, temperance prevails
to a great extent. This was another point.
Then, they were deplorably thievish. There
had been great improvement in this respect.
They then had no wri'.teu language now
they have. Hut their improvement in the,
usages of civilized lif was very trifling. A
man may there have been a professing Chris
tian for ten years, and never had a pair of
pantaloons ; he had not taken this indispen
sable step towards civilization. In regard to
food, they mado no nearer approach to civili
zation. Thty uso an Indian turnip, and the
" tara ; " poisonous when in a raw slate.
They roast the " tara," pulverize it ; mix it
with water into a paste, in a dish they call a
"calabash;" into this they thrust their fin
gers, the paste adheres, and they suck it oil.
If very hungry, they put in two fingers to the
second knuckle; if not very hungry, one fin
ger will answer. Their houses are mado of
poles stuck in the ground, interlaced wilh
withes, and the interstices filled wilh grass
hardly high enough to stand erect in, and
barely largo enough to lodge, promiscuously,
upon the floor, the inmates, who are some
times composed of two, three, or four fami
lies. The winds and rain often bring sudden
destruction to theso frail tenements. But
there are no partitions in those houses: and
partitions are an index of civilization. They
have no plates, no spoons, no knives, no va
riety in their food. Their language is so low,
so vile, so corrupt, that missionaries wall up
their houses and yards, to keep the eyes and
ears of their children from contact with the
stream of pollution thus put forth. The mis
sionaries soon secured the confidence of the
Chiefs; brought them into the church ; the
Chiefs made laws with severe penalties
against murder, intemperance, adultery, and
mo ureauing ol tlin feanliath, which hamshed
those sins from tight. Tho first voluntary
temperance society was formed in 18 l'J.
I he people are slavce to the Chiefs: and it
is slavery which prevents tho adoption of the
us complete as in South Carolina, though the
wi vi.iiii.LM .in;. I lin J 3 ll 3
Chiefs do not take all tho time of tho people ;
ihey tako what they want ; and make it n rulo
that the people support themselves. There
were about 300 Chiefs ; about 100,000 slaves.
There was no price; no sales; no demand ;
there are so many of them ; though in one
cafe a slave was sold to a foreigner for $100.
A Ohiel will have perhaps lorty slaves in Ins
retinue; three to brush oil" the Hies; two or
three to press tho muscles of his body, and
mako him feel good after eating a hearty din
ner. hen he (l)r. wanted help, he
would go and get a Chiet to release a slave,
so that ho could hire him. There are some
other points of diflnrence between slavery in
the Sandwich Islands and in the United Statos,
but the degradation nf the people it complete,
in consequenco ot this ownership ; tho e Ilect
upon the man is about the samo in one case
as in the other. It is wild and ridiculous to
ascribe their degradation to any other cause.
Can you, ho would repeat, ascribo it to idol
atry No. Paul found the Athenians idol
ators, and a brilliant, not a stupid people.
Can it be from the absence of natural ability 1
That cannot be, as the intellect of the Chiefs
is good. Cod has not deraded the people
of the Sandwich Islands it is slavery that
has degraded them. What is the oll'ect of
oppression, and its attendant temptations 1
Always to blunt, if not destroy the moral sen
sibilities. Tho people of tho Sandwich Is
lands are nominally more christianized than
the people of tho United States. One out of
four or live there, aro members of churches ;
here, not one in six. The soil is fine; cli
mate salubrious; if free, would not the peo
ple rise in tho arts and usages of civilized
life? Tho Missionary has certified that the
man believes on the Lord Jesus Christ; the
next command is, that ho " provide for his
own" to bo diligent in business; but how
can ho obey this command of heaven, when
ho has no right of property ? The foundation
of civilization is not there. It is idle to de
bate the proposition that there can be no real
advancement, no elevation, where there is no
right if properly. Again, said Dr. L. would
you think it proper that half a dozen families
should lodge, promiscuously, in a single
room ? If tho whole world should tell you
that they were in tho way of virtue and chas
tity, under siHi a system of living, would
you belicvo them 1 Henry S. Cheever
brother of Dr. Cheever writes from there,
that a people living as the Sandwich Island
ers live, cannot be virtuous and chaste, no
matter how much they are christianized.
You cannot change the usages and habits of
a people until their rights are given to them.
He could not go as far as Mr. Cheever went
ho believed thcro was some piety there
and he meant piety with virtue in it some
chastity and real virtue but these were of
the nature of exceptions.
An enquiry was made as to whether these
statements might be taken as a fair represen
tation of professed piety among the slaves of
tho South ?
Dr. Lafon : I think it is. Dr. L. then
went on to givo tho opinion of the distin
guished Dr. Nelson, who had baptized slaves
for 13 years, and who stated to him, that he
did not know of moro than three or four in
whoso piety he had confidence. Tu return
Dihiii.e's work on tho Sandwich Islands
maintains that civilization thcro has not kept
pace with Chiiilianity. The Ameu. an pub
lie are sadly uninformed on these matters
this is not surprising; the Hoard has done
nollung,and .Missionaries cannot spread these
facts before the people through the Hoard,
and dare not do it by any other medium.
In answer to enquiries Dr. L. stated that
when the Missionaries first went to tho Sand
wich Islands, tho Chicfi gave them dona
tions in land, and wilh it the serfs upon
Tho serfs failed to serve tho missionaries
well, and they enquired of the Chiefs what
they must dol They were told to burn
their houses, and break their "calabashes."
The calabash is the vessel in which their foed
is mixed. Ho believed this course had been
taken by somo missionaries. A slave there
is seldom whipped. Dr. L. went on to state
that out of 21,000 members of churches in
heathen lands, about 23,000 wero to ho found
there, and in the condition ha had had repre
sented. All tho Chiefs uniled with the
churches, it became very popular to join;
and the great difficulty was in keeping them
out ! they came like bees to a hive. Dr L.
paid a high tribute to the patient, persevering
induMry of the Missionaries. Tho churches
were generally Congregational; and should
a Chief get drunk, or commit any oilier open
immorality, it would, in the first place, be
next to impossible to prove it upon him ; and
quite as impossible, wero his guilt establish
ed by proof, to get him voted out of the
church. He was opposed to taking in Chiefs,
because they owned slaves. He acted upon
that principle, until two Chiefs came to him
with letters of recommendation, which, as a
Presbyterian, he could not disregard. They
soon had a " spree ; " bathed in the sea in
an indecent manner; got drunk; all of which
he was informed by foreigners. Ho could
not take their testimony; tho natives told
him tho Chiefs were drunk, hat when inform
ed that they must testify, they all said they
did not see it; others saw them and not a
man or woman could be found who would
testify to the facts as of their own knowledge.
He obtained a decision of the Session, two
elders and himself, to cut them olT from
the church. They could not get a church to
6tand up and vote a high Chief out. The
Princess Henrietta was guilty of high sins;
yet a Missionary would not think of getting
a vote of her peoplo to expel her from the
church. Tho Episcopal mode sometimes
took the place of Congregationalism ; the min
ister took the placo of Bishop; read them out
of the church ; and then fell hack upon Con
gregationalism just as circumstances required.
LETTER FROM PHILADELPHIA.
(Correspondence of the Saturday Visiter.)
Pennsylvania Conference and Secret Sessions
—The Clergy and Slavery.
:
;
it.
up
Morris House, Phila., April 13th, 1S1G.
Mv Good Friend : I gave you reason to
expect a further report of the proceedings of
the late M. E. Conference; but I regret to
say that your readers mcst be satisfied with
comment, as the conference, following the ex
ample of their sister conference in your city,
sat with closed doors ! Does it not appear
to you, that this thing ot closing doors, is a
preliminary step to closing the ear to the cry
of the enslaved, the heart to the appeals of
humanity and tho eye to the dangers of Sla
very I The result of the secret deliberations
upon this "delicate negro question," was a
" whereas," drawn by a pair of Janus-ficcd
Resolutions : one looking back to John Wes
ley, the other forward to John IJalhoun ; ono
looking up to Jesus, tho great Liberator, who
came to set his people free, tho other looking
down to tho World, tho great Enslaver ono
looking north, the other south, one staring at
tho purity of the Church, tho other " squint
ing awfully" at its unity; ono denouncing
shivery, tho other blessing the slaveholder
"holding with the hare, running with tho
hound."
Why is this Why this departure from
the plain and earnest policy of Jesus and
Paul 1 Among the first acts of the ministe
rial career of Christ was a sermon against
slavery. Seo Luko -111), 18lh. Will any
minister in this city dare to preach from tho
same text 1 Or if ho does will he not recom
mend that gospel which is " perfect freedom"
to thoso who know not what freedom is
will he not spiritualize the whole preach
spiritual "deliverance to the captive," and yet
help to rivet the physical chains? Paul
could preach righteousness to a trembling ru
ler; I would like to see who would tremble
now if ono of our mincing ministers should
try the samo thing. I guess what he would
do. Ho would provo slavery to bo " right
eousness," winc-bibbing to ho "temperance,"
and a "judgment to come," a farce. This
is what I havo seen.
But, is slavery a sin t The scripture, rea
son, conscience, tho Methodist discipline, by
all of which this conference profess to be
governed, teach that it is. They question
candidates upon this subject, and, 1 suppose,
receive nono who aro not " orthodox" into
tho ministry. Now, if it be sin in the priest,
why not in the people i ur, is it a subter-
lugo analogous to the doctrine ot celibacy !
If it bo sin, are not these ministers bound to
denounce it? But they dare not; they are
the slaves of Southern Mammon. There were
men in that conference whose fathers, bro
thers and relatives aro out and out slavehold
ers, and who would lynch an abolitionist as
readily as say their prayers ; and well did
theso fear lest servants of Jesus Christ say in
their preamble "we knew our business too
well" to interfere with this sin ! They may
now tako tho same ground in relation to gam
bling, horse-racinL', avarice, fraud and oppres
sion of every kind. Indeed, (I must give
them credit for consistency,) they have taken
it, for I cannot tell when I have heard one of
theso sins denounced from the pulpit. Veri
ly they have their reward. There is now li
ving on a certain plantation 1 wot of in the
sunny south, a poor old decrepit slave, and
his labor is to stuir blind turkeys and geeso
with their feet nailed to the floor, to leed
and feast the blessed ministers of the gospel.
Oh ! I have been behind the ctirt.uii, and
while the dear minister and his sweet wile
and children sat in the rich planter's warm
parlor, on the holy Sablnuh day, discoursing
pleasantly of tho pown ul tho gospel and the
love of Jesus and the pood sermons
ers of Pro. Sanctissinius. until tears would
trickle down the cheeks of the pious planter's
wife, at the recital of his toils and labors, then
have I seen the poor bull'cttcd, abused, cow
hided wrnch sweating over the fire, to roast,
stew, grile, boil, bako and fry for the dear
preacher, his wife and little ones; and the
poor toil-worn laborer feeding, rubbing and
harnessing a whole stud of horses, and an
other half-naked wretch shivering with cold,
vainly striving to split up an old gum log,
which a congreve or a submarine would not
rive, to warm the preacher's toes ! And sup
pose all this is not done or done right what
then 1 Nothing, only that the blood flows
from tho back of the poor slave, as an atone
ment. I have seon it.
But Dr. Chalmers has taught the religious
world to believe that a "distinction must he
drawn between Sin and tho Sinner," and in
the attempt both escapo to hell. How puer
ilo the great theological Scotch champion ap
pears in the hands of Frederick Douglass, the
Talbot county Slave ! Why ? Because the
slave is armed with truth.
In my strictures upon the Methodist Con
ference, I would not ho understood as refer
ring exclusively to that denomination. I
have spoken of them, because they havo the
power to break up tho system of slavery. I
know thcro aro somo in tin Society of Friends
who are not guiltless who are willing to
bear their" testimony" in the meeting, against
slavery, and yet perhaps hold a bill of sale
of tho souls and bodies of somo worn-out
Southern plantation! Oilier churches shut
up their bowels of compassion to tho noor
Slave remembering not those who aro in
bonds ; but enough.
REV. C. T. TORREY.
To the editors of the AV.rA .Imcrican i I
regret to see that your Paltimore correspon
dent snouiu nave made so many errors in his
snort paragraph to you, relative to Mr. Tor-
rey. lie should not have echoed the remarks
of the correspondent of tho Boston Atlas,
without first making very careful inquiries
as to their t-uth. He says, that Mr. Torrcy
" ia, contrary to expectation, recovering his
health." l'his is nnvthinz but true. 1 went
to Baltimore last Friday, for the express pur
pose of seeing Mr. Torrcy, and to confer wilh
friends there in relation to his case. I went
to tho Penitentiary on Saturday morning, and
before seeing Mr. Torrey, I had an interview
with Dr. Charles B. Gibson, tho physician
c. tho prison, lo the first question which I
asked, "How is Mr. Torrey?" his answer
was verbatim, "He is growing weaker and
weaker every day." He then stated many
of his symptoms his constant fever pro
fuse night sweats his cough and expectora
tion and lastly his diarrhwn, which he (Dr.
Gibson) was doing all lie could to check;
and ho further remarked, " ho cannot last
lon-r."
Your correspondent further remarks, "he
is by no means pleased with Ihe determina
tion of Mr. Phelps and Mr. Cleveland toap-
propnale the money obtained lor his release
for oilier purposes." After fini.hing my con
versation wilh Dr. Gibson, 1 went to tho hos
pital to seo Mr. Torrcy. There he was lying
on his little pallet, pale and emaciated, and
too clearly in the last stages of consumption.
He was rejoiced to see me, and I sat with
him one hour, the warden of tho prison being
all tho time present.
After some conversation about his health,
and his spiritual exercises, I remarked to him
what had been published in the Boston At
las that ho was much displeased with the
course taken by Messrs. P. and C, in rela
tion to himself. Ho replied, " I havo said
nothing that would justify such remarks. 1
said, however, that it might havo been better
to have awaited tho sitting of the Court in
Princo George's county," (as tho Governor
would there meet tho shareholding interest)
"hut I did not know I havo no means of
forming a judgment in tho matler as Messrs.
P. and C. have; I havo the fullest confi
dence in tl'iir judgment, and that all they
do will he for tho host." So much for his
being " displeased."
On my saying that tho money which has
been pledged, not obtained as your correspon
dent has it, would not ho appropriated to
other purjmses," indefinitely, as your corres
pondent again has it, but invested as a fund
for his wife and children, when he should be
no more, tears of gratitude and joy filled his
eyes, and his expressions of pleasure at what
would he thus (lone, were as strong as his
feeblo voice and frame would allow.
1 asked him, if ho was ready " to depart,
and be with Jesus." " O yes, O yes," was
his emphatic answer, so expressed us to
show, that it came from the very depths of
his soul.
As you may suppose, the caso of Torrey is
exciting a deep and quite extensive pympathy
in uaiiiiuore. i kutii.
Emancipation. A good brother from near
Now Orleans, by the name of Sorrel, is now
by my side who, having como to the conclii'
sion that tho slave is a man, has sold his poS'
sessions and brought his slaves, eight
number to this State, and knocked off their
shackles and joined wilh them in songs
Jubilee.
And ho lias not only set them free, but ho
has bought fur them a farm ; and more than
that, he expects to settlo with them, and seo
that they get along; and not only in pecu
niary mailers, but also in educational, and be
lo them a friend und adviser. Jlerald if Trc
grenion.
CHRISTIAN RULERS.
in
of
The following statement appears in tho
columns of tho Philanthropist, and lna been
republished, without comment, by the Amer
ican Citizen of Philadelphia, both Liberty
parly papers. Speaking of the choice of ci
vil rulers, this languaj.o is used.
" It is nobody's hi. nines, what may he his
(the candidate's) religious creed, or, iiufrrd,
whethtr he hare any religious creed at ail."
We havo understood tho Liberty party to
claim a sort of religious character; to advo
cate tho duty, in a Christian country, of set
ting up as :nagh:tutc.H those and those only,
who possors scriptural qualifications, l.y be
ing "able men, men of truth, and faring
God, and hating covctoiirnc; a : " yst this wri
ter and his doctrines pass unrcbiiked inti
mates that a man may hu a good l.ibcr'y par
ty candidate without having "any religious
creed at all." Not even, as far as wcT can
see, to tho belief of a God or of Christ!
We ask, and this with a sincere desire to
have correct information on tho subject, is
this tho doctrine of tho Liberty par'y ? IV
enanlcr. Execution The beauties of our Crimi
nal Code wero yesterday illustrated by tho
execution of tho slav Pauline. The t.'rison
er conducted herself with the usual indif
ference and tho mob of ton thousand who
assembled to witness the scene, departed
from tho ground with the usual moral purifi
cation consequent upon tho groat lessen which
had been taught them. Men, women a.ul
children mulattoes, free negroes and slaves
wero there, and from tho rudu jokes that
were interchanged, and tho loud laughterand
happy looks of most, wo are led to doubt
whether any theatre or circus could have af
forded a moro agreeable entertainment. Of
the number of pockets picked and the quan
tity of whiskey consumed, we cannot at pres
ent speak, not having full information on these
important occurrences ; hut we presume that
many circumstances tending to throw light on
tho matter, will soon be elicited by ourcrim
inal tribunals.
Somo persons pretending to more sonso
than their neighbors, have had the hardihood
to inveigh, in no General terms, a-rainst what
they call this display of barbarism, and talk
seriously of making an effort to persuade tho
Legislature to adopt measures to prevent lis
repetition. Wo cannot believe that they will
succeed. Ono Edward Livingston, and somo
others, attempteil the same thing somo years
ago, but they were most signally defeated.
The amusement of an execution, and tho
great moral preaching of the gallows, wern
too justly appreciated bv our rulers, to
them any chance of success; and it woulii ho
too much to expect that our modern law.civ-
ers havo so far degenerated from the stern
virtues ot tlit. ir predecessors to grant what
they refused. Xew Orleans Delia?
Faitiiflt. to the South Tho P,,Lt
ickshurg, (Va.) Recorder, in comiiientinrr on
the recent election in New I i ampshire, says:
"Let Ihe Whigs of tho South remember tl.i
the only issue, at this election was tnion the
rucstton if Slavery, us connected will, II,.
nexalion nf Texas. Let it not hn form, it, .n ,)..,
37,000 Democrats of New I ann,cl,ir
faithful to the last to the South."
Aye, so say we. Let it not bo forgotten !
Let it be remembered, while
has a place in tho Union, and a namo in tho
records of our common countrv. itmi ... loa
ders of the Democratic party havo made Sla
very ine oniy issue." an.l upon that alone
havo staked tho very exi-tenee of tho party.
Let it bo written in letters of fim tlirntt rrliinit
all tho land, that Franklin Pierce, the"stato
Central Committee, and their compeers in
lnlainy, "wero faithful to the last to tho
South," and to Slavery, as they were traitors
'"" u'iu io Jjiucriy. Jmleieiutenl
Democrat.
Tim Right Simiiit The Vnsifi..l,1 M.
Letter is a Whig paper, but it must havo for
gotten that circumstance when it uttered the
following Auli-Slavery sentiments.
" We can see in tho case of Rov. Mr. Tor
rey, the great evil of tho blighting and with
ering curse of slavery. It is not satisfied wilh
drawing the last drop of blood from its vic
tims, uui u must revel over their corses
by don t tho Governor of Maryland throw
open tho gloomy dungeon, and let tho suller
cr out, that ho may once more seo his wilb
and children before he takes his upward flight
vu me region, 0i iignt and love 1 t.au Mas
sachusetts look calmly on, and see one of her
sons dying in a southern prison-house, for no
crime at all ? But wo are told bv tho blood
thirsty scoundrels, that Torrey is to he mad
an example of. How many moro are to bo of
fered on the altar of slavery, before tho cursed
system falls to the ground ?"
" Bt'T." " But" is to me a more detesta
blo cnmbination of letters than "No" itself,
' No" is a surly, honest fellow; speaks his
mind rough and round at once. " ifut" is a
sneaking, evasive, half-bred, exceptions sort
of a conjunction, which conies to pull away
the cup just when it is at your lips.
" It does allay
The good precedent ; fie upon but yet i
Hal yet is a jailor to bring forth
Some monstrous malefactor."
The Law. TJio following notice appeared
on ihe west end of a country meotin" house:
"Any person sticking bills aga'nst this
church, will be prosreuled according to law,
or any olur nuitaiuc,"
