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! _ country, that I rated you too high! X a HENRY BIBB, EDITOR. SANDWICH, C. eGo @ac OC) W., MAY' 7, 1851, VOL. I. NO. 10 --_---- VOICE OF THE FUGITIVE, -- --s« AS PUBLISHED : EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY, AT SANDWICH ig "CANADA WEST. i Ee ao me Ee we Se om DOLLAR per annum, always 1h advance gupecnanon will be received for a less term six months. Advertisements, not excecding ten lines, insertet four times for one dollar. Every subsequent insertion twenty five cents. = Sa Sr SEND IN THE MONEY. 'This paper is sent to some who have never subscribed for it, or been asked to do so by its agents. Butas we have good reason to believe them interested in the elevation of our people in North America, and especially those who have fled to Canada for their liberty, we forward it to them. If they do not wish to patronize us, we shall expect this number re- turned 'to Detroit. We have repeatedly requested our friends inthe States to direct all exchange papers destined for the Voice of the Fugitive, to Detroit, Michigan. We hope that they will doso. We would also most respectfully so- licit our correspondents from the States to pay their postage and direct to the same place. VOICE FROM THE PULPIT We make the following extract from a sermon delivered by Theodore Parker, on Fast day against kidnapping. 'Last Thanksgiving day, I said it would be difficult to find a magistratein Boston to take the odium of sending a fugitive back to slavery. I believed, after all, men had some conscience, although they talked about its being a duty to deliver up| 'a man to bondage. Pardon me, my Pat 'don me, town of Boston, that I thought your citizens all men! Pardon me; law- yers, thatI thought you had all been born of mothers! Pardon me, ruffians, who | kill for hire! 1 thought you had some animal mercy left, even in your bosoms } Pardon me, United States Commissioners, Marshals, and the like, [thought you all had some shame !_ Pardon me, my hear- ers, for such mistakes. One Commissi- oner was found to furnish the warrant! Pardon me, I did not know that he was a Commissioner; if I had, I never should have said it! Spirits of Tyrants, [look down to you! Shade of Cain, thou great first murderer, forgive me that I forgot your power, and did not remember that you. were parent ofso long aline! And you, my brethren, if hereafter I tell you that there is any li- mit of meanness or wickedness which hereafter a Yankee will not jump over, distrust me, and remind nie of this day, and [ will take take it back ! Let us look at the public conduct of any commissioner who will send an inno- cent man from Boston into slavery. I would speak of all men charitably, for I know how easy it is to err, yea to sin. Tean look charitably on thieves, prowling about in darkness--on rumsellers, whom poverty compels to crime--on_harlots, who do the deed of shame that holy wo- man's soul abhors and revolts ; I can pity the pirate, who scours the seas doing his fiendish crimes--he is tempted, made des- perate, by a gradual training in wicked- ness. 'The man born at the South owning slaves, who goes to Africa, and sells adul- terated rum in exchange for men to sell at Cuba--I cannot understand the con- sciousness of such 'aman; yet | can -ad- mit that. by birth and by breeding he has become imbruted, he knows no better. Nay, even that he may perhaps justify his conduct to himselfi--I say his sin is not so dreadful as that of a Commissioner in Boston, who sends a man into slavery. Aman commits a murder, inflamed by jealousy, goaded by desire of great gain, excited by fear, stung by malice, or poi- soned by revenge, and 'tis a horrid thing. But to send a man into slavery is worse than to murder him. [would rather be slainthan enslaved. T'o do this, inflamed by no jealousy, goaded by no desire of great gain--only ten dollars !--excited by no fear, stung by no special malice, poi- Soned by no revenge--I cannot compre- hend that in any man, not even in a hy- ena; beasts that rave for blood do not kill for killing's sake, but to feed their flesh. Forgive me, oh! yesvolves and hyenas, that I bring you into such company. I an only understand it in a devil! When a man bred in Massachusetts, whose Constitution declares that ' all men are born free and equal ;' within sight of Fanueil Hall, with all its sacred memo- ries ; within two hours of Plymouth Rock; within a single hour of Concord and Lex- ington; in sight of Bunker Hill--when he will do such a deed, it seems to me that there is no life of crime long enough to prepare a man for such a pitch of de- pravity; I shonld think he must have been begotten in sin, and conceived in iniquity, and been' born ' with a dog' head on his shoulders,' that the concen- 'tration of the villany of a whole genera- on of scoundrels would hardly be enough an -|to fit a man for a deed like'this ! You know the story of Sims. He crept on board a Boston vessel at Savannah. Perhaps he had heard of ton, nay, even of Fanueil Hall, of ie ol Cradle of Liberty, and thought this was a Christian town, at least human, and ho- ped. here co enjoy the liberty of a man. When the ship arrived here his first words were--' Are we up there? He was seized by a man who at the Courthouse boasted of his cruelty towards him, who held him by the hair, and kept him down, seeking to kidnap and carry him back in- to slavery. He escaped. ; But a few weeks passed by, the man- stealers are .here ; the Commissioner is- sues his warrant ; the Marshal served it in the night. Last Thursday night--when odious beasts of prey, that dare not face the light of Heaven, prowl through the woods--these ruffians of the law seized on their brother man. They lie to the by- standers and seize him on a false pre- tence. There is their victim they hold him fast.--Can you understand his féel- ings? Let us pass by that. His trial. ShallT speak of that? He has been five days on trial for more than life, and has not seena judge! A jury?No. Ouly a Commissioner! Oh justice! Oh Repub- lican America ! ITs this the liberty of Massachusetts ! ; Where shall I find a parallel with men who will do such a deed; do it in Boston? 'I will open the graves and bring up the most hideous tyrants from the dead! Come brood of monsters ! let me bring you from the deep damnation of the grave where your hated memories continue for all time their never ending rot. Come, birds of evil omen, come, ravens,vultures,carrion crows, and see the spectacle : come see the meeting of congenial souls! I \will disturb, disquiet, and bring up the great- est monsters ofthe humanrace! 'Trem- ble not, women ; tremble not, children ; tremble not, men! They are all dead ; they cannot harm you now ! Come hither, Herod the wicked. Thou that didst seek after that young child's life, and destroyedst the Innocents Let me look on thy face! No;go0! Thou wert a Heathen! Go lie with the inno- cents thou hast massacred. Thou art too good for this company ! Come, Nero! Thou awful Roman Emperor! No--thou wast drunk with power; schooled in Roman depravity.-- Thou hadst, besides, the example of thy fancied gods, Go and wait another day. I will seek a worse man. Come hither, St. Dominic ! come Tor- quemada !--fathers of the Inquisition !-- Merciless monstess, seek your equal here! No; pass by! You are no companions for such men as these! You were the servants of atheistic Popes and cruel Kings. Go to, and get yougone. Another time I may have work for you--not now ; lie there and persevere to rot. You are not quite wicked enough for this compa- rison. Go, get ye gone, lest the sun turn back at the sight of ye. Come up, thou heap of wickedness-- George Jeffries !--thy hands deep purple with the blood of thy murdered fellow- men! Ah, I know thee, awful and ac- cursed shade! Two hundred years after thy death men hate thee still, and not without cause! Let me look upon thee ! I know thy history. Pause, and be still, while I tell it to these men. LETTER FROM C. M CLAY. To the Editor of the Progress of the Age: Dear Sin:--In my Address to the people of Kentucky, I-did not wish to lengthen my remarks by a complicated argument. I now undertake to prove, beyond controversy, that there is no pow- er in Congress to compel the seizure and return of slaves at government expense. I recapitulate the argument. All powers granted to Congress are included in the 18 clauses; power over " fugitives from justice" is not one of them The North denied and opposed all efforts to make them at all responsible, morally or politi- cally for slavery. They agreed only not to interfere. 'The clause over *' fugitives from service" is among those " prohibi- ted to the States," that is, had it not been for that'clause, by the law of nations and State sovereignty every slave escaping into a free State would have been free by the very act. Now to the proof. Messrs. Sherman, Madison and others, would at no time acknowledge any right of " pro- perty in man." When it was proposed to lay a tax upon the importation of slaves ot = Yate it was not agreed to, because that would imply that they were as other property-- which the Convention were not willing to admit, and therefore changed the terms to "person," and total prohibition after 1808. Come on them to " fugitives from jus- tice." Madison papers vol. 3, page 1,- 447. 'Mr. Butler and W. Pinckney moved to require "Fugitive Slaves and Servants to be delivered up like criminals. Mr. Wilson--This would oblige the Ex- ecutive of the State to do it, at the pub- lic expense. Mr, Sherman saw no more propriety in thelublic seizing and sur- rendering a slave or servant, than a horse. Mr. Butler withdrew his proposition in order that some particular provision might be made apart from this article." Now the article alluded to, was concerning criminals, which were to " be delivered up, to be removed to the State, &c."-- Article 4., sec. 2. U. S. C., and clause 3, concerning slaves was adopted, without the word " removed." Now, higher evidence of the intentions ofthe framers of the Constitution could not be made out. The thing Ocngress has done in the Fugitive Slave bill was expressly refused to be granted by the Constitution--and the law is null and void. To compel Northern men to catch and bring back slaves, and pay the, ex- penses, makes them morally and political- ly responsible, for every slave held in these States! A' responsibility which they never agreed to bear; and the im- position of which upon them now by un- constitutional law, under aggravated cir- cumstances, they will never bear. And with Chatham, concerning . the American tax, I rejoice itisso. Twelve millions of men thus enslaved would be fit instruments to enslave me also! Once more then, I call upon the Whig and De- mocratic parties, and the people of Ken- tucky to reconsider their resolves. I want, for one, no dicta of presumptuous individuals, or factious parties, as a'basis of Union : the old Coneituton ob 1707, left us by the fathers of '76, is my basis of Union--that, by word and deed, I am ever ready to maintain! C. M. CLAY. Seventh Annual Meeting of the Ameri- can Anti-Slavery Society. By the 8th article of the Constitution, hit is provided that 'the annual meeting of the annual meeting of the Society shall be held each year at such time and place as the 'Executive Committee may direct: Hitherto, since the formation of the So-. ciety, the annual meeting has been uni- formly held in the city of New York, and usually in the Broadway 'Tabernacle.-- So absolute, however, is the sway of the Slave Power in that city, and such the fear of the mobocratic excesses, (stimu- lated by ' tux Union Commrrree' on the one hand, and the lawless Rynprrs and his crew on the other,) that no meeting house or hall, in that great city, can be procured, either for the love of liberty or for gold, for the eccommogation of the Society. Neither in the adjacent city of Brooklyn can any suitable building be ob- tained for this purpose. Leaving these cities to historical infa- my which awaits them, the Executive Committee, in accordance with the ur- gent request of the friends of impartial liberty in Western New York, hereby give notice that the Seventh Annual Meeting of the American Anti-Slavery Society will be held at SYRACUSE, (N. Y.,) on Wepnespay, May, 7th, com- mencing at 10 o'clock, A. M.--at which time and place they earnestly invite a full attendance of its members and friends; believing that the crisis is such, in the conviction of every intelligent minds both as to the preservation of our own liberties and the emancipation of the millions who are still clanking the fetters of slavery, as to render needless any special appeal. It is with great pleasure the Committee announce, that their distinguished and eloquent coadjutor, Geo, Tompson, M. P., has promised to give his attendance, and participate in the proceedings. The Rey. Tueopore Parker, of Boston, has also signified his intention to be with us on the occasion, if practicable, as well as other able advocates of' LIBERTY, EQUAL- iy, FRATERNITY.' A series of meetings, of the most interesting and stirring char- acter, may be confidently expected -- Much reliance is placed on the readiness and determination of the friends of the West to improve this opportunity to'com-, mune with their brethren from the East, In behalf of the Executive Committe, WM. LLOYD GARRISON, Prs't. WeEnpELL PHILLIPs, Sypvey Howarp Gay, (<s- Editors of papers are respectfully ; Secretaries. ) requested to notify their readers of the time and place ef holding this anniversa- y = From the Liberator. ¥ LETTER TO A CLERGYMAN. Easr Dennis, April 14th, 1851. To the Rev. Joshua Chandler, Pastor of the first Congregational Church and Socicty in Dennis: Ces it, Reverend Sir,--As I was not at church yesterday, to put in my mite for the assistance of fugitive slaves, as re- quested in the Circular which you so reluctantly read from the pulpit a fe Sundays since, I hereby enclose to a one dollar towards that fund. As the] pews are rented by the year, and the last year expired on Fast Day, I do not intend to rent a pew for the coming year, should you officiate, for the following reasons : Ist. Because you must have seen, in the public prints, accounts of men being seized in the free States, by bands of le- galized pirates, and taken into slavery, and you have not so much as lifted your voice against it, from the pulpit. 2d. There are three millions of slaves in the United States, held as such by the laws and Constitution of the country, and the people would remain as ignorant of the fact as the inhabitants in the interior of China or the deserts of Arabia, but from other information than what they get from you, in your official capacity. 3d. You have never from the pulpit, in my hearing alluded to the piratical Fugitiv- Slave Bill, which lately became the law of the land--a bill for which I challenge all the lawyers in Philadelphia to find a parallel in wickedness in the history of the world. The Christian religion, for the space of eighteen centuries, has not been able to rid the world of slavery; and from all the information that I can get from sacred and profane history, I have come to the conclusion that slavery in this country is far more Stringent than it was in Judea before the Christian era. Consequently, Ihave coneluded to renounce Christianity and embrace Judaism. (1) By reading this imperfect epistle to your Church and Society, you will con- fer an obligation on your obedient and very humble servant. Josnua Crownxt. P. S. As I was one of the three of the Parish Committee that engaged you to preach for the present parochial year, and as our yearly subscription will fall short of the sum which we engaged to give you, if you will please to call on me at the close of your year, I will pay you one-third of that deficiency; and, if you insist upon it, I will pay you the whole deficiency. JG: (1) We understand this ina satirical sense--Ed. Men of Color! Shall we slumber on 4 If there ever was a time when the people of color were especially called upon, and when they might be reasonably ex- pected to put forth efforts in the cause of Emancipation and Self-Elevation, that time is now. It would seem that Pro- vidence had permitted the engulfmg waves of: present affliction to roll over us, to wake us from our slumbers, to induce us to shake off our slothful indifference, that we might thus vindicate our man- hood before this nation and the world. The crisis now upon us, rightly used, might be made the first means to our ele- vation and respectability in the eyes of mankind. It is for us to convert the curses of our enemies into blessings, and to have our present afflictions as a people sanctified to our special good. Even the fugitive slave bill, with its ten thou- sand blood-chilling horrors, if it did but prompt the free colored people to leave off their petty quarrels, jealousies and di- visions, and did but lead them to make common cause, to sustain each other in all manly efforts to resist the dreadful wrongs that threaten us on eyery side, would itself. become a blessing to the people it was intended to crush. We are marked out for beasts of bur- den. The government of the United States has abandoned every one of us to the rapacious man-hunters, aye it has re- solved, sworn, by the living God to make our destruction the band to hold these United States together. Step by step, the minions of that government advance in their accursed work of aggression. They snatch our brethren from Philadel- phia, New York, Pittsburgh, Cincinnat,i we making any active efforts to protect them- selves, oF to sustain lecturers and papers _ which are true and faithful to their cause. So far as our knowledge goes, there ia far more. denunciation dealt out by them against those who advocate their rights, than dealt out against their brutal en- slavers and plunderers. This is a sad confession, and we make it with deep sorrow. Every colored man who hag ever undertaken to stand up for his people, wil: bear witness to the truth of what we now say. We suffer almost as much from the grumbling discontent of our e 7 7 ; Theological Petitioning for Liberty. = ie To the Honorable the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts} : The undersigned, members of the Theological Seminary in Andover, be- lieving that the recent act of Congress entitled an "' Act to amend and Supple- mentary to the Act entitled an Act 1 pecting fugitives and other persons caping from their masters,' endangers" the personal liberty of a portion of the inhabitants of this Commonwealth; be- lieving moreover that the spirit of and the provisions of said act contravene the moral sentiments of a majority of our ci- tizens and the law of God, do respect- fully petition your honorable body,-- First, To adopt such ineasure as your wisdom may dictate and your constitu- * tional obligations allow, for securing those safegyards of personal liberty which res- and christian state, and Secondly, To request the Senators and Representatives of that state in Congress, to use their bést efforts to secure the im- mediate repeal of said act. - I. H. Levings, G. A. Adams, Edwin Teele, &dward G. Miner, Wm. L. Ropes, P. H. Brewster, Henry M. Storrs, Nath'l A. Hyde, G. Buckingham Wilcox, Thos. E. Bliss, John Gardner Hale, Luther R. White, George Bent, W. Wells, Samuel Emerson, S. Bourne, Jr., John Willa L. W. Chaney, Phelps H. Ireland, N. George Clark, G. P. Fisher, E. S. Skin- ner, 8. H. Tolman, Jr., J. W. Stone, J. B. Perry, C. S. Smith, James B. How- ard, Charles H. Allen, Daniel T. Noyes, Wm. T. Sleeper, David Bremner, H. Norton, Alonzo H. Quint, Geo. N: Boardman, W. B. Greene, Aug. Walker, Edwin A. Buck, E. €. A, Woods, Justin KE. Burbank, James O. Murray, George E. Allen, Joseph Dexter Polard, Charles Lothrop, W. A. Farnsworth, J. R. Her- tick, James A. Veale, Wm. A. McCorkle, E. H. Blanchard, Henry Wickes, George L. Weed, Jr., Joseph B. Johnson, Chas) Hutchinson, E. H. Richardson, John Q. Peabody, George Pierson, S.C. Kendall; Henry K. Edson, W. W. Winchester, Obed Dickinson, THE DRUNKARD. Poverty in itself is not a crime. No disgrace belongs to the man, who by re- verses in business, is led down from af- fluencé to destitution, The poorest man who walks this earth of sorrow, or who toils in vain to clothe and feed his children can stand in the presence of them and of millions, with no consciousness of inferi- ority. But when poverty is the result of 'crime, it becomes at once sinful and dis- graceful; when it is the result of gam- bling, or drinking, or lying, it covers its' victim with a robe of shame. Under any circumstances it is exceedingly unpleas- ant and inconvenient to be very poor, and by most men, poverty is dreaded ag one of the worst ofevils. Now poverty is as sure to follow acourse of intemprance, as light and heat to follow the rising of the sun. God has soordained. In his word he has declared that the drunkard shall come to poverty, and wheré ever we behold drunkenness, we also gaze upon squalid misery. Go into any community and you will find affluence to be the result of sobriety, and destitution the sure at- tendent of dissipation. You will expect to find in the neat vine-covered cottage a frugal temperate man ; and in the hovel unpainted and desolate,the windows shat- tered, the doors unhinged, an intemper- ate and dissipated man.--D. C. Eddy. WOMEN'S CONVENTION. At the conventi'n of women held at Salem, Ohio, in April, 1850, it was Resolved, That we,the women of Ohio, will hereafter meet annualy in convention, Detroit and Boston. There is no place|to consult upon and adopt measures for of safety for us, we are everywhere the | the removal of the various disabilities, po- prey for the spoiler the game for the | litical, social, religious, Jegal and pecuni- hunter. And yet withshame we confess, that there are few compared to the whole numbers of free colored people who are | ary, to which women, as a class are sub- jected, and from which results so much misery, degradation and crime. people, as from the open assaults of our |enemies.--Vorth Star. s pectfully belong to the citizens of a free ' ce vr