gone. When decided and perhaps violent terms are used against
"abolition" or "abolitionists" or "anti-slavery" or "the anti-slavery
society," they are adduced to convince you that those who use them are
pro-slavery men: that they understand the terms as you do; and that it
is an expression of rank hostility to all emancipation on the part of
the American tyrants, in whose nostrils according to this gentleman
the slave and freedom equally stink! A metaphor nearly as full of
truth as decency. The fact however is, that although many would
decline the use of the harsh and vindictive language which, caught
from abolitionists, has been turned against them; yet the bulk of the
real sentiments, as brought forward by Mr. Thompson as proofs of
American slavery, on account of American hatred to his peculiar plans,
principles and spirit in attempting its removal, are true, just and
defensible.--And I am ready to advocate and to defend much that he by
a disingenuous citation has made at first odious, and then
characteristic of America. They prove only that he and his coadjutors
are most odious to the country, which is a fact never denied except by
himself or them. And to what has the whole current of his testimony
tended if not to show that they might reasonably have expected and did
a great deal to deserve such a conclusion.--But it is now impossible
to enter again upon these matters and upon the case as presented, he
was willing for the world to pass its verdict. While he would
therefore take no farther notice of any new matter contained in the
last speech, there were several remarks necessary to be made, to
elucidate subjects that had already been several times before them.
The first case was that of Amos Dresser the abolitionist whipped at
Nashville. He would pass over what Mr. T. had said relating to his
(Mr. B.'s) notice of the discrepancy in the number of Elders in the
Nashville Church. He had treated that gentleman with great candor in
the matter, which he had returned with incivility and injustice, and
there he was content to let it rest. But how stood the facts of the
case itself? Amos Dresser is reported to have said that there were
seven elders of the church; that all of them were on the committee of
vigilance of Nashville; that _most_ of them were among his triers, and
that _some_ of them had administered the communion to him the
preceding sabbath. Now let us admit that this is literally
true--(which I believe however is not the case, in at least three
particulars)--how does it justify Mr. Thompson in asserting as he did
at London and elsewhere "that on that Lynch Committee _there sat seven
Elders and one Minister, some of whom_ had sat with the young man at
the table of the Lord on the preceding Sunday"? Mr. Thompson
positively contradicts his own and only witness when he says that all
the seven elders sat as triers;--he enlarges his testimony when he
insinuates that they not only concurred in his punishment, but were
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account