anti-all, would rise up, and with one general voice decree,
that a small armed vessel shall ply between Sherbro Islands
and Kroo country, and thus _effectually protect_ a few poor
OUTCASTS, while millions of their brethren are faithfully
slaving to enrich us at home."
And so, notwithstanding the Paradise to which they have gone, and
their "free consent" to go, they are "poor outcasts" when they get
there after all; and the very trade which they were sent to abolish,
is in a fair way of abolishing them, unless government vessels go out
to their aid!'
Of the remark said to have been made by him at the colonization
meeting, in 1834, that certain emigrants to Liberia 'were coerced
away, as truly as if it had been done with a cart-whip,' Mr. B. says
'it was an unfair report, got up by Mr. Leavitt, the editor of the N.
Y. Evangelist, to serve a special purpose.' The Emancipator answers
the assertion thus, 'This passage has been quoted and requoted in this
country, in times and ways well nigh innumerable, but, to the best of
our knowledge, it was never before pronounced an unfair report, either
by Mr. B. or any other individual. And now, while we leave Mr. Leavitt
to answer for himself on the question of its fairness, we take the
liberty to say, that if unfair, it will not relieve Mr. B. of
difficulty. For if the report be fair, and Mr. B. did say the things
attributed to him, why then, as every body knows, he said what was
true. If, however, it be unfair, and he did not say those things, then
as every body knows, he did _not_ say what was true, and what, if he
had spoken the truth, he would have said. For that they were "coerced
away as truly as if it had been done with a cart-whip," every body
knows to be fact.'
_Mr. Leavitt's Note to the Editor of the Emancipator._
'In reply to Mr. Breckinridge's allegation, that I "got up"
a report of his speech, "to serve a special purpose," I will
only say, that Mr. Breckinridge did prudently to go across
the Atlantic before he made that charge. My character as a
_fair_ reporter, will not be affected _here_ by such
insinuations. I have no doubt that the report in question
gives the ideas Mr. B. uttered, mostly in the very language
he used. My recollection, in this case, is very distinct, and
the words taken down at the time.
JOSHUA LEAVITT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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