the anti-slavery crusade-第6章

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g　the　winter　of　1831　and　1832　decided　to　remove　his　family　to　Jacksonville；　Illinois。　He　was　deterred　from　carrying　out　his　plan；　however；　by　his　unexpected　appointment　as　agent　of　the　colonization　society　in　the　Southwesta　mission　which　he　undertook　from　a　sense　of　duty。　In　his　travels　throughout　the　region　assigned　to　him；　Birney　became　aware　of　the　aggressive　designs　of　the　planters　of　the　Gulf　States　to　secure　new　slave　territories　in　the　Southwest。　In　view　of　these　facts　the　methods　of　the　colonization　society　appeared　utterly　futile。　Birney　surrendered　his　commission　and；　in　1833；　returned　to　Kentucky　with　the　intention　of　doing　himself　what　Henry　Clay　had　refused　to　do　three　years　earlier；　still　hoping　that　Kentucky；　Virginia；　and　Tennessee　might　be　induced　to　abolish　slavery　and　thus　place　the　slave　power　in　a　hopeless　minority。　His　disappointment　was　extreme　at　the　pro…slavery　reaction　which　had　taken　place　in　Kentucky。　The　condition　called　for　more　drastic　measures；　and　Birney　decided　to　forsake　entirely　the　colonization　society　and　cast　in　his　lot　with　the　abolitionists。　He　freed　his　slaves　in　1834；　and　in　the　following　year　he　delivered　the　principal　address　at　the　annual　meeting　of　the　American　Anti…Slavery　Society　held　in　New　York。　His　gift　of　leadership　was　at　once　recognized。　As　vice…president　of　the　society　he　began　to　travel　on　its　behalf；　to　address　public　assemblies；　and　especially　to　confer　with　members　of　state　legislatures　and　to　address　the　legislative　bodies。　He　now　devoted　his　entire　time　to　the　service　of　the　society；　and　as　early　as　September；　1835；　issued　the　prospectus　of　a　paper　devoted　to　the　cause　of　emancipation。　This　called　forth　such　a　display　of　force　against　the　movement　that　he　could　neither　find　a　printer　nor　obtain　the　use　of　a　building　in　Dansville；　Kentucky；　for　the　publication。　As　a　result　he　transferred　his　activities　to　Cincinnati；　where　he　began　publication　of　the　Philanthropist　in　1836。　With　the　connivance　of　the　authorities　and　encouragement　from　leading　citizens　of　Cincinnati；　the　office　of　the　Philanthropist　was　three　times　looted　by　the　mob；　and　the　proprietor's　life　was　greatly　endangered。　The　paper；　however；　rapidly　grew　in　favor　and　influence　and　thoroughly　vindicated　the　right　of　free　discussion　of　the　slavery　question。　Another　editor　was　installed　when　Birney；　who　became　secretary　of　the　Anti…　slavery　Society　in　1837；　transferred　his　residence　to　New　York　City。　Twenty…three　years　before　Lincoln's　famous　utterance　in　which　he　proclaimed　the　doctrine　that　a　house　divided　against　itself　cannot　stand；　and　before　Seward's　declaration　of　an　irrepressible　conflict　between　slavery　and　freedom；　Birney　had　said：　〃There　will　be　no　cessation　of　conflict　until　slavery　shall　be　exterminated　or　liberty　destroyed。　Liberty　and　slavery　cannot　live　in　juxtaposition。〃　He　spoke　out　of　the　fullness　of　his　own　experience。　A　thoroughly　trained　lawyer　and　statesman；　well　acquainted　with　the　trend　of　public　sentiment　in　both　North　and　South；　he　was　fully　persuaded　that　the　new　pro…slavery　crusade　against　liberty　boded　civil　war。　He　knew　that　the　white　men　in　North　and　South　would　not；　without　a　struggle；　consent　to　be　permanently　deprived　of　their　liberties　at　the　behest　of　a　few　Southern　planters。　Being　himself　of　the　slaveholding　class；　he　was　peculiarly　fitted　to　appreciate　their　position。　To　him　the　new　issue　meant　war；　unless　the　belligerent　leaders　should　be　shown　that　war　was　hopeless。　By　his　moderation　in　speech；　his　candor　in　statement；　his　lack　of　rancor；　his　carefully　considered；　thoroughly　fair　arguments；　he　had　the　rare　faculty　of　convincing　opponents　of　the　correctness　of　his　own　view。　There　could　be　little　sympathy　between　Birney　and　William　Lloyd　Garrison；　whose　style　of　denunciation　appeared　to　the　former　as　an　incitement　to　war　and　an　excuse　for　mob　violence。　As　soon　as　Birney　became　the　accepted　leader　in　the　national　society；　there　was　friction　between　his　followers　and　those　of　Garrison。　To　denounce　the　Constitution　and　repudiate　political　action　were；　from　Birney's　standpoint；　a　surrender　of　the　only　hope　of　forestalling　a　dire　calamity。　He　had　always　fought　slavery　by　the　use　of　legal　and　constitutional　methods；　and　he　continued　so　to　fight。　In　this　policy　he　had　the　support　of　a　large　majority　of　abolitionists　in　New　England　and　elsewhere。　Only　a　few　personal　friends　accepted　Garrison's　injunction　to　forswear　politics　and　repudiate　the　Constitution。　The　followers　of　Birney；　failing　to　secure　recognition　for　their　views　in　either　of　the　political　parties；　organized　the　Liberty　party　and；　while　Birney　was　in　Europe　in　1840；　nominated　him　as　their　candidate　for　the　Presidency。　The　vote　which　he　received　was　a　little　over　seven　thousand；　but　four　years　later　he　was　again　the　candidate　of　the　party　and　received　over　sixty　thousand　votes。　He　suffered　an　injury　during　the　following　year　which　condemned　him　to　hopeless　invalidism　and　brought　his　public　career　to　an　end。　Though　Lundy　and　Birney　were　contemporaries　and　were　engaged　in　the　same　great　cause；　they　were　wholly　independent　in　their　work。　Lundy　addressed　himself　almost　entirely　to　the　non…slaveholding　class；　while　all　of　Birney's　early　efforts　were　〃those　of　a　slaveholder　seeking　to　induce　his　own　class　to　support　the　policy　of　emancipation。　Though　a　Northern　man；　Lundy　found　his　chief　support　in　the　South　until　he　was　driven　out　by　persecution。　Birney　also　resided　in　the　South　until　he　was　forced　to　leave　for　the　same　reason。　The　two　men　were　in　general　accord　in　their　main　lines　of　policy：　both　believed　firmly　in　the　use　of　political　means　to　effect　their　objects；　both　were　at　first　colonizationists；　though　Lundy　favored　colonization　in　adjacent　territory　rather　than　by　deportation　to　Africa。　Women　were　not　a　whit　behind　men　in　their　devotion　to　the　cause　of　freedom。　Conspicuous　among　them　were　Sarah　and　Angelina　Grimke；　born　in　Charleston；　South　Carolina；　of　a　slaveholding　family　noted　for　learning；　refinement；　and　culture。　Sarah　was　born　in　the　same　year　as　James　G。　Birney；　1792；　Angelina　was　thirteen　years　younger。　Angelina　was　the　typical　crusader：　her　sympathies　from　the　first　were　with　the　slave。　As　a　child　she　collected　and　concealed　oil　and　other　simple　remedies　so　that　she　might　steal　out　by　night　and　alleviate　the　sufferings　of　slaves　who　had　been　cruelly　whipped　or　abused。　At　the　age　of　fourteen　she　refused　to　be　confirmed　in　the　Episcopal　Church　because　the　ceremony　involved　giving　sanction　to　words　which　seemed　to　her　untrue。　Two　years　later　her　mother　offered　her　a　present　of　a　slave　girl　for　a　servant　and　companion。　This　gift　she　refused　to　accept；　for　in　her　view　the　servant　had　a　right　to　be　free；　and；　as　for　her　own　needs；　Angelina　felt　quite　capable　of　waiting　upon　herself。　Of　her　own　free　will　she　joined　the　Presbyterian　Church　and　labored　earnestly　with　the　officers　of　the　church　to　induce　them　to　espouse　the　cause　of　the　slave。　When　she　failed　to　secure　cooperation；　she　decided　that　the　church　was　not　Christian　and　she　therefore　withdrew　her　membership。　Her　sister　Sarah　had　gone　North　in　1821　and　had　become　a　member　of　the　Society　of　Friends　in　Philadelphia。　In　Charleston；　South　Carolina；　there　was　a　Friends'　meeting…house　where　two　old　Quakers　still　met　at　the　appointed　time　and　sat　for　an　hour　in　solemn　silence。　Angelina　donned　the　Quaker　garb；　joined　this　meeting；　and　for　an　entire　year　was　the　third　of　the　silent　worshipers。　This　quiet　testimony；　however；　did　not　wholly　satisfy　her　energetic　nature；　and　when；　in　1830；　she　heard　of　the　imprisonment　of　Garrison　in　Baltimore；　she　was　convinced　that　effective　labors　against　slavery　could　not　be　carried　on　in　the　South。　With　great　sorrow　she　determined　to　sever　her　connection　with　home　and　family　and　join　her　sister　in　Philadelphia。　There　the　exile　from　the　South　poured　out　her　soul　in　an　Appeal　to　the　Christian　Women　of　the　South。　The　manuscript　was　handed　to　the　officers　of　the　Anti…　slavery　Society　in　the　city　and；　as　they　read；　tears　filled　their　eyes。　The　Appeal　was　immediately　printed　in　large　quantities　for　distribution　in　Southern　States。　Copies　of　the　Appeal　which　had　been　sent　to　Charleston　were　seized　by　a　mob　and　publicly　burned。　When　it　became