the anti-slavery crusade-第5节

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ious　century。　He　established　the　first　paper　devoted　exclusively　to　the　cause　of　emancipation。　He　foresaw　that　the　question　of　emancipation　must　be　carried　into　politics　and　that　it　must　become　an　object　of　concern　to　the　general　Government　as　well　as　to　the　separate　States。　In　the　early　part　of　his　career　he　found　the　most　congenial　association　and　the　larger　measure　of　effective　support　south　of　Mason　and　Dixon's　Line；　and　in　this　section　were　the　greater　number　of　the　abolition　societies　which　he　organized。　During　the　later　years　of　his　life；　as　it　was　becoming　increasingly　difficult　in　the　South　to　maintain　a　public　anti…slavery　propaganda；　he　transferred　his　chief　activities　to　the　North。　Lundy　serves　as　a　connecting　link　between　the　earlier　and　the　later　anti…slavery　movements。　Eleven　years　of　his　early　life　belong　to　the　century　of　the　Revolution。　Garrison　recorded　his　indebtedness　to　Lundy　in　the　words：　〃If　I　have　in　any　way；　however　humble；　done　anything　towards　calling　attention　to　slavery；　or　bringing　out　the　glorious　prospect　of　a　complete　jubilee　in　our　country　at　no　distant　day；　I　feel　that　I　owe　everything　in　this　matter；　instrumentally　under　God；　to　Benjamin　Lundy。〃　Different　in　type；　yet　even　more　significant　on　account　of　its　peculiar　relations　to　the　cause　of　abolition；　was　the　life　of　James　Gillespie　Birney；　who　was　born　in　a　wealthy　slaveholding　family　at　Dansville；　Kentucky；　in　the　year　1792。　The　Birneys　were　anti…slavery　planters　of　the　type　of　Washington　and　Jefferson。　The　father　had　labored　to　make　Kentucky　a　free　State　at　the　time　of　its　admission　to　the　Union。　His　son　was　educated　first　at　Princeton；　where　he　graduated　in　1810；　and　then　in　the　office　of　a　distinguished　lawyer　in　Philadelphia。　He　began　the　practice　of　law　at　his　home　at　the　age　of　twenty…two。　His　home　training　and　his　residence　in　States　which　were　then　in　the　process　of　gradual　emancipation　served　to　confirm　him　in　the　traditional　conviction　of　his　family。　While　Benjamin　Lundy；　at　the　age　of　twenty…seven；　was　engaged　in　organizing　anti…slavery　societies　north　of　the　Ohio　River；　Birney　at　the　age　of　twenty…four　was　influential　as　a　member　of　the　Kentucky　Legislature　in　the　prevention　of　the　passing　of　a　joint　resolution　calling　upon　Ohio　and　Indiana　to　make　laws　providing　for　the　return　of　fugitive　slaves。　He　was　also　conspicuous　in　his　efforts　to　secure　provisions　for　gradual　emancipation。　Two　years　later　he　became　a　planter　near　Huntsville；　Alabama。　Though　not　a　member　of　the　Constitutional　Convention　preparatory　to　the　admission　of　this　Territory　into　the　Union；　Birney　used　his　influence　to　secure　provisions　in　the　constitution　favorable　to　gradual　emancipation。　As　a　member　of　the　first　Legislature；　in　1819；　he　was　the　author　of　a　law　providing　a　fair　trial　by　jury　for　slaves　indicted　for　crimes　above　petty　larceny；　and　in　1826　he　became　a　regular　contributor　to　the　American　Colonization　Society；　believing　it　to　be　an　aid　to　emancipation。　The　following　year　he　was　able　to　induce　the　Legislature；　although　he　was　not　then　a　member　of　it；　to　pass　an　act　forbidding　the　importation　of　slaves　into　Alabama　either　for　sale　or　for　hire。　This　was　regarded　as　a　step　preliminary　to　emancipation。　The　cause　of　education　in　Alabama　had　in　Birney　a　trusted　leader。　During　the　year　1830　he　spent　several　months　in　the　North　Atlantic　States　for　the　selection　of　a　president　and　four　professors　for　the　State　University　and　three　teachers　for　the　Huntsville　Female　Seminary。　These　were　all　employed　upon　his　sole　recommendation。　On　his　return　he　had　an　important　interview　with　Henry　Clay；　of　whose　political　party　he　had　for　several　years　been　the　acknowledged　leader　in　Alabama。　He　urged　Clay　to　place　himself　at　the　head　of　the　movement　in　Kentucky　for　gradual　emancipation。　Upon　Clay's　refusal　their　political　cooperation　terminated。　Birney　never　again　supported　Clay　for　office　and　regarded　him　as　in　a　large　measure　responsible　for　the　pro…slavery　reaction　in　Kentucky。　Birney；　who　had　now　become　discouraged　regarding　the　prospect　of　emancipation；　during　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