to do good,
as a nation, was to be dated from the passing of the Reform Bill. From
that period, they started in a new career of action, both at home and
abroad. The sending out of agents was one of the great lines of
operation attempted upon the Americans. This the Americans complained
of as having been done in an imprudent and impossible way, and sure to
meet with defeat. They have sent out agents to America who have
returned defeated. They admit they were not successful, though they
say they retreated only, that they were not defeated. They have
failed--they admit they have failed in their object. One of these
agents on his return made certain statements as to the condition of
the slaves in America; and as to the state of the churches in the
United States, which implicated not only the great body of Christian
ministers of the country, but the government, and the people of
America, except a small handful of individuals. If, as was admitted,
the number of pastors in America was twelve to fifteen thousand, and
only one thousand had embraced these views, were they anything but a
small party? While yet the whole nation was denounced as wicked--and
the wrath of Heaven invoked against the country. It was only a very
small handful that came in for a share of the praise of his opponent;
and the sympathies here were invoked, on the assumption of principles
which it was his object to prove false and unfounded. What could be
the cause of such an anomaly? that those principles which are said to
be loved and admired here, are repudiated there to the extremity of
pertinacious obstinacy? This cause it would be his duty to point out;
first, he would say what perhaps no one would believe, that the
question of American slavery, is in its name not only unjust, but
absurd. There was, properly speaking, no such thing as American
slavery. It was absurd to talk of American slavery, except in so far
as it applied to the sentiments of what was the minority, although he
would say a large minority, which tolerated slavery. It was not an
American question. In America there were twenty-four separate
republics; of these, twelve had no slaves, and twelve of them
tolerated slavery. Two new states had recently been added to the
Union, and God speed the day when others would be added, till the
whole continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific was included in
union, carrying with the union, Liberty and Independence. Of the two
states which were lately a