Hon. William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
Address.
Sir: As members of the Glasgow New
Anti-slavery Association, we beg leave, at this crisis of freedom in
the history of your country, most cordially to congratulate you on
its prospects. Many of us have long been associated in one form or
another, indeed before the abolition of slavery in the British
colonies in 1834, as friends of negro emancipation. After that happy
event, we turned our sympathy and efforts to the American slave. We
cannot boast of great numbers or results. Many friends of freedom
doubted the propriety of interfering with the institutions of
foreign countries, or questioned the probability of success, owing
to the natural sensitiveness of national jealousy. But we have
always had in our number tried friends of freedom of all evangelical
denominations, and we have had the satisfaction from year to year of
sending help to fugitives from your slave States, encouraging the
anti-slavery press in your country, and spreading, information
regarding American slavery in our own. Our humble labors have always
been thankfully acknowledged by the abolitionists of your land with
whom we were in correspondence. In such circumstances you may well
understand with what warm interest we have watched the progress of
your struggle during the last four years., Though we felt it
befitting the position of neutrality maintained by our government
that we should not interfere, and considered, moreover, that any
service we could render to the slave was happily superseded by the
change of American sentiment and the progress of liberty, yet we
were no indifferent spectators of the course of events, and cannot
any longer be silent. Without pronouncing any opinion on the war
which is not called for, we hail the results in as far as the slave
is concerned. We rejoice with great joy, mingled with gratitude to
God, for what has been achieved under your memorable presidency. We
congratulate you as an instrument in the hand of Providence of
accomplishing one of the greatest and most beneficent changes in
modern times—the emancipation of four millions of human beings from
the varied oppression and degradation of ever extending slavery. The
work may not yet be completed, but the progress has been so
cheering, and the interposition of a Higher Power so conspicuous
throughout, that we cannot doubt an early and triumphant
success.
The event, in itself and in its circumstances so unexpected, and in
the first instance un-desired, affords no ground for men or parties
of men glorying one over another. It belongs to that high order of
events, where thoughtful and devout minds are solemnized in the
presence of the Great Ruler of the universe and are constrained to
mark afresh His righteous, wise, and beneficent government in
bringing good out of evil, order out of confusion, peace and
prosperity out of war and desolation—the deliverance of the vast
territory of your country from the curse of negro slavery, is a
signal compensation for all the horrors even of civil war. There are
few struggles, ancient or modern, which can point to a more noble,
political, moral and social result. We cannot doubt that the
blessing will not be confined to your shores. The example of
America, after such sacrifices, cannot fail to tell powerfully in
behalf of freedom on both sides of the Atlantic and through unborn
generations. Of this we are well assured that nothing will tend more
to obliterate the memory of any little irritation between your
country and ours, inseparable from commercial collision, and to
unite them in new bonds of mutual respect and Christian brotherhood,
as lasting as they are warm and sincere.
Heartily do we—and, we are persuaded, our countrymen
generally—congratulate you and the government of which you are the
head on the amended constitution of your country, which you have
been honored to carry through, and earnestly do we pray that you may
be spared soon to heal the wounds of your land, long to witness the
fruits of a righteous and beneficent policy in its renovated
prosperity, and to promote under the smile of Heaven the cause of
universal freedom and Christian civilization.
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In the name of the association, which is this day dissolved, we,
members of committee, beg to subscribe ourselves, with all respect,
your obedient rervants,
A. K. McCALLUM, M. H.,
Chairman.
GEORGE BEYTH, Late Minister of Cana Street
U. P. Church,
His Excellency Abraham Lincoln,
President of the United States of
America.
