Nor was Mr. Stanley more happy in his argument of the antiquity and universality of slavery.  Because a practise had existed, did it necessarily follow that it was just?  By this argument every crime might be defended from the time of Cain.  The slaves of antiquity, however were in a situation far preferable to that of the negroes in the West Indies.  A passage in Macrobius, which exemplified this in the strongest manner, was now brought to his recollection.  “Our ancestors,” says Macrobius, “denominated the master, father of the family, and the slave, domestic, with the intention of removing all odium from the condition of the master, and all contempt from that of the servant.”  Could this language be applied to the present state of West India slavery?

It had been complained of by those who supported the trade, that they laboured under great disadvantages by being obliged to contend against the most splendid abilities which the House could boast.  But he believed they laboured under one, which was worse and for which no talents could compensate; he meant the impossibility of maintaining their ground fairly on any of those principles, which every man within those walls had been accustomed, from his infancy, to venerate as sacred.  He and his friends, too, laboured under some disadvantages.  They had been charged with fanaticism.  But what had Mr. Long said, when he addressed himself to those planters, who were desirous of attempting improvements on their estates?  He advised them “not to be diverted by partial views, vulgar prejudices, or the ridicule which might spring from weak minds, from a benevolent attention to the public good.”  But neither by these nor by other charges were he or his friends to be diverted from the prosecution of their purpose.  They were convinced of the rectitude and high importance of their object; and were determined never to desist from pursuing it, till it should be attained.

But they had to struggle with difficulties far more serious.  The West Indian interest which opposed them, was a collected body; of great power, affluence, connexions, and respectability.

Artifice had also been employed.  Abolition and emancipation had been so often confounded, and by those who knew better, that it must have been purposely done, to throw an odium on the measure which was now before them.

The abolitionists had been also accused as the authors of the late insurrection in Dominica.  A revolt had certainly taken place in that island.  But revolts there had occured frequently before.  Mr. Stanley himself, in attempting to fix this charge upon them, had related circumstance which amounted to their entire exculpation.  He had said that all was quiet there till the disturbances in the French islands; when some negroes from the latter had found their way to Dominica, and had excited the insurrection in question.  He had also said, that the negroes in our own islands hated the idea of the abolition; for they thought, as no new labourers were to come in, they should be subjected to increased hardships.  But if they and their masters hated this same measure, how was this coincidence of sentiment to give birth to insurrections?