"It, sometimes, suits the slaveholders to claim, that their slavery is an exclusively State concern; and that the North has, therefore, nothing to do with it"

This quote by Gerrit Smith is referring to the slaveholders' efforts to validate their practice of slavery. They argue that slavery refers state concern and that the North has no involvement in it. Smith is implying that this is a false argument, as the North is deeply connected to the problem of slavery. The North has an ethical responsibility to deal with the concern of slavery, as it is a human rights offense. The North has a duty to defend the rights of the enslaved and to work towards abolishing the practice of slavery. Smith is calling on the North to take action and to recognize that slavery is not an exclusively state issue, but a nationwide concern that needs to be addressed.