State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1831-1836, 1836-06-21
SPEECH OF REV. MIR. FITCH, OF
BOSTON.

N. T.. ANTI-SLAyERY CONVENTION.
The following resolution being under
consideration
Resolved, That regarding a surrender of
our right Of Free Discussion upon the altar
of southern slavery, as involving on our
part, the commission of moral suicide
trcachery to the cause of civil liberty and
ofhunanity guilt before high heaven;
we pledge ourselves to one anoihcr-to the
oppressor and the opprCsseed-to our collh-
try and our God-that, undetcrcd by
threats of "prosecutiOn at common law"
whether in the messages of our Governors,
the pages ofour theological reviews, or the
Report of tho Legislative Committees,
come what may-gag law or lynch law
we will never cease from its exercise, full,
free and undminished, until the last fetter
shall be broken, and slavery and prejudice
shall be buried in one common grave.
Rev. Mr. Fitch of the Free Church, Bos
ton, addressed the Convention rs follows;
MIR PRESIDENTIAL brother has proposed
that we rise to pledge ourselves to this
resolution. | should be ashamed, sir, to
remain on my seat, when such pledge as
this shall be given; but before | rise TO
give my assent to the resolution, | wish to
make single remark in relation to the last
clause of it. The resolution, sir, proposes
that prejudice and slavery be put to death,
and buried in common grave. | am OPP
posed to this for two reasons.
/. Iregard it as altogether too easy a
death.
9. | know not but some wretch may be
found in some corner of our land, to dig up
the putrid carcasses, and lay them up in
the sun, to throw abroad their stencil and
scatter disease and desolaton and death
throughout the land. What, sir, is the cry
which comes cchoing across our land p
What kind of death do they inllict upon the
colorcd man, when goaded on to dcspara-
ton hv his wrongs, he spills the blood OF a
man in self defence? Do they kill him and
bury him? No, sir. Ofthis we would not
much complain. They put him into The fire,
and burn him.
Sir, ! would have prejudice and slavery
suffer the same death. Let us have them
consumed, that not vestigc of them re-
main to curse the earth.
And now, sir, as | am making my
maiden speech on the subject of abolition,
let me Just deliver myself of the whole a.
mount of my inccndiarism at once. am
not afraid of fire provided that we have
something that ought to be burned, and the
right fire with which to kindle it. Sir |
would have prejudice and slavery burned.
Look at the prejudice which exists against
the colored man at the North and behold its
magnitude You might throw all the
mountains of n. Hampshire and Vermont
into single pile, and there is mountain
that would o'ertop them all. Sir, | would
have it burned , Look now at slavery as it
exists in the south, with its wickedness, its
hard hearted selfshness, its amazing cruel
ty, and here you have another mountain.
Why, sir, you might roll all the Alleghan-
les into single cone, and take your stand
on the topmost steep of its apex, and this
mountain would tower far above out of
your sight. | would have it burned.
would have the friends of humanity
and of God go through the land, with the
blazing torch of truth in one hand, and the
lamp of love in the other, and kindle these
tremendous piles. Let the flame thereof
90 up to heaven, overtop every mountain,
and throw its light across every valley,
until the whole earth shall be lighted up
yea engulphcd in the flood Of IFS glory.
Sir, | would not injure a hair of any
mans head--but | would be willing that
every STAKEHOLDER at the South, and every
other man who will harbor these vile pre-
judices in his breast, should be thrown into
such fire as this, until he should be tho
roughly singcd from head to heels, and not
q bristle of his abominable wickedness left
standing.
am for the resolution, sir, with all my
heart. would have prejudice and slavery
put TO death hut let us do the work etlec-
tually, so that even their ghost shall not
sauna M IN haunt uS