Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-05-31
From the Liberator.

From the Liberator. r.
PROPERTY MEETINGS AT LYNN.
DEAR GARRISON:
A special meeting of" The Society of
U"i0ersal Inquiry and Reform" to ex.
anime the influence which capital, monop.
o'ized as it now is by individuals, asso-
Citations and governments, exerts upon
society and reform, and TO inquire into The,
rightful existence Of that principle which
allows Of iGdividua and absolute owner.
ship in the soil and the products of labor,
in contradislinction from the whole human
family, Was holden in Lynn, on Saturday,
Sunday and Monday, the 28th, Goth, and
30,h Of January, and continued, by ad.
journment, through Tuesday and Wednes-
day evenings,up TO Thursday noon. VIM.
Basselt, of Lynn, one OF the Vice-Presi-
dents Of the Society, occupied the chair,
and Sydney FL. Gay, OF bingham, and J.
A. Collins, were appointed Secretaries
The meetings were very fully attended,
and the debates were animated AMI deeply
interesting up 10 the close OF the last sess-
ion. John NJ. Spear, - Campbell,
G. l.. Remond, Wn. Bassett, iona.
Buffum, Frederick Douglass, Geo. Brad
burn, Oliver Johnson, James Boyle, Ad-
olson Davis, james ~ Bufium, James p
Boyce, II. 9. Wright, Of EaglAnd, Israel
Buffum, Mrs. Cove, Drs. Brown and
Klttredge, Thos. Davis, VIM. B. Earle,
and others, participated in the discussions.
The first day Of the Convention was
mostly occupied in exposing the evils OF
the present social arrangements. Soon,
however, the debates took wider range.
In urging a reorganization OF society, as
absolutely Indispensable to the improve
ment and elevation OF the race, the quest
ion very naturally arose" How much a
man indebted to society for the formGta0a
of his cAaracIerr The remainder o
Saturday, and all of Sunday, was occu
pied 10 the evolution OF this question. /
: was urged, on the one side, that mer
were tie victims Of Institutions that they
! inherited certain characteristics OF mind
: either favorable or unfavorable to menta
or moral developement-thaI they wer'
, thrown into virluous or vicious society
and their minds imperceptibly and gradu
? ally, but positively moulded 10 the instiIu
j tons around them, as really as was th'
foot o. the female Chinese 10 the wooden
shoe into which it was pressed, aud al
these under circumstances over which the.
had no conlrol-thaI the Old theologica
) dogma of the inherent depravity OF tn
e race was a libel both on God and man
g that the benevolent Creator had establish
ed laws, fixed and immutable, which
/ when obeyed, will bring US into perfe'
q harmony with Him and the whole tamil
Ie of man-,hal society, as il now exists,
be all false, with hardly redeeming featur
in it-tha, poverty and riches, scarcli
e. and abundance, Intelligence and ignoranc
~ tyranny and serviIily, slavery, war; d
ccption, fraud, disease. and prematul
SIS death, are the legitimate fruits OF the pre-
he ent state Of society-that, from the nece
shy ofthe social arrangements, our int
o. ests cannot be identical, but must be d
IN verse and autagonisIical-that if we wuu
Ire better the condition OF the people. we mu
la so alter the external arrangements Of S
as ciety, that they shall harmonize with Il
hes natural wants and feelings Of man.
was argued, on the other hand, with gre