Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-11-19
lIerkimcr Convention.

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The following description of the Herkimer
Convention, is from a letter addressed 10 the
" Charter Oak"
In company with Bailey Of the Liberty
Press, Howe Of the Herkimer Freeman, WI
lev of the Liberty Standard, Messrs. Thatch-
err and Stackpole Of Maine, Cummings of
Mass. and Hammond of this State, delegates
to the Buffalo Convention, l attended the
State Convention of the Wilmot Proviso Sec
ton Of The New York Democracy. The
gathering was large, estimated at 500 90
1000. G. G. Cambreleng presided John
Van Buren,, Oldest son of the eX-ptesideni,
read the address, and d. d. Field. Of n. Y.
city, the resolutions, Soth very strong pro-
ductions, from the sblest men of the party.
The reading was often interrupted by hearty
cheers. Wilmot Of Pennsylvania. was there,
and made the first speech. Said some very
foolish things about the compromises of the
Ccnstiiution-that he would go down 10 the
South and shed the last drop Of his blood, to
put down a slave instruction, and maintain
! slavery there, and other like stuff-denied
that he was an abolitionist, and adduced such
things TO prove it. Still he went strong for
the proviso. When asked where Dallas
stood on tina, question, he said, you have
read his speech. Ii you can find out from
that you can do better than | cam" Laugh
ter. Thought however, he would go for il.
He advised them to vote the Syracuse (Old
Hunker's) ticket. Cries Of no, from every
part Of the house. Don't talk about that
lie exhorted them 10 stand by the proviso,
even if in a minority. A compact minority
united on principle, would soon triumph over
an unprincipled majority.
Mr.. Cambreleng followed Mr.. Wilmot in
vindication of the proviso. He too, disclaim-
ed fellowship with the abolitionists, and said
their efforts had put back emancipation a
whole generation. He Ieviewed severely Sc
cretary Buchanan's letter 10 the Democracy
Of Berk's county, and showed that he igno-
rantly or wilfully misrepresented the truth
that both the Ordinance of 1877, for which
the whole South voted, and the Missouri
Compromise not only excluded slavery from
the Northwest Territory, but abolished sla-
very already existing in it, and in the North
part of the Missouri Territory. The free
State of Iowa, is the fruit of the Missouri
Compromise. Mr.. G.. went on in the strong
est terms TO expose and rebuke the subservi-
ency of Buchanan to the slave power, and
when he had reached the right point in his
denunciations Of the Secretary, | spoke out
in a clear and full voice, shame on him. -
and the cry was echoed from every part of the
audience, and was followed by such a demo-
cratic grOaH from the whole mass, that it
sounded like the death knell Of slavery and
pro-slavery politicians. 1t was the first gToan
that ever fell like sweet music on my ears.
Mr.. G.. was followed by John Van Buren,,
late Attorney General of New York, in u
mastery speech of satire, invective, wit, hui
NOR, and manly eloqnence, strongly spiced
throughout with ~Anti-Slavery sentiments
He exposed the corruption and pro-slavery-
ism of the Old Hunkers, or Syracuse Con-
v%ention Democrats. Identifying them with
the two-,hirds Rule Democrats at the last
Baltimore Convention, whom he severely de-
nounced. He dwelt much on the rights of
free labor and its incompatibility with slave
~, and showed that the admission of slavery
into new territory would exclude free labor
eTs from it.
lie denounced the no more territory issue
of the Wings, as d~elusive, which the slave
holding Wings themselves would repudiate
in the hour of trial. He declared that no
more Stare territory was the issue which John
G.. Calhoun and the South had forced upon
them-that this could not be STAYED of
or postpnned,-that those who were attemp-
ting 10 substitute another issue were deceiy-
ing the people-that This was the question
which they must meet like men, and that
they were ready to meet it now. Mr.. Will
mot and Nh. Cambreling both took the same
ground. Mr.. Van Buren, spoke at length
without a single disclaimer against abolition
ism, or uttering a single pro-slavery senti-
ment, while he laid the stripes upon slavery
like an anti veteran. And it gave
me great pleasure to observe that the A. S.
portions of his speech were most heartily
cheered. As they gathered in front of the
Hotel and marched from the Court House 10
the Railroad depot-for no public building
would hold the crowd,-l said to Bro. Wi
ley, there go the men to,shout and throw up
their caps for anti-slavery to-day who eight
years ago were ready to mob aboIitionists all
over the Empire State. Had an A. S. lee
turer, ten years ago, made such a speech TO
them against slavery, as Van Buren's, to
which they responded with loud huzzas, they
would have iarred and feathered him, and
rode him out Of town on a rail. But the times
have changed &c!' Let no man hereafter
taunt us with the question, 'what have you
done!' We have indoctrinated the masses
to a great extent, into anti-slavery principles,
We have taught them to hate slavery and to
speak of it as an accused thing.
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