New-York daily tribune., 1849-09-11
GERRlT SMITHS CONVENTION
Gerrit >mith-Geo. Bradburn--. X. Ward
Chapman. Richie, Gree r., Nc.-The Free
Mission Baptist. hanled over the Goals
for voting Free soil.
Correspondence of The tribune

forvotins Free soil.
Correspondence of TIE tribune.
CosrLANn Village. sept 5. i-+9
We are having gate STR il our usually quiet
region a VI isrite fed meeting 10 G5ms-. and sn
Abolition STATE Convention bere. ! attended lhe
latter this afternoon. The organization had been
perfected 10 the morning snd al know ~ . IS.
that NJ Wells respectable fsrmsr-lookiug
sort OF man. IS President. TIE attendance iron
abroad IS very small l DO no. thiaS there sre
two dozen Of people irom out OF the county
The business Of the afternoon commenced by
the reading OF series OF resolutions 1y Gerut
Smith. Since is,t ssw Dim he has ripanei into
a stout. midiis-ag man. bat the big black eye
the lofty brow. the massive head are a. there
and nobier-iooking man one rarely has a. oppor-
t1uiry 70 look lpon HIS manner as speaker -
easy. dignifed. snd usually placid HIS language
issngulariy vel chosen. and $50 much 10 his CON
msHd, lbs; however unpremeiitsted may be hi.
remarks. he never hesitsfss, never recalls word,
snd never uses an Inaccurate or ine.essnt one.
HIS enuncistion "a somewhat measured cesr
aad son0rous and such a voice IL $ We. mod
uated snd. for 50 masculine voice. musical
bat Z is as deep as the deepest note 90 some huge
cathedral rocking organ, or ss the base in the roar
of the tempest He smiles much ~hile he speaks
and has nothing of that asceticlsm oi look Snd
manner which 80 often marks men oi his cast oi
mind. Indeed. he has much more of the -r hob
ert Pee look and manner than OF the .esder OF =
cOugeatlcle.
However mu,h you may disagree with Mr.
Smith-snd few. we suspect, OF his s.sunchest al
hereuts can keep up with half oi his isms--lt s
treat % sien % him he sVays bani.es his
subject ably and - a deb.ter b. has ie ~ equals
Tor either tact or force. No man can deflce
suphism more plausb.y from sounding and
perhaps y eli-taken grneraltes. or defend 20 more
sdroit.y. The very argument which nis opponent
relie. on 70 overthrJs him ne oitentmes, 0y some
happ, turn OF words, or by ouugius some nes sile
oi the m atter une pectedy 70 the light. catches
boy catches the bal on his bat, snd sends its lurg
back into the face Ct him who cast 90 snd though
that opponent may be uuconvinced-thOugh the
audience may be unc0uvinced-the hr't, man
of ordinary csiber. Is generally 'aIn tostd down
dsc0mfted and the latter are le.t bsgide ed in
the iog.
After the reading OF the resolutions. the audi
euce calez out Mr. George Brsd0urn oi Mass
H. IT, perhap. 40 years old-isa tail thin, singular
old batcheOr oOklng man, WIN keen. clear gray
ewes with an astutc Asukee expression, dashed
with spice Of humor. HIS viice is sh-Il-hi'
pronunciation has the regular Down Ea't tNsng
Add such queer gestures, aud grlmaces and
-8lIipgs of MS eyes But Mr BrsdDarn Is eyi-
IDENTITY A thinker man oi much more than ordi-
nary capacity particularly oi the csustic. keen,
har.splittng Kind OF capacity his speech was
unpr, meditated and desu tory.
A Mr. Chapman was next called out He's noi
the individual of tnis interesting species that
" crow ed 80 Justify lev years back, suppose
but confess | am too poorly posted up ln
Abolition statistics % give his whereabouts tie
seemed however, very evidently % De considered
one of the guns by the way, the audience
laughed when he fidaf say anything canning.
Heisa keen. pronpt.lookns LITTLE mao, with a
pretty good head and face. and the manner aud
s-yle OF speaking of a Thoroughbred attorney
He sees his point clearly. and taxes and maintains
his positions .kiliully. He alluded e. an attack on
the Common SchoO system OF this and other
states 90 the resolutions and. % draw OUT debate,
called upon Mr. BradOurn 20 say whether ne, A
Massachusetts man, and familiar with Massachu.
setts schools endorsed such views
Mr. BrsCburn thereupOn rose ana took ground
against that feature in the resolutions. lie con-
tended that in the existing state of society there
must be laws 70 compel the rich % AID ln me sup
port OF common schools. which be- avered the!
would not 30, as a general thing. uuder the youD-
tary svstem This called ont Nj Smith. After
touching on some other points alluded % by the
preceding sneakers and advocating the doctrines
u Land Reform. be- gave his views 70 length on
the School system. H. denied the night wholly
- Government % interfere M any way ODD the edu
cation of the people He pronounced the present
Common School system D." All emas-uiafed a. in-
fdel system. The gist oi bis Argument a. un-
derstood It, was this Religion IS necessary
part OF Education, and should os taught 10 the
schools Should the Government assume the task
% thus teaching Religion o. the people. Il would
be practically uniting Church and ate. This
would be wrong. and therefore the Goyernme
should have nothing % 30 with the Schools lie
contended there would not BE- the least diiiiculty
In raising the necessary funds by the voluntary
| ,ystem or If the rich refused, as Mr.. Bfadourn
claimed they would, o. bear their share oi the
burden. IL would result M good because u would
| cad the people % adopt and enforce the pnnci-
| oles OF q Land Reform Mr. Brsdblrn replied,
sxtolling the School system of Massachl'etts as
the source Of the intelligence and prosperity oi
| tfat state. "Ay' responded smltn, " let ~ trace
04t its results On the society aud morals oi inst
State And then such penn % ne gave tne
old Bay state . vas " n Calti0u 90 hear he
| sad II vas the most difficult 0i any oi The Free
states . introduce mellOrari0g moral and poltl- A.
| reforms in IL was controlled by money ei aris
| t0cracy and the people were taught To- tne schools
90 c-nge a. the feet Of thar srstocracy. is CO..
t0u.oris were 90 the closest amity wiz the slave
ocrscy. and no Free State was doing halt - much
% uphold Slavery. Mr. Chapman next got me
| a1or and exposed some or me errors ~ NJ
smiths argument. But he did noe seem % De-
much a. home amohg the practical bearings oI
bis question. Indeed AL the speakers toos Az
| entirely theoretical view Of the Subject. i've
minutes, abatement OF fqcts would have blown NJ
smiths vagaries 20 this .abiect o. the "i1ds
| On the conclusion OF Mr. Chapman remarks me
Convention adjourned 10 ~
.sFrIMBzat
did not attend the meeting s't evening. j,
vas taken up with sddresaes earn rom III. n.
Il Garnet, the abe coiorod Abolition lecturer ano
:. K Ward. the talented co1red Editor n the
Impartial Clhren. The o1si1ess opened ma
.n.rnins BY a speech from NJ. Pruyn, volao E
Young speaker. who argued that there eoa.d De 90
such thing e. human lars. God had made as
Tne ba.ineu Of Civil Government vas boy . I'D
o1r those as. and enforce Them He then To-
.stsd On The Free Trade doctrines of The he'o.1
-. .---.l .. .. ~r4a~ ft. rr rF- claim q. -