Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-10-25
Convention In Salem.

, meeting, and Benz s. Jones, Secretary. Tn
audience was rather slim at the first session, bu
continued to increase in size until tho close, |
was addressed by Parker Pillsbury, Sojourne
Truth, G. c. Burleigh and ]. w. Walker.
The recent annual offering made in the tenn
pie Of the American Union by the Free Sol
party, doubtless suggested topic upon whicl
the speakers who occupied the early part of tn,
meeting dwelt at considerable length. Thor,
was more of truth than poetry in the review
which Parker Pillsbury gave of the recent con
duct Of some OF the more prominent leaders O
that party. While admitting the honesty ant
the anti slavery feeling of the rank and file. h,
denounced as traitors to liberty those who as
sumo its leadership, but ut the present crisis re
main silent, or give aid and comfort to the enc
mics ofireedom. He referred to Judge Parsonl
of Ind, who, while opposing the present fugi
tive slave law because Of its unconstitutionality
proposed plan, which, while securing to tn,
Shareholder his escaped chattel, guaranteed a
Jury trial TO the slave, thus afording the latter
the consolation Of knowing he was constitution.
ally remanaed to slavery, was constitutionally
separated from his wife and children, was con.
stitutionally Aogged to his toll, was constitu-
tionally rice-swamp laborer, or tilcr of sugar
fields, and would have the inestimablc blessing
of dying a constitutional slave. He mentioned
that the Editor of the Free Soil organ of that
State expressed his concurrence with most Of
the details of the Judges proposed plan, and
stated that he fully approved Of its results. The
speaker also referred to the action of Senator
Chase Of this State, whose election was heral-
ded as a great Free Soil triumph. There too
was Gen. Wilson, the Free Soil President of the
Massachusetts Senate, who, in his official char
acter as chairman Of the committee on reception,
and in his private character as Frecsoiler, ex-
tended kindly welcome on behalf of the entire
people of the Bay State to tho signcr of the in
famous fugitive slave bill, and walked arm in
arm with him into the State House at Boston
There also was the Free Soil Abdiel; Charles
Sumner, of Boston, who prior to his election to
the U. S. Senate, declared that Millard Fill
more had found that depth below the lowest
deep, that so great and enduring would be his
infamy, that it would be better for him had he
never been born. When the President went to
Boston, Charles Sumner rery respectfully called
upon him to express his high regard, not for
Millard Fillmore as the signcr of the fugitive
slave bill, but for Millard Fillmore, as. Presi-
dent Of the United States. The land was tenn
pcst-tost, the scenes enacted at Buffalo, OF Syra-
cuse, Poughkeepsie, and at Christiana, were ia
miliar to the whole people. Men were incar-
cerated in prison on charge of treason because
they dared to protest against the encroachmerts
OF the slave power, and denounce the Ameri-
can Union--thcir lives were threatened because
they refused to sacrifice their manhood and
strike hands with the oppressor. And where
in the meantime is Charles Sumner writing
letters to tell how much attached he is to our
glorious Union, and crawling at the feet of
President Fillmore. He has nothing to say in
regard to these outragcs in our midst; he is as
silent as the bloody corpse Of Gorsuch stretched
upon the plains OF Chnstana, and his heart seems
as cold and as dead as that tyrants,
The speaker proceeded at considerable length
to show the utter incfciency of political action
for the overthrow of slavery, and the incxpedi-
ency of aboitionists wasting their strength in la
boring for the election of party candidates, in-
stead of directing their moral power against the
system of slavery. AS We took no notes either
of this, or the other speeches, we can give but
meagrc sketch of a few of the remarks that were
made during the meeting, without hoping to do
justice to those who uttered them.
Sojourner Truth commenced the evening
meeting by few brief remarks and at inter-
walls during the convention would lend help.
ing hand, presenting in quaint and homely
form, truths, that will perchanee be longer re-
membered than if they had been clothed in the
most eloquent language of a Pillsbury or
Burleigh.
Parker Pillsbury spoke of the price paid for
the American Union. The people of this eoun,
try declare it would be wrong to make such
compromises and form such Union under
present circumstances; but was it not, he queri-
cd, equally wrong to support it now it was for
med and yet three of the political parties of
the land vie with each other in proclaiming
their attachment to the Union. He illustrated
the guilt of the fathers in relation to that clause
in the constitution respecting the foreign slave
trade, by supposing it was desired to form
union with England or France, and one of the
conditions required Of Us was, that the audi
enee he was addressing should be reduced to
bondage, shipped as slaves, and after being
landed in foreign country, sold at public auc-
ton in lots TO suit purchasers. Would il be
right to consent to this Cor the sake of ali the ad-
vantages anticipated from such union, though
il should oven result in the abolition of slavery
throughout the world, and the ushering in of
the Millennium in all its glOryi AL present woe
say No for in the case supposed, they would
themselves be the victims: Would il bo any
more right where thousands and tens of thou
sands, instead of tho handful before him, were
reduced to slavery, and their children, and their
| children's children, for God only knows how