Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-10-06
LETTER FROM JOSEPH BARKER.
TO the Editor Of tie Bugle:

TO the Editor Of tile Bugle:
DEAR FRIEND: With your permission, I will
make a few remarks Oh the account given in your
paper, of the discussion between myself and Mr..
Foster on Sunday evening last. That account APP
pears to me to be partial and false from beginning
to end.
In the first place, with regard to the subject
under discussion, it was not the principles and at.
titude of the Republican Party in reference to the
Slavery question. / have never undertaken to de-
fend the principles and attitude of the Republican
Party, except 20 far as they are anti slavery and
reformatory. The discussion grew out of an an
nouncement made by Mr.. Foster in the meeting of
the Friends of Human Progression. lie said in
that meeting, that in the evening, in the Town
Hall. he would provo, that the political abolition
lists were the greatest obstacles to the Anti-Slavery
cause. | said l would hear him, and unless CON
verted would endeavor to answer him. And this
was che subject of discussion. II was on this
point alone that l Joined issue with MI Foster,
Mr.. Foster, of course, failed to Prove his PROPOSE
ton. lie could do no other than fail. No sober
and sensible man would have made such a state
ment much less undertaken to prore it. Mr.. Fos-
ter did not even prove that political abolitionists
NclC uNy ODoIiClc " Nv unll-SluNeTy Cuusc, muCu
less the greatest. lie did not even prove that
they were not great helps. The principal, if not
the only argument that he brought forward in the
two hours speech, was the following. "Po.
litical abolitionists seek to repeal the Fugitive
Slave Law and the Nebraska Bill. But these were
the measures which caused the anti slavery agita
ton in the North. The repeal of them would
bring that agitation to an end, and cause the PEG
pie to settle down into a dead calm, and quietly
allow slavery to remain"
But he did not make good his argument. III
gave us no proofs. lie only made assertions. III
neither proved that the repeal Of the Fugitive
Slave law and the Nebraska Bill were the only OBJ
jects aimed at by the political abC.itionists, no.
that the repeal of those measures would bring
anti-slavery to an end. On the contrary, hi
acknowledged that political abolitionists aimed a
the abolition of slavery in the District of Colum
! bia, and wherever government had power to ab1l
ish it, at putting an end to the domestic slav,
trade, at preventing the admission Of new slay,
States, &C., and that they aimed at these objects a
means to the utter abolition or humiliation Of sla
very itself. In short, he acknowledged that tn
difference between political abolitionists and abo
litionists of his own stamp was. not a difference n
to theirgreat and ultimate object, but as to tn
means to be employed in order to the attainmen
Of that object.
Nor did Mr.. Foster prove that the repeal of thu
, Fugitive Slave law and the Nebraska Bills, woult
bring the anti-slavery agitation to an end. III
probability is that the repeal of these measure
2 would increase the anti-slavery agitation. The
enactment of the Fugitive Slave law and Ncbraski
Bill reused the public mind by revealing the ter
A rible character and dark designs of the slave pow
f err. Now the probability is, that the repeal of thes,
r enactments would bring out the horrid characte
. and designs of the slave power made clearly anc
: fully, and thus raise the anti-slavery excitement il
the North to its highest pitch. The repeal of tn
q Fugitive Slave law and the Nebraska bill, the abo
lition of Slavery in the District of Columbia
4 the suppression of the interstate slave trad,
D &c., would probably lead to a dissolution of tn,
Union and Mr.. Foster himself acknowledge tina
Q a dissolution Of the Union would bring about tn,
extinction of Slavery.
Mr.. Fosters idea, that partial reforms tend t
perpetuate wholesale abuses, is not correct. Ii il
contradicted by facts both in Europe and America
Partial reforms prepare the way for ,oholesale re
forms. They often hying about wholesale reforms
They increase the str.agth and courage of reform
ers, and lessen the powes of their opponents. They
even infame the zeal of r~eformcrs. The removal
of one abuse reveals another, and the removal Of
that other, shows the whole system to be an abuse