Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-09-15
REPORT OF DISCUSSIONS
ANNUAL MEETING OF TIE WESTERN A, s.
SOCIETY.
Concluded.)

! S. S. Foster addressed the meeting lie pro-
ceedod to an examination of the Free Soil or
Republican party. That party, he said, charged
fcient abolitionists. He wished to enquire what
kind Of abolitionists Free Sellers were. You say
you have remedy for slavery. You propose to
put down slavery by political action, far as such
action is sanctioned by your Constitutions, State
and National. You bind yourselves to go ''thus
far and no farther"
What, said he, do you propose to do under these
instruments? l. you declare slavery illegal in
the Territories, and you 60 against its existence
there. 2. You labor for its abolition in the Dis
trict of Columbia. 3. You oppose the interstate
slave trade. a. You oppose the admission of new
slave States. 5. You would repeal the Fugitive
Slave Law, render it null and void by declaring
it unconstitutional You would WELD the patronage
Of the Government in favor of freedom and against
slavery.
How soon will the Free Soil party abolish sla-
very by such means MS these They do not in
fact even propose plan shat will effect the
cipaton of single slave. What would be the
effectof n movement to abolish slavery in the Dis
trict of Columbia? Supposing it successful, the
/
cradle time must eapse before the act could be
passed and approved, as to take effect; and du-
ring this time every one of the ore thousand slaves
could be taken over to Maryland or elsewhere and
sold unless their masters voluntarily kept them that
they might be free. The same would be true Of
the Territories. So long rs slavery exists in the
Stat es not slave be freed in the Territories
without the masters consent. The slave may
change masters, but is not benefited. So of the
inter State slave trade 1t is impossible, in the
nature of thingsto abolish it between the slayeSates
AS to preventing the admission of new slave
States, that is possible, but not at all probable
Nor is it probable you will ever accomplish any of
the other things proposed.
The six things named are all the Free Soil party
can possibly accomplish and it would take al
most the united action of the representatives from
the North to effect even these Is it likely you
will ever get such union2 AT present the power
is in the hands of slavery and how will it be re-
gainedf You may make every district in the
North Free Soil district, and still you have but
small majority. The South can always buy two
or three dozen of your representatives, which will
secure them the majority and you will be defeated.
Some Free Sellers who had been sent to Congress
pledged to oppose the slave power, have been
bought over to slavery. Mr.. Ciey, Free
Soil member of Congress, went over to the enemy.
General Wilson, of New Hampshire, called upon
his son to dsown him if he ever proved false to
liberty; yet he voted for every proslavery meas
ure in the Congress of which he was member 1t
is doubtful, then, whether you can even do what
the Constitution allows. But suppose it all done :;
| yvbnt tIopo Sill tbroo Ill III
lions Of slaves whom you cannot reach, unless you
can change the Constitution and no sane man
would think of that, as it would require vote of
threefourths of the States to do it, and this vote
would be infinitely harder to obtain than the abo-
lition of slavery itself. All you can accomplish is
what the Constitution now allows you to do, and
when you have accomplished all your proposed
measures, so far from beneGtting the three and q
half million slaves, you have only made their con-
dition
would not abolish slavery in the District of
Columbia if / could, nor would prohibit it in the
Territory of Kansas. Such action would not free
q single slave. The slave does not care whether
he is held in Kansas or Virginia: 1t is only n
question of place. Indeed the slave might be bet
ter off in Kansas, as the country ispew, and would
produce more abundantly than the worn-out lands
of the South. If your measures would make the
North better they would be good. If they would
quiet the conscience of the North, then their ae-
complishment would have pro-slavcry effect. The
latter would doubtless be their tendency. What
has been the cause of the late uprising throughout
the North? 1t has becn the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise.
Mr. Pardee. Would you do evil that good may
come?
Mr. Foster. No. But would rejoice to SEQ the
evil dosr outwit himself. lwould not do anything
to prevent robber from entering my neighbor's
house, if knew the police were there in waiting,
all ready to arrest the villain and prevent his fur
ther depredations. And would not prevent the
South from attempting measure that is sure to
thwart their design. President Pierce, Douglas,
Atchison and Stringfelow have done greater
work ir favor Of freedom than all the abolitioniss
of the North. Do you not rejoice at these results
The recent villainy of these men has made them
no worse than they were before, for they were
already as bad as YVES possible. Their hearts were
absolutely black, and beyond that point nothing
could make them blacker.
Stringfellow's lash last year fell upon the backs
of his negroes, but this year it falls upon yours.
Hence this controversy about Kansas When
asked while the Nebraska bill was pending, if it
would pass, always said, l feared not; for
knew nothing else that would wake up the people
of the North. The noses Of tho Northern people
must be held to the grindstone till there is not even
gristle remaining. / hail every new encroach-
ment of the slave power, even though il should be
measure to reduce your own children to bondage.
hope the South will lay the lash, and that she
will never cease till slavery is introduced into eV-
cry Northern State in the Union, if that is neces-
sary to make the people remember those in bonds
as bound with them"