Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-08-16
Ubc Anti- 5lnuerp Buole.
From the Lbcrutor.
SPEECH OF PARKER PILLsBURY,
dt Frun,inghdp,, Mass, July An. 1856.


sgfSM 70 hear it, however, from new voice here to.
lay. hope it will be the amentation we shall
hear from many voices, until there shall 90 up q
wall so loud that it shall drown these cannon and
the lesser voices of smaller metal that hanked
them round about on every hand. 1t seems to
me appropriate that those who observe this
day properly and rightly should observe it. If
there may be any green spot on which ,he eyes of
the mourning prophets and disappointed apostles
may fasten, let it be among the Abotiouists; but
fancy only like the kindly ivy, that wraps
the ruins of the Old World.
While was away, there was only one thing
that troubled me. so far as the anti-savery move
ment went and that was that we should make so
much of what appeared to me very trifling eventl
Our friend (Mr. Swasey) alluded to the Republican
party; we are constantly alluding to the Rcpub.
can party, if any such party there be in the po-
litcal world but think we deceive ourselves and
the world by these favourable assurances to
that party. Not that would by any means with
hold the just meed of praise for every brave word
spoken and every manly deed done; but | think
our very ccmmendations give air of importance
to these movements that are exceedingly unfortun-
ate not to say deleterious, to the anslavery cause
Suppose some Free Soil man does, once in while,
speak kindly--it is nothing to us. The best Free
Suil men have no kind of appreciation Of the anti
slavery movement; if they had, they would not be
where they are Why commend Charles Srmrer
] will not say he did not do well; but think we
cothe him and his party with an Importance that
does not at all attach to them, and | think we
weaken our own strength and somewhat retard
the little progress might make, by giving an
mir of Importance to the most unmportant events
that can possibly be conceived. What can the
Republican party do towards rescuing this coun-
try from its present condition? 1t does not pro-
pose tO redeem the sayes-no, not single slave.
The germ of the party sprang up from kind Of
anti-slavery soil, and its origin was anti-savery;
it demanded the immediate and unconditional
emancipation of every sIavc-not the slaves in the
Territories or in the District of Columbia but of
every slave; but it has ended with ignoring the
cause of the slave altogether. 1t does not rccUg-
Mise the question of slavery on the soil of Ameri
ca. There is but auti-savery plank in its
platform, and that has no respect whatever to the
millions of suffering slaves. 1t only proposes 20
put the country back where 1T before the re-
peal of the Missouri restriction; and surely, no
political party ever yet has done quite what it pro-
posed to do What, then, is to be expected of this
political party, if it succeed-as succeed it will
not! Where does it leave us? where does it leave
the slaves? We ought to say think, that that
party wherever it was in the beginning, has been
declining. descending, until surely there is but
one lower deep into which it can plunge, and that
is the absolute ignoring of the whole question of
slavery altogether. While these things so,
think We ourselves make mistake, and give de-
gree of Importance 10 political movements which
they never deserved, and which now they de- |
serve much less than before, by pay
ing 50 much attention to them For my own part,
| feel as il we have no strength to waste unneccs-
sarily, nothing to throw away in commentators,
especially in concentrations the tendency and re. |
suit of which may be to weaken our own hands; |
for we have those constantly with us, such as were
found in the apostolic age who may be denomina-
ted weak i'll the faith, and who want only smile
of recognition of political action from the Aboli- !
tionists to plunge in 1t, and to their ruin. 1t is
that account that think we shall do we'll if we
apprehend the philosophy of our movement and
remember this, that it is not iayourably affected
by politics at all, and may be very uniavorably af
fected by them. We have nothing to hope, moth
ing to expect from them; may have much at
stake, and may lose much.
do not love controversy well enough to be un-
necessarily provoking quarrel or discussion with
any one; but, | think our work is Just what it |
would be if there such thing political
action political party; Our work is to redeem
the heart and conscience of the country; and we
have to rescue that heart and that conscience from
the spirit Of compromise which leads to RepuNj 1
cdniSn,, not to Whiggery or Democracy. Every
body must, it seems to me, that ii there be any
Argument in support of the doctrine Of 'total-de-
pravity" it is 20 be found in the course and char
acter of our churches and the old political parties
go that what we have to do to-day is to rescue the
conscience and heart of the people from that spir
it of compromise which goes into the Republican
party, and is satisfied, Now this, think, is true
if the Republican party, is useful ut ALL it is
full as an agitating instrumentality as stirrer up
of the country and while it is out of power, it
works in that way While the election of MI
Banks pending in Congress, the party ac
tive. alive; but the moment he elected
then what came? What kind of n Clerk was ap-
pointed? What kind of Committees appoint
ed2 What Congress has more dshOnored itself
by subservency to the Slave Power than this Con
gress? And, with such platform as the Repub
lican party has constructed what could be more
unfortunate, far the agitation of the country
is concerned than the triumph of that party, mas
much us it would result in such consequences as
have always followed whenever the party has sue
ceeded in any local election? On the other hand,
if Mr. Buchanan should be elected, the aggres-
sons Of slavery would go on; then the agitation
would go on and it seems to me that what we have
to do is to seize the present condition of the cOun-
try, stir up the people, and turn the popular ex-
ctement to our account, not to that of Republi-
canism. The work to be done in our country is
continually TO rouse up influence, inspire the peO-
pie; and it is on that account l would still adhere,
as have ever adhered, to the great moral and re-
ligious agitation of the subject, letting the Free
Soil party as much alone they let us alone
And suppose we should do hat?-did you over
think of it? We fill our papers with their speech
es; which Of speeches gets to the public in the q
Free Soil papers? ! suspect some OF our Oldest s
sad bravest men capable Of making addresses +
worthy Of leing read bv the Free Soil party
When have the papers of that party given us their 5
readers? They ignore us altogether; and ] think c
the hes. could do woald be to ignore them; for {
by the recognition OF them continually as we n
do. we are playing into their haads. to our own G
loss. III
Then we Judge man TOO much by some one q
act or speech. Charles Sumner made a brave O
speech and the hand Of The ruffan was lifted yio
lenhy against him, and he was smitten down. '
Charles Summers own light hand was lifted against n
Brooks's slaves, and he had sworn, few months II
before that il the slaves Of Preston Brooks should
rise upon him. and resist his authority, he would d
assist ia Gaming those slaves down; and if gutta i
percha would not do it, the sword and bayonet i
must ("lear, hear"). Now we have a great deal v
of sympathy for Mr.. Sumner, but he had made a t
bargain with Preston Brooks against his slaVcSi' t