Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-02-23
SPEECH OF STEPHEN s. FOSTER.

| During the progress of the meeting at which
Mr. Phillips delivered the preceding speech, Mr..
Foster had advocated his plan of disunion Or
ganzatiun which should cast its votes for officers
of Government of Disunion sentiments. This
proposition met with no favorable response from
any of the meeting. Whenever referred to, it was
in terms of dsapproval. In reply to those who
differed with him on this subject, Mr.. Foster said
| Mn. CHAIRMAN My positions have been so re-
peatedly misrepresented. that feel ought to cor
rect wrong impres sion into which my friend who
has just taken his seat seems to have fl lien. | am
represented as having spoken discouragingiy here.
1t seems to me that if there is man in this house
more full of encouragement and hope than others,
it is myself There is no necessity for waiting q
century or half century for the liberation of the
slaves We may just as well break this accursed
government in pieces in FIVE years as in twenty-five.
am not willing to wait on and hope on as men
tell to. 1t may be very well for some persons,
but am not of that class / am for meeting the
Slave Power wherever it shows ITSELF and i will
make war upon it and its defenders with all the
vigor that God has given me. / only want to know
who it is that protects the fogging of men and the
ravishing of women at the South, and know the
work have to do. The higher he stands in socie-
ty the greater is his accountability. The nearer
be comes to being an abolitionist, if lie does not
actually cross the threshold. the more dangerous
L
more dangerous; because the more likely he is to
win our people over to his side, or keep others on
his side. The most dangerous men are those who
come the nearest to the anti-slavery line, but do
not cross it.
This is my rules There are the slaves in their
chains, held by the government. l ask man
With which party will you stand the masters, in
the Union, or the slaves, outside of it? Answer
mo that question, and know your character. If
you stand with the slaves, outside this Union, then
here are my heart and hand; but if you stand with
the masters, under the Union, you are my enemy,
and the slaves deadly foe, practically. | say TO
every Free Soer-'You are the ally of the South
ern STAKEHOLDER. You insist on voting money to
paw Marshal Freeman, and B. I. Hallet, and Geo.
I. Curtis, fo- kidnapping Anthony Burns; and you
are no friend of mine, nor of the slave
| say, the higher q man stands, the more dan
gerous he is. Free Soil is sucking out the hearts S
blood of our movement My proposition is to adopt
kind of machinery that shall save the converts
we make, and multiply them / am the last man
to think of giving up the ship. have not des
paired of the cause; have not spoken one despon-
ding word. All l have tried to do is to show tina.
our machinery is not adequate to carry out our
principles. Mr. Garrison read the Journals no.
tice of this meeting We ought to judge of our
position by what our enemies say of US. In what
does the Journal triumph? Not in my making
those statements, but in the fact that had cause
to make them. If l made them, and they were
joices in our weakness Am the cause Of it p
How could prevent that fact in which the Jour
nal rejoices Let adopt the machinery that
shall put the masses into our power, instead Of in
tn the power Of these miserable politicians; ana
then, instead of this chuckling of our enemies
they will come to us, and ask to De taken in.
Perhaps we shall do no better by the new meth
cd propose than we have hitherto, but J. for ore
wish to try; and if fail shall have the conscious
ness of knowing did not fail without On effort.
am not willing to stand before this community
without larger number of men around me. !
see these twenty millions of people standing with
their feet on the necks OF the slaves. They must
take them off, We have got to get this nation on
our side When 60 out to lecture or make any
effort, feel labor in vain, so long as cannot
bring the people over to my side. The object Of
lecturing is the conversion of the people, and if
fail to accomplish that purpose, am convinced
my labors are not producing such results as they
ought.
say to my friends, if you are satisfied with the
machinery, 20 on But for one, l am not satisfied
with our results, and do not like hear our ene-
mics triumph over us; but instead Of disbanding
and sitting down in despair, mean TO go on with
renewed vigor, and hope and trust ard expect,
that in the coming twelve months ! shall be able
TO show at least as many or more converts than
during the past year. And want 10 one 10 mis-
understand me- | am full OF nope