Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-11-01
from the Antislavcry Standard.
TWENTIETH ANNUAL MEETING
or Tur
Pennsylvania Anli-Slayery Society,


-
The Twentieth Annual Meeting of the PennsJt
vonia Anti Slavery Society was held at Norristown'
on Thursday and Friday, the 10th md 18th inst
At 10 Id o'clock, the meeting was called to order
by the President, JAMES Morn, ard in the absence
Of Mr.. Dillingham;, the Recording Secretary, Rtu'
BEN ToMLiNsoN was chosen Secretary, aud Wn
HENRY BURR Assistant Secretary.
On motion, a Business Committee was appointed
by the Chair, consisting Of the following persons;
j. NJ. McKim. Parker P~illsbury, Mary Grew, O.,
Johnson, A. NJ. Powell, John wainwright, Jonathan
Gable and Lucrctia Mott.
In consequence of the neglect to give sufficient
notice in the town. the attendance Y as small; and
as the janitor had failed to heat the furnace, it
was moved that the meeting adjourn till one O'clock
and in the meantime the Business Committee could
have an opportunity to prepare their resolutions.
The meeting accordingly adjourned.
AFTERNOON SEssIoN.-The Chair announced that
a letter had been received from VIM. Lloyd Carl
son, and it was read by Oliver johnson, as follows:
BosroN, Oct. II, 1856.
j.. MILLER McKIM-W Dear Friend: Having
been for n few weeks past su ffering from ill-health,
| reluctantly deem it prudent to forego being at
f the approaching annual meeting Of the Pennsylva.
MIA Anti-Slavery S~ociety-deeply rcgretting to
cause any disappointment on account Of my ah-
sence, and especially that | must he deprived oi
r tie unspeakable pleasure of once more seeing, face
to face. those whom | regard as among my dearest
friends and most reliable coadjutors, whose pres
ence is ever to me an inspiration, and ''of whom
the world is not worthy"
r But my absence will lie of little consequence,
not only because there will in all probability be no
lack of speakers, but because this is not the hour
for any of w to obtain a candid hearing, while the
community is in a high fever, and a political earth
! quake is shaking the land to its centre. 1t is only
after the earthquake that the "still, small voice
of truth can be heard, and we mus: patiently bidc
our time.
The crisis is full Of temptation to swerve from
the straight line of rectitude, in order to avert an
impending calamity, and to drive back the minions
] OF despotism. Our ranks are again to be thinned
through the pressure of a terrible exigency. Once
. more. like wheat, we are thoroughly to be silted
= 1t is difficult to speak SO as not to be misunder
stood, or to have our language perverted through
party ~trickery. Nevertheless, we may not be
= wholly dumb. If we may not hope to gain any
+ converts at this hour, we can at least renew oul
n testimonies, whether men will hear or forbear."
e What, then, is our duty as Abolitionists in thc
: present crisis?
First-what it is not.
e 1t is not to abandon our principles. for they are
e immutable and eternal. 1t is not to lessen our de
mands. for they are just and right. 1t is not tC
lose sight of, or postpone to a more favorable peri
/. cd, the glorious objec. we have ever had in view
[ to wit, the total and immediate exit, ction Of slave
t ry-ior this would he iatuity. 1t is not to substi
L tutc the non extension for The abolition of slavery
). for this would be to wrestie with an effect, while
d leaving the cause untouched-to seek to avert tn,
penalty Of sin, while allowing ths sin itself to g
d unrepented of. 1t is not to lower our standard, IL
a order TO p~ropitiate the time serving and cowardly
10 Or to carry anT measure however desirable, for this
would be certain defeat. 1t is not to concentrate
Il our forces upon any geographical or side issue with
the Slave Power, for this would be q fatal diver
n sion. 1t is not to plead for the white laborer, tC
{ the forgctiulness Of the black labourer, nor to con
n Germ ourselves exclusively with consecrating t.
u freedom any particular portion of the American
+. soil, for ours is neither n complexional nor a sec
tional movement. it is not to act upon the Jesuit
e cal maxim, that the end s~anctifes the meas. fu
! this is the all corr, pting sin in every part OF TIN
= rebellious world. 1t is not to seek what is mos
available for the hour, or temporary success upni
i n false basis. for this is to rely upon numbers, an'
not upon God-upon policy, and not upon principle
Our duty is first personal, in regard to ourselves
We arc to see to it that we make no truce with sla
very, either directly or by implication; that ",
give to it no religious or political sanction in an,
form, or to any extent; that our hands are clean
4. and our consciences without condemnation; tina
IF we "rememher them that are in bonds as bein,
bound with them"
This duty performed, our next is to call to repen
lance our guilty land, to impeach, criticise, admon
1t ish, entreat, rebuke every sect, every party, ever,
n person. in Alliance or sympathy with the oppressor
IN or Indifferent to the claims of the p~orishing bond
ID men; to reject all halfway measures, While hailin,
with gladness the smallest indications uf progress
it to be as memorable as justice, as contumacious II
truth, as uuhending MS the pillars Of the universe
to ''put on the whole armour of God, and, h1vin,
m done all, TO STAND"
as Where. then. is our proper place in the politica
a struggle which is now CONFUSING the nation, an,
exciting an unparalleled anxiety in the breasts o
1t the people?
e. Surely, not with the Democratic party; beyon,
nc all question the most corrupt, the most shameless
the most abandoned, and the most desperate part
is in existence. From the beginning, 'tbe naturu
ally of slavery" it has continued TO wax wors
a and worse, till now it is thoroughly Satani, i
I" spirit and purposes; the embodiment of burder,rut
lhanism; its rank-and.fle made up largely of III
;, ignorant, the besotted, the mobocratic, the intens,
L Iy de2raved, the utterly lawless, the horribly pr
fame, the ~fearlully misguided-and governed by tn
of vilest demagogues, the most dangerousiconsp%irato
Is. and the most bloody, minded tyrants; awowing sci
timents more derogatory to human nature, nol
hostile to human liberty, moro insulting to IIeayel
i than have been promulgated by all the tories
Of Europe, for a thousand years; laughing to scor
h, the "self evident truths" Of the Declaration
Independence, and impudently branding them