Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-03-07
Ibe Antt- 5laucrp Buolc.
LETTER OF GERRIT SMITH.

Gerrit Smith has addressed n letter to the aboli-
tionists Of the United States pointing out the ei
ifors of the sbolitionists ami the Republicans and
vindicatng the fathers If the revolution and con-
'stitution from the charge Of being proslavery.--
We publish below the commencement and cUncus-
ion OF the speech, emitting ,he constitutional ar
igument which does differ in its facts rea.
soning from the views we have heretofore repeat
sdIy presented the subject from the pen Of Mr..
Smith.
PErRRBoRo. FEP. ls. 1857.
10 The Abolitionists Of the United States:
What If my speaking to you under my own
name 10 ego:ismi What il my presuming that 50
many persons will cundescend to listen To is
egotism Nevertheless. | must lie guilty Of it.
What it mOdesty and the fear OF being reproach.
cd with vanity do bid me be silent? Ne,erthe-
less, my desire to speak is too strong Tor my mod.
ssty and rather than stihe my thoughts, | ain
willing to risk the appearance Of vanity in utterng
them.
| have read the well-written call for National
Abolition Convention. to be held in the City of
Rochester ON "Wednesday and Thurs lay, the l0tl,
and llth days Of next June and AIN pleased to
soc that it authorizes the Convention to nominate
candidates for President and Vice President. |
have put my name to it-tnoush 1 confess not
without soIne hesitation. was slow To obgate
myself 10 attend the Conventiun n1d | have done
shst, by putting my name to the ;all.
have always made it point to attend the most
important Abolition Nominating Conventions
They have however, been occasions u pam rath.
or than OF pleasure to me, because they were at
sendad by 50 few the great OF those WIN
should have attended them having already desert
cd their principles, aud gone from the Ahnli.
ton party to some uther. | WAS Mt the last Abuli-
sion Convention that nominated candidates Tor
President and Vice President. But although it
was mass Convention, not a hundred ot the vot.
ing Aboliti"nists attended it. The great body oi
them had already gone over to the Republican,
party. In such circumstances cared but little
whether a nomination was made, and when il was
made cared but little what became of it. In 90.
ing TO the Convention myself aud presenting 20 it
one Of the most elaborate Vt many declarations
and detenses of our principles, | discharged the
whole of my duty Tutt the Abulitunists did NOT
meet me there, and 81 make il worth while to go
into an earnest nomination of candidates, was
their own fault, and mine.
If my life and health spared shall attend
the Rochester Convention. But | caunut forget
my experience; and hence small go to it with the
strong appi ehension that am q gam going to an
Abol ton Convention IN VAIN. l shalt 20 to II
knowing that ought TO meet Mt least five ur ten
Thousand people hut fearing | shall ut meet H.
many hundreds. know indeed. that the Conveu-
tiun should both tur nuinhers and spirit, lie such
IS will convin 30 the nation that Slavery is t" he
speedily aud peacefully abolished. Nevertheless
numbers aud spirit. it will be such only To pro-
woke rdicule aud contempt The Ahuitinnlsts
are 10 he counted hy scores of thousands (iudeed
where IN my neghhnrh,od can -ee ii member OF
the Republican, or l had almost said any other
party, who is not an AboliIil nisi p Bur. in the
light OF the past who trust the nttatchment oi
Abolitonists to their princp pies? Wore they So
honest and earnest. and full of respect for their
prin ,iples and for themselves as Ia mnster five
ten thousand strong ut the I'r"p"sed Convention.
should need no voice from Heavier -Ur rather II"
no other vice FROM ileaven-tn assure me of the
bloodless and the early ermua i'm Of Slavery
Could witness such gathering | should hasten
to retTact my frequent predictions IN the last duz
en- years that Slavery will die II bin"dy death
Well might l-fur these predictions we're founded
on the infdelity of Ahutrnists tn their
principles than any or all things else. | shall
not confidently expect TO find such gathering
So far from it. shall % the Convention with only
faint expectations ol anything better than to meet
with II handful of penpe, and tn hear from them
that the mass of Abolitiuniss in their respective
neighborhoods still cling I" the Republirau party.
and still louk to it To carry out the principles OF
abolition. Alas, it has been so. from the very be-
ginning Al hrst tie AhnlitipniSts looked t" the
Wing party then to the Free Suil party; then to
the Free Democratic party; and n"E they are he
witched with tie insane notion that it is the Re,
publican party which is u do the work OF the Ab-
olitoni"ts. That they are To do their own work,
instead of depending upon an enemy to do it.
would seem tn be the very last idea that can he got
into their heads. Well do remember how hard
and yet how vainly, few of us triIed to convince
them that the Wings we're not their brothers, nor
cousins nor friends, hut simply their fnes and
then how we taxed ourselves With similar and
no less useless labor to dislhnse them of their like
delusl0n in regard u the Free Sellers and after
terward to disahuse Them Of their like delusiun
in regard to the Free Democrats. And now the
springing up of the Republican party has brought
another such work upon our hands. Yes, tue
great mnjorityof the Al ulitonists are infatuated
with the idea that the Republican party will
achieve the abolition of Slavery. Hence they see
il to be desertion of their principles o join il,
but to be altogether fr the SUCCESS Of those prin
ciples to take their place in a great and as they
trust ere long triumphant party rather than re
main identified with hopeless handful The
death of their present delusnns. is after all.
surprising. IL is the natural result of II success.
ion of de!usions, each one Of which has prepared
the way for desperate one
will do no injustice to the Republican party
Compared with It's rival parties. it merits praise
only. IL is to them "llyperion TO Satyr."-
Earnestly does IL cIntend for the freedom of Kan.
sas ana should Slavery 90 into any of she Terri
tories trust it will he with the consent nf the
Republican party. Not the least of its merits is
the choice which il made of standard bearer in
: the late Presidential canvass. Col Fremont is an
Intellectual man and a scholar a renowned bene-
factor Of his country, and an earnrst opponent of
the extension Of Slavery and | only regret that
he was Abolitunist, and was therefore not
entitled to their support. But the Republican
party IS not an Abolition party. Not even those
parts of Slavery which exists within the exclusive
jurisdiotion Uf the Federal Government dues it
propose to abolish Slavery in tho District of Gu.
lumbia nothing against the coastwise slave trade
which is carried on under the laws of Congress
nothing against the inter state slave trade It LET'S
the thrice Infamous Fugitive Slave act have it,
course. What a party for an Aboli,ionist to jim
And what party for him To reninin in is tba'
which treats him with unmeasured scorn Now
that the Republicans have got the of the Alb
oltionists. they can express their contempt and
loathing Of them with entire impunitv. lt would
seem TO be leading object with the Republican
orators in Congress to commend themselves and
their party to Shareholders by showing how much