Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-11-20
SHAREHOLDERS IN COUNCIL.

From the Baltimore American, November 5.h.
SHAREHOLDERS IN COUNCIL.
In pursuance Of resolutions Of meetings held in
the various counties on the eastern shore OF Mary
land, a convention Of delegates assembled at the
Courthouse at Cambridge on w ednesdhy Noyem,
Der 3, at . o'clock p. NJ
Mr.. Goldsborough. on taking the chair. return
cd thanks to tho convention for the honor confer.
red upon him, and took occasion to express his
hearty concurrence in the objects hoped to be ac.
compshed by their delib etations.
F. W. Thomas Esq, ,hen proceeded to address
the convention on the object under consideration
and was most eloquent and effective in urging the
necessity of prompt and Efficient action to check
the operations of the abolitionists and their EN-.
ssaries. lie alluded TO the case Of Bowers at
Chestertown, ard to the case of lIaslett, now
confined in Jail at Cambridge, caught in the net of
running off seven slaves, who confessed that he
received his pay frcm the northern faetioniss for
work he undertook to perform. lie compared the
condition Of the free negro at the North with those
Of the Slave at the South. and showed that one was
happy, contented and cared for in youth and age
while the other was fricndless outcast, enabled
to exc out misersble existence in the days Of
youth and strength, to be finally closed in the
poor.house II concluded hy urging on the con
veniion to consider well the course it was proper
to pursue to correct the evils under which they
labored aud to be prepared to carry out their
resolves to the fullest ex ent.
Judge j. A Stewart, of Dorchester expressed
his regret that this should be called Slavehold.
ers' Convention. They di9 not come here to pro-
tect the interests of the stakeholder alone, but of
all classes, by devising some means to govern TIE
free negroes, who are an unproducng class, mum
bering in those counties not less than 25 600 souls
If they can be controlled aud made available as
producing class there will be no more trouble
with the slaves. Their bad counsels and bad ex
ample make the slaves jscon tented and unhappy
They cannot control themselves +; they become
vicious, dishonest and lazy they corrupt the
slave, and daily rendering this species of
property less valuable and it is the duty os ALL
whether shareholders or not to take them in
charge. The manumission Of slaves has been
great error, and an evil to themselves as well as
to the riiaster and the slave. The free negroes
must therefore gradually, and by the most reason
able steps, lie brought back to their original con
dition. We must give them the permission to
leave the state ii they think proper, and if they
choose to remain We must take the responsibility
lt adopting some Efficient means OF restoring them
to control and suheCtiCn. This should be the
primary duty Of the next legislature, and they
should meet it manfully and without hesitation,
or else acknowledge to the WORLD that they have
not the energy and determination to protect their
domestic instuiions from gradual overthrow and
destruction. lie alluded to the futile efforts of
the Colonization Society. which has already cost
the State about quarter Of million Of dollars, all
Of which has been squandered and wasted. This
having tniled it now becomes our duty to try
some other means to cure the evil. The northern
fanatics will give nothing to the free negroes and
aut little for colonization. Since he had been in
Washington lie had been frequently called upon
by oiacks with subscription papers to buy The FREQ
dom Of their wives and daughters. When asked
why they did Lot call on the northern members
the reply was that they would not give anything
that they say I'VE entitled to our freedom
without paying For it," This Judge Steward re,
marked, very convenient excuse for with,
holding their contributions, AMI showed the shal.
lowness of their pretensions.
Judge Stewart then alluded to the recent
speech os Senator Seward in which he declared
that the states mus. be al free al elave, az an
evidence of the extreme fana,icsm that now pre-.
walls. lie therefore regarded it the duty of the
people to meet this question at once, boldly and
maniully, and to elect their delegates to the next
legislature fully instructed to take prompt and
efficient action in the matter, to procure q sufficient
porrogtiNa II is "a ne Tat-into ~.
tians, and as friends of humanity, to correct the
evil
Elias Grswold, Esq, of Dorchester, entirely op
proved of the views So ably urged by Judge Stew
ard. We all are satisfied that something must be
done to control our freenegro population. If it
possible u set down the cost that has been to
us to try these tree negroes for crimes in all the
cOuntlos--crimes committed because of our nabi
ity to control then-then add to this amount the
loss annually entailed on US by their plering and
to that the great loss to the master by corruptng
the slave, and we would have a sum sufficient to
pay for the removal of all OF them from the State.
Ii We send our slaves out to the field, they meet u.
every corner vile and lazy free negro lolling in
the sunshine, and we cannot expect them 20 lie
either useful or contched, Thus they corrupt and
decrease the value of the slave property. in6epen-
dent Of their tampering aud evil example. With
regard to the manumsson Of slaves, be though: it
was great evil and was occasioned by wrong
view of masters in their last moments, of their du-
ties to their families. lie regarded the position Of
a master as somewhat the same as a parent-that
while the parent felt it to be duty on his death
bed to provide guardians for his children, it was