Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-05-20
THE MEETING OF THE AMERICAN
TRACT SOCIETY.

The result of the business meeting of the |
Tract Society probably considered great
triumph of the Tract House management.
1t was sucl---a triumph over all right, order
and deccncy. The meeting appears to have
been packed, as last year, with the cotton
merchants and brokers of New York, and
their clerks, and they had every thing their
own way. The results, in brief, were the
reelection of the former officers and cxecu-
tive committee which was matter OF
course the rejection of resolution in favor
of carrying out the resolution OF 1887 pro-
viding for the publication of tracts on the
moral evils arising from slavery, also mat
ter Of course /; and-what every body, per
haps, was not prepared to expect, the noisy
and riotous rejection Of two resolutions Of
fercd in succession by Rev. Drs. Patton and
WOlcott, to the effect that since there are
indications that the STARE trdde is about to
be opened in this country, the publication OF
any we'll written tract against the slave
trade, will meet the appreciation of the So
ciety
The laying of this resolution on the table
was advocated by Mr.. Daniel Lord on the
ground that it the Society's business to
urcuiate tracts and that tract against the
slave trade could not be circulated at the
south. In reply to this the tdcis were men
toned that the Boston Society had published
an antl-sllvery tract (Which this Society re-
fused to publish) and the first order, for 1000
copies, was from the Southland that not
copy of DIR. Adams "South side View" was
to be found in the bookstores Of NowOrleans,
when all of them had Uncle Toms Cabin
but the replies might as well have been
made to the east wind. The resolutions
were rejected and thus this great society,
which rebukes dancing, intemperance and
the use of tobacco, refuses to Iebuke the re-
opened African Slave trade. Rev. DR.. Spring
was sorry to see any American willing to be
silent on the naked question of approving or
disappearing the slave trade; and moved
resolution, that while the society rejects the
resolution against the slave trade, it is not
from any Indifference or neutrality with re-
latinn to the slave trade itself. This conces-
sion was granted to the venerable mover,
though Il Rev Mr.. Van Pclt said he did not
know why it was not as righteous to buy
slaves from the heather now, as in Moses
time. and the resolution was carried.
The character of the meeting was quite in
keeping with the main result. 1t was appa-
rently even more disorderly and tumultuous
than that of last year. 1t would seem as if
the adherents of the management, being in Il
majority Of ten to one, or whereabouts, might
have been content with voting down such
motions as they did not approve. But this
was not enough; an asscmblage of South
Carolina slave holders could not have been
much more resolute or successful in sitting
all discussion. The movers and advocates of the
resolutions on slavery and the slave trade,
men of standing and character, like Rev.
Drs Thompson. Patton, Bacon, Wolcott and
Mr. John Jay, were greeted with storms Of
Kisses, groans, whistlng, cat calls and cries
of "sit down, " "shut up and similar gen
temanly observations, and only secured
partial hearing by great and persistent eff
forts.
Tho Tract Society is, We believe, the
only respectable religious association that
has adopted this way of doing things, which
is only less effective then the Southern
method of knocking on the head those who
venture to alludc to slavery not in terms
Of Recommendation.