The weekly Anglo-African. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1859-1861, 1860-05-05
Rev. u. SeIIa Martin and the Afri-
can Civilization Society.

Rev. y. SeIIa Martin and the Afri-
can Civilization Society.
Mr.. DroR:-The late meeting held in
New York city to oppose the African Civ
ilization Society, presented features which
do not reconcile me to any connection
with that association When I first con-
nected myself with that society, supposed
it would meet with the earnest cooperation
OF every colored man in America, and my
reasons were these: First-That it would
pay the passages Of colored men who wish
ed to go to Africa to assist in the develop
ment of the cultivation of cotton. Second
ly-That the cultivation of cotton in Afri-
ca would break up the slave trade. Third
ly-that cotton would be made cheaper in
the United States by its cultivation in AT
RIGA, and thus the strongest support of
slavery be taken away. But, since the
Manchester cotton supply association are
going forward in the development of the
cultivation of cotton in Africa, and since
ten thousand dollars have been offered by
an English company to a company of col
ored men, provided they possess a knowl-
edge of its cultivation, and since more than
all the colored people of the United States
disagree on the utility of such an associa-
ton here as the African Civilization So
ciety, / hereby dissolve my connection
with it in every respect.
If agents abroad are representing that
the colored people intend leaving the
United States, if the existence OF this So
ciety, supported by colored men, give the
impression to white Americans that we in
tend to leave them, and if it affords ground
of suspicion that any colored man is base
enough to sacrifice the interest of the col
ored people for money to such a monster
of iniquity as the Colonization Society, its
existence can work only harm, and there
fore | cannot support it.
Now, in making these statements, no
sentence of them is dictated by any sus-
picion of the men connected with it. /
know the society to be SO poor that it can
not pay the salary of its secretary-th
the agents scarcely get money enough to
support themselves. I am confident that
there is no purer man than Henry High
land Garnet in America, and had not per-
sonal reputation of the most corrupt char
acter been made againt him, he would have
taken no interest in defense of the society
when he found out that the colored people
generally did not approve of it, But when
mans character is attacked as his has
been, he would have been convicted
traitor had he not defended it as he has.
What is true of him, I believe to be true
of every colored man who has had any
thing to do with the society.
In all my public speeches or letters, l
have avoided mentioning this society
nay, I have not thought to mention it, un-
til it has been thrust upon me as it was in
the New England Convention and at the
meeting in New York, and hads the meet
ing been conducted with more fairness in
New York, the people should have had
my reasons in full for being connected
with the association. regret exceeding
ly the turn which that meeting took, since
it looked as though we were afraid to dis
cuss the subject America is my field of
labor, and I deprecate anything that will
be wedge Of disunion. have no time
to spend in the defense of anything upon
which the colored people are not a unit at
least in principle; and as the Civilization
Society has always been considered a
means of beneftting the colored people, /
have given it my countenance, but, since
it appears to be the means of injuring us
by disgraceful meetings, disunion of senti-
ment, and effort, and corrupt imputations
of corruption, I renounce it.
j. sELIA MARTIN.
Boston, April II, 1860.
Suffrage Meeting i'm New York.