Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-08-16
William Lloyd Garrison to Charles
Sumner.
REVIEW OF THE EESAT0R's CAREER -GaEELgYIsM
EIPosED-THE BEARINGS OF THE PRErEsr CAM
PAIGS.

tonal considerations mus. be su5orliGs;ei to tn
public welfare when seriously imparilled. Yot
do not believe in silence in crisis ike ihe pres
eat, nor dc I. IN your recent letter to certain
oolored citizans Of Washington, you have spoker
plainly, vehemen,ly, ami with rhetorical ampli
fcaticn tuot for the irrt tme), in utter conien
nation Of the President Of the United States; an
your advice to the whole body CT colorei vosea
if, that they concentrate their ruacagos upon
rivSl candidate IN the peT,ol Of Horace Gree
leg.
In reviewing your letter l urcpote % sPesi
with equal plainne,r, and Sc earnestly, TO coun-
eel my colored c5un'rymen net to eollow ycui
lead il this mst:er, but, a. voters. to move uri
teiiy fer tie reelection Of Presiden: Grant. for
every consideration pertaining to ;heir taf,ty saa
happiness, 70 the csute Of equal rights, srd ;C
the fur.hcrsnos O: n4iionsl peace and unity.
In spologiz for your delay IL sn'wcrirg th,
letter Of inquiry referred 10, yol sts,e Ihat you
Sc wished to be siiel by the info7u=';ca which
tine might supply" The kind Of information
you desired or expected to gain in lie brief spAc5
Of seventeen days IS lef, to conjecture but, in
view of your long Syosel e,trangement f.oui
the presen. Chief MsgEtrstc. it could not have
been needed 10 iu'onsify your hostility :, hi. sd
uiiuis;rstion. Your reply if dated July -, aal
it sPpesrs to have teea as carefully timed 90 in
aueuce the election in North Jsro'ms On the let
5f august. before anything coal be Done 70
neutralizs It's effect. S. vas your Grsut inlet
ment speech il the Senate 10 determine tie Sc
tion Of the PhilsielPhiA Convention. These c.
medicines nay hsye hs,u 1ccileLts, but yod
raust not re turprtei if, owing 20 the Sell-known
inaAmmaSle stA;e u your mind, gensrsl be
lief obtains that you haze unfairly s7si:e.i your-
sell Of opportunities to work fatal d.visi3n in
the Republican rauLs.
It Hfcrls you muck sr.tiicitian to Re s;a-
gIed GU. by your color,i iate7Tosa,ofs ss Is the
special advocate Of thcir ri5h.s Bat tiis Is
81 a'famp,iou which justice. s. srH Sc lec5a-
ing mcles'y. shoa.d have ia you 10 d..o,au,
ever il it Vas re,rt OILY to derc,,be y,ar Coz
gressionsl career. similsr slyocates hsve from
time to tiiae stood b.sye'y up. both In tie Ser
s.e snl in size House ,f Rep-eserj4;ives-W Wii-
son, Hale. Tsle, Chs'a, Gi3d'ngs, Mann, 1--we
/ joy, Jcli4-, Psifre5, Tas3!els S'sveas. G-rrit
/ Smith sni Others Who. if 10; ss ccri.rr md
| orn.ls iu zr,eci - yourself, rave bs-n - uH-
/ a3lca;ng, suI IN tLeir turn most b:t.ery de-
uoulcsd. 90 sSy no hing Of ;Le tbors-u's cs 81
t-,isvery ren rud vguen whore iot :, wss to
/ pats tlrough ihe acs, sui igrien Of tie con-
aict. pleading il fcss5a ial ca; OF fessou. near
I lya tcore Of yeArs before your voice va heard
/ in support cf their holy cause your advocacy
f CT it has teen greEt and merii1iiou, bat 20
claim it - recciiEr Ct this lst: Gay, as though
/ You .troi alone su1 sl-cst E1-le h.ulel, ~
Tes5'-al appropriation very t.r removed ir, 70
self-Abnegatiou, sui quite GuVsTraniei.
TIC ReTCtHc.n party (the protact q thirty
yesrs' moral snt religious sg'ta-ion f5- the
overthrow q sl,sory) has orus5el ysE; ssc-
iioosl rebellion fr the erection Of - iulepcal-
ent slave empire hss euanc.p,'ci 'osr m.ilicns
q b5uimeu, suI elevated thea 40 -he plane o.
American citizenship hss reccus,r-crei the re-
btni5us Statts on 4 common constitutional tsfs,
with uniysrrsl Liberty has brought order cut Of
/ chaos, eouera tranquility cut u Wiic res
ii.alecior. uneLlmT.ei prosperity out oifrigat-
/ ial degs1,zton and has atvsncel the banner
/ 9f liberty and equality fsr beyond ile eIpec's-
/ ton or hope ci Eny m.n living ten years ago.
Tie day has gone ty, therefore. for r1y one 70
+ exhibit remarkable clu-sre or c7u1ricuty in the
I siyocacy Of any meSsCrc 10 hehs.s Of toe
right, and interests II cur cc,orel population.
except. Indeed where thr oli -lsvc-ho-tI1g srir.t
+ rti.l c.eTc;Ees mastery AZ the South. Ncr is il
periiucn, TO the occssicn 20 tax o. tteir '.nfre
wrongs" now tha; they s-e enAuciostel sai
onfrauchis,d. supple: with mui,ituliuaus
schools ami teachers, fsce 10 make their own coz
trssts as inie7caient labor,rs, protected - hus-
/ bands sad w.ves, bcu1i together IS parents sui
children, voting ART being yl,ci FOR. p1rsuiar
successfully Sll professi1nsl emYloymeut,. stesi-
/ liz sugmeltirg thC.r hc-ae comforts sni lsyinx
/ up wealth, occuryiEz stations Il trust sni emul-
umeuf, snd having taeir representatives in every
/ SJuthern Legislature sui On the floor of Con
gress True IN certain l0c,,ties ,heg are ,;ii
suiiec:ei to many iE2ignit,s. and sore,inies 70
horrible outrages bat ttere .ge iusiotei by
/ that class Of ncorrEit'c mscfesu;t ii the South
Who ere just row 10 LSFTy ahAS'ion wiki
! you7sslf o. place Horace Greeley % The Pres
iertisl ch2ir True. there ,r siil. tnroughou.
the cluutry,s stroay prciui.ce s-Aias; F9cal
eQusity irrespective ol co!o- bu; this .s stead
4 " yielding, sud in many c,sc- has ceased to
for the 90 Infinite wrongs" Of tie cc.orei rsce
w.s When they hsi few TO interfere f2- treir de
/ liyersuce from the auction block sui ssye-co1s,
| from the slave drivers CORY lasa, from CALLING
/ vokes and torturing ihumh-tcrevs, from The
/ fargs OF pursuing hloclhounds, from the clutch
! es Of proving kiiknspFers, from incoaccSshle
ag0nies st the burning stake; and hen TO - re-
member those In bonds - hound VITA them
| lei anywhere el'e thsn 10 the high pisces OF tie
country. And always deeply regret, too (ss
Sm quite sure you now do, thst for 70 many
/ years after the commencement; Of tBe H,rucs'c
/ TO eject that de.ivcrAnoe, when the elements
we're melting with i,rveut heat, srd mCbccr.,ic
violence for the supT Tessicn of suii-sisvery iis
cuss:o, vas everywhere prsysient, rot excepting
/ in ycu- own uStve city, you took 70 .ctive iEr'
in that corf:c,, attended no anii-sl'sery gather
inSs, csve 10 visible sign Of lively interert in
/ its success icr the FIRST time bearing your pub
I lie testimony tSAinIt slavery in cpposing the Al
neGs,ion Of Texru. Wien elected TO the Uniel
States Senate, in 1851, you rat nearly eight
months in that body specchless IN rctpect 70 the
I Fugitive Slave bill eliciiug strong remoBttrsn-
ces against your protrscted silence. seeing shat,
as the successor Of Mr Webster, your eleclion
war regarded As an important gain 10 tie csuse
of impartial freedom Your silence Sss the
| more i1explicLblc, sad furnished Just csuse for
unessiress. because, in speech made by you
before going to Washington, you sail; ''!Ee
subjec, would not admit of postponement CT he
siiation. It lie the subject Of subjects. From
this time forward It will be entertained by Con
gress It will be, ns il were, one Of fhe orders of
the day it cannot be passed over or forgotten.
We demand, EgEt and foremost, the
instant repeal Of the Fugitive Slave bill" You
took your seat in the Senate December l, 1851 :;
It was not until the 9th Of July, 1852, that ycu
rose to advocate that repeal, spoiogeticsly pre-
| facing your remsrks by ssying - Had [ at-
tempted this duty st su earlier day, il might
have been said that as a new conner and inexpe-
rienced il this .oeue, without deberAtor. hasti-
Is. rsshly, reckle.sly. pushed this question be
fore the country" Surely, 40 ;rGe friend o.
humanity would have nude ruct fling, sul
the possible sneers q ii, enemies we're rot de-
serving moments consideration. Betides, the
d,cusson had been going on throughout The
land ever since the passage Of the fugitive Slave
bill, 90 tina; to talk OF 4" pushing the question
upon the public attention wAs 4 ,nissPplicstion
of language.
Nevertheless, once putting your hand to the
ploy, you did noS lock bsck once breaking the
painful slence, you have rot ceased TO speak,
with great holiness sui rare eloquence for the
complete enfrsnchisement Of the coloIed race /;
nor have failed to stand By you through evil
report and through good report, cheering you on
and both in public and private yindicating you
from the unjust attacks of your pro
slavery trsducers. My reference Ia tae
early days Of snti-.lavery trial i. rot to tear
from your brow one Of the surels with which it
ia so bonorably bound; but when-to make gour
influence potential ,oih the colored electors 10
secure their rotes for Mr.. Grecley-Mr. Gree
ley's orgsn. the Tribune, untruihfuily pro-
claims you to have bcen "the foremost enemy OF
human slavery when '.boltious;' was term
Of Tepro,ch from one erd of the country to an
othcr''-s'the beat and wiscst friend Of the
freedmen in the tryingyesr since emancipation -
-"loved aud trusted by the oolored race above
all other men in AmericS"-jus;ice requires
: at thep dion teecshould he eIposed, and tie
whole truth told In nothing Of courage and
vigilance, of zs'l and fidelity in securing equal