Press enter after choosing selection

Letter From James G. Birney: For The Signal Of Liberty

Letter From James G. Birney: For The Signal Of Liberty image
Parent Issue
Day
6
Month
October
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

pETÏöi-r, Sépt. 29, 1841. Dbak Sjr: - S-;n ihrec weeks f-ince private business c;.lli-J ie 10 Saginaw it this State. I (!i; iiol u,ïend deUvorini any Anti-SIavcry luiUrëascs on my route Ilowever, on arnving at this place, I va; eoon calleci on by somo of our friends, wh thoughl that even a single eclure migh be of sonie service to ihe r.ftuse here. This was not long )eiore dinner, utul i; my Iruveling companiqns required me U continue my jourhay next rcomíñg, I enn Kcntcd to deiivcr :i lecture ihat evenftig Siotwiihstanding the notice was so shóïl we had quito a large tissembly ut the Fresbyterian ckurch. The nexOSunday, I spent at Fiint u Ger.essee Couütyj. 1 had no person;l acquamtance with r.ny one in the place: I i'ound out, however, that there wére aholilionists in tlie viilago, and not a few in the viciniiy. Next iay, before !üavin;r fur Saginaw, I was callud on by some oí lliem and requesicd to lecture that evening As I could not remain wiih any couvenience all night, I promiácd lo lecture au evening on my return. 1 rctumcd on iho 21 inst. Tiiat day Convcntions of the Whigs, the Democrats, and the aboütionsls were held u lbo village fvir nominating their resjieciive candidatcs lor Hic Sia'.e Senate. Alany of dU the partiês remained to be pressia ut the leeluro. Th'p Court house, t'ie largest building in the p'ace, and which had been procured lor the occasion, was horoi!g()!y iiüed, by an intelügent louliiog audienee who gave a respectful atten'.ion for nearij' two hoiirè. i did notobtain tlie naines of the Liberty nominees, therefore, cannot furni: h you with thein; bul they wiil doubtlcss be corn ni'.inicated to you in due time. Coming on next day to Detroit wheie I had alsu promiscd our friends to leclure nguin on rny rulurn. Sunday evening was fixeJ on. The church - -lite sanie that was occutiierl before, was 1 beliove almost entirciy {uil ou ihis occasion. At the close of the nieeti i' i signiííed, that 1 would lecture on the Politica! Relations oC lUe Anli-jlavcry cause, on Tucsday Monday morning I procectlcd by the cars to your beauiiful villnge, to keoo an appointmeni, wluch. as you know, l" iiad aulhorized tobe maüe for rhe to leciure that eveuirjg. iNotwithtanding the torrents of rain that began to i'all nearly au hoi ir bet ui e the time of meeting, and continued up to the time and beyohd il, Mie Presbyterian Cimrc'n- the same in which an excellent and able co adjtiior Rev. Mr. Cleaveland ininisier-s - was we'A filled: - and by n aembly, loo, of persons who seemed dcejjly ïntcreötTjil to hear all (bat miglu bu s.ud on the üulijact which had brought ihem logeiher. Next day I reiurned to this city. AH neccásary arrangemenís had been made fora lecture on the Puii'.ical aspect of our cause. The City H.ill had been óütaiñud. '"As the subject was politiccd, not maiiy ladies attended. We had ou!, however, quite a large. number uf gentlcjncn- fairly representing, as I was tyldj tho feepeCtibiiity and intfÜigeuco of the city. 1 am ceriainly much ihdebted to them' for the pntient and respectful atteniion which for twohoui'3, they gaveJi) my ireraiarks; As you have charge of tho Signal of Liberty, the orgiiu of our friéñdia in Michii,ran, 1 have thought it proper tli.it I ahould, communicatc to you the foregoiug uotices of what I have been damg. There has not been the süghtcst dishirbance of any of the meetings, nop have 1 personally been trented wiih ony diáie8)ccL in most of the towns where 1 havo lectured enough (osiir ni ihe pro-ólavery spint which is to bc i'mml i;i alinost every nook and corner of .ir i;oiiii.ry, 1 have sel dom escaped the curso and insulting Uunts of the luw and the vile, even in Wdlking the streets. If I were to judge of the people of Mich-! gan by ihe samples 1 have seen niyjudg-1 ment wouldbe very favorable. I should pru pounceihem intelligent, imbued more f han! is common in their cifcumdtancea, with! religious sentimenls - law-abiding, hospi-; lable, and generous. This is the mental, and moral soil on which the snoot of Lib-i erty naturally springs up aud grows, lili it becornes a tree on whose branches the fowls of heaven can rest. I have seen no one who has offored, ini the least degree, to palliatc the fcrocious - thebloody - the brutal - the lustiïil out-! rage in Cincinnati. To confine the men -and this under the show ofprotection - where they could neither see the ruffian assaulls on their wives, nor hear their cries, and then to rifle their chests, make way with their apparel, sack their houses and oiitrage the persons of their women als ready half dead with fear! - it is too much to thinkof. This triumph of a band drunkand led on by a corps of Kentucky negrowluppers- this mean and cowardl y trucklWg of the people of free Siale to a troop of women-flogers,finds,l rejoice to say po defencchere. Can it anywhcre? Nowhere I believe.but in the feculum ofslavehoU ding society, or in n city that bad a May. orwho, without an efibrt to restrain it, mingled with the mob that deslroyed the Press in 183G, and that had conlinued the unfaithful creature in office ever since. Wiil not our Ann Arbor friends as well as our fiicnds generally throughout ihc State dosorneihnïg in ilie way o! repaVring the loss sustained hy the pubhsher of tbo Philantlirpjriöt, and to sustai'n that excellent paper in its present strnit. In conclusión penrit me lo say, that I hope- indeed I hetieve, thjit our friends goneraily whon l hare been so happy qr lo liJcei vyixb uill show at tho polls, tüal liiey nrn in êariiest for emancipalión. Truiy Yuurs,