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Communications: Letter From S. B. Treadwell

Communications: Letter From S. B. Treadwell image
Parent Issue
Day
11
Month
March
Year
1844
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Jackso.n, Feb. 28, 1844. Mkssrs. Brcklkt &l Fosïer: ït is with great pkasure 1 can nay, that since my Btop at Adrián with our mutual and . highly valued friend, Charles H. Siewart, Esq. he lina visited Jackson caunty in accordance with an arrangement made at the time. During the time of Mr. Stewart's visit to this counly, we attended 10 Liberty meetings togettier, and spoko alternately to relieve each other aud the nudiences. In this way théy seerned patiënt and deeply interested from 3 to 4 hours in Jislening to the astounding dèvelopement of focts which go vitally affect themselves and tbeir country, as well as the slave. Our meetings were full and atlentive. In most instances, the audiences, unexpectedly to us. passt'd a hearty and unanimous vote of thanks for our labors, and cordially invited us to visit them again. How cbanged has heen the public feeling on this subject since 1835-6 & 7, when, inslead of nttentiye audiences, votes of thanks, Stc. Anti-slavery speakers wërO almost every where ealuted with brick-bats, addled eegs, &,c. &c. O, will not our frtentls and all see this visible tokcn. for go,od, and viseiy itn prove so wonderfuland so encouraging a providence in avor of our cause, by doing every thing in their power, by way of furnishing means, and by t'ieii aclive efforts to push our cause ahead, that the slave and the country may soon be redeemed from the mosldreadfui bondage that ever cursed a naüon. While" Mr. Stewart was with us, it can be said in truth, that we 'drove bufiinese," for we spoke at considerable length every afternoon nnd every evening, (save one afternoon) travelling' from 6 to 8 miJes after C o'clock, P. M. to get to oür eveniiig appointments, nnd sometimes as far lo arrive home after ihe close of our evening meetings, being generally from 11 to 12 o'clock at niglit. It was in some cases 2 o'clock in the morning wlien we arrived home at Jackson, our place of rendezvous.- The good people in every place, whero we held meetings ín the evening were alwavs exceedingly kind in inviting nnd urgt'ng us to stop wilh them till morning. VVhenever we could conmstently, v;e were pieased to accepttheir proneredkmdness and hospitalitie?, but in Fome cases we w.ere obliged to return home the some night to be in time to meet our appointment the nextday at 1 o'clock, P. M. in another direction. We wcre generilly detuined after tlie close of our meetings an honr or inore in disposiug of 7 different kinds of Liberty Tracts, and in orgarjizing ''Liukrty Associations." Many new converts to our cause united wilh i líese associations and seemed detfirmined to be nctive members to promote their philunthropic and pntnotic objects. And here I-wish to say throiigb you to our fiïen-Js in the Siate, that our tracts were Eome which Mr. Stewart was fortúnate enough to procure. The tracts which I sent for at the East our friends there thouerht i vnsafe to send so far bystoge, Bat provisions are now making to raise fnnds to get as large an addition as possible of mnny diflèrent kinds of Trncts piinied here, which can nnd wi!j be done t. the Eastern prices within two or three weeks, providing our good Liberty friends will at once raise and forward the "needful funds." The more funds received, the larger edition will be printed. Uow deeirable that an inexhaustable Libevty tract depository should be established in this, as in oher States till the last vestige of slavery shall flee the land hefore the L1GIIT OF TRUTH ANDJUSTICE, ond our natiorr shal) be as free in.FACT as in name. These Tracts are able documents, and are most poiverfu!, in, convincing and converting our feüow citizens of all parties and sects to espouse our cause with decisión and earnestness. If our good liberty friends knew their immense valué, I am confident they would most cheerfully and liberaily contribute of their mea ns cofurnish all their fellow citizens, yet in darkness, (and consequent prejudice) the desirable light which these Tracis so umply aflbrd. When the requisile funds sliall be received and the tracts rendy for distiibution, I shall, without the least delay, give notice nthe?SÍLnül" accordingly. Our frieiids will please bear in niind thal it will take a good many hundred thousond Tracts io supply all the families in the State with a new one once a month as is the design to do as far as possible. But to return. Previous to qur mutual labors at Adrián, I had been favor ed with but a slight personal acquaintance with our friend Mr. Stewart, though by i tation he already stood high in my esiimation I as a gentleman of distinguished ability, great i Jiberality, and of untiring activity and, zeal in promoting all good causes. But during our ]■ ' - arduous labors in Lenavree and Juckson coun. ties, in attending about 20 meetings together my attachment and regard for him became ol noordinary character. They are better feil than expresserf. His illustralions of the deetructive workings of slavery to freedom, through the machinery of ihe few nationa] rival party leaders that pull the politica] wires behind the evershifting scènes at Washington, were indeed brilliaat and irresistable. I shall ever hold his labors (vith us in this connty in grateful remembronce. We intend soon to curry this county for liberty whether our opponents shall be passive o r active in relation to us. Truth is mighty and will prevail." Should our opponents oppose us violently and unreasonably'by misrepresenlation, vituperation, Stc. ir.stead of ar'guments, it would tend onJy to wake up the people, the sooner lo see their condition and te revolutionIze the county. Wc expect to pa6s through the fiery ordeal of 1840. O how rejoiced and encouraged should I feel could I see in the Signal every week a brief and spirited account of some dozen or more Liberty meetings in different parts of the State. I shotild then hail the Signal os a "Signal oí LIBERTÏ"" indeeJ] Our friends all over the State may, for aught I know, all be at work. . Jf they are, 1 hope, fot the. pur'pose of nuitual encourageoient they wili say s:o, through the columns of the Signal, and tlius. incito,, or "provoke each other to good tvorks!" T hope our Liberty friends will.-noL delay ar, Iiour for.lecturers at a distance, bu.t get as many pf their fellow townsmen togetlifer as poesible and eilher read to them eome good ! documentsi, or address then? by way of a familiar talk, or of explanations of the destructiye vvoikings-.of slavery and slavery parties in the nation to every thjng sacred and dear to a liberíy loving people. Either way w:ould do great good. The facte! the fncts!.1 are what the people want. Tiiis is tho way by neighborhood meetings that. our experieneed and füithful Eastern friends are so fast doing up their work.Our N. Y. friends are talking for an,d ACTIN.G for, and confidently t-xpecling their 35 or 40,000 Liberty voles in tlie coming campaign. Shali Michigan fall shori of hor 8 or -10,000 Liberfy votes, hile one of the old .parties has up for ihe suffrages of Northern men called freemen for the highest office in the nation, one who has grown old and grey in slave'iolding.. gambling, duelling, &c. Êtc. and the other, a "JYorthern man with Southern principies," vvhose veto stands pledged in advance, to build up sluvery and crush Liberty!!! Can it be possible that any mnn whose lieart is right on the subject of slavery can longer be dehuled frorn the support of Ihe Liberfy party by the "ttoeedtedee and tweediadunf' pretensions of the old parties about protective. tariffi? - revtnue tariffs - banks, subtieasuries, Sec. &c. Who should not seetliat the derangemenL of these matters are but as so mony corrupt slreams emanating from the one great pro'ific and corrupt fountain of SLAVERY! How long wil! our beloved, but deluded nation aftributo its manifold troubles to every cause but the riglit one, the national curse of iieavÈür! How' iong will she empfoy political quacks who know not the dreadfql disease of the body politir, or knowing, have not the skill, or nerve, or disposition to apply the only remetly to remove it? This waiijng to vote the Liberty Ticket till after 1844 is but the second part of the farce of 1340. It will alr ways be "just this once," "UU o f ter ihis very important elècitonli" Almost any flimsj-, plausible pretext will be resorted to. to postpone indrfinitehj for money ;uu] party matter?, the pressing claims óf' 3,000,000 óf crushed human beings. Whobelieves that when men vote succcssfully for slavcry men nnd slavery principies they will then volunlarily abandon these men and these principies. In thednys of prosperity men are pufFed up. In the days of ndversity they consider.Let no true Lilerty man rest upon liis . oars waiting for a rush to tho Liberty party nfter 1344 from the rankg of a defealid party. Let every Liberty man smtndly convert all he poseib.ly can fr'ó'm the oíd partios before they cómmit the deed of voling for proslavery parties even "once more." For one such convert nniting with the Liberty party on frinciplk, will be of more real valué than half a dozen that come in as it we re, "JacJcat -a-pinch" from their def caled party. That there will be such a rush is generally admitted by all. How miïch more honest and honorable then wonld it s-eem to be tö rally aromid the Liberty standard fiöiv, from choicc, than to delay till it wonld seem to be á matter of shcar nccessiiy, or selftsh policy. Let us there fore vvork hard to gajn converts on PRÍJN'CIPLE. Ido hope you wiil constant !y retnind cur friends that where there are three true ■ erty friends in a town, iL is very. importa til that they forra a Liberty aesociation and meet ac least once a week, and fhat if they a-e active and true to each other, and true to the cause, their immbers and influence wiU , ly increaso, If our friends in all I.he towns (be U.ey few or many) wül not füil to get up their town Liberty tickets, say two or three. weeks before iown meoting-, and UNJTEDLY support them Ptrictly upon OUR PRINCIPLES, it-would thus moke a most noble and encouraging preparation for the fall campaign. Should this by any meana be neglected, it wonld on the cpntrury groatly weaken their strength for the "tug of war"' at the fall election. Teil all oui friends ro be of good cheer, for botter days are at hund, if they will but be faithful in working, and in otherways contributing what they,.caa to push our cause ahead by making individual convorts to it.- If cach libcrty tnun now in the fcitute wouldbe the raeans of making but 4 otliers by next fall, by means of lecturing - reading Liberty documents, conversing upon rhe subject, or purcha6inff and distributing Liberty Tracts, &c. fce. it vvould swell onr last fall's number to more than 10,00o. It certainly can be done if ai.l our friends will eet about it in right good earnest, in the various vvays before mentioned. Let no one listen a moment to the deceptive syren song from some, that the Liberty vote can not be mucli increased till after the next election. It is all a delusion to secure votes for other parties. There never has been so good a time as the present to make deckled Liberty men from both the old parties when the whole trulh isfair]y preeent, ed to them. Let their friends all rouse up and try it faithFully and they will be satisfied of this. The truth is that the body of the people ure ooking with considerable donbl; both upon the eadinsr men, and the indefinito measures of he old parties. Youra truly,P. S. I find I havo omitted to f=ay thal while Mr. Stewart was in the County, he ave one AdJress on the Iriah Repeal question, and one on Temperance. Ile spoke with mucli 'effect lo full and attentive audiencesupon both these subjects. P. S. Agreeable to an arrangement oFt,he State Society atits late nnniversary, individunis or compnnies that forward money to me to aid in supplying the STATE with Tracts, can receive the amount in Tracts, providrng they titv not drsign k asa donalion to the cause, and cali for thera witliin 4 weeks after notice shall be g-i ven that the tracts are ready for distribulion.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News