Editorial Correspondence.
Cattaraugus, Dec. 30th, 1854

FREDERICK DOUGLASS, ESQ: DEAR SIR:—
I am very comfortably situated in the home
of Joseph Plumb, Esq., a good specimen of
that class of Abolitionists who know no man
by the color of his skin, the texture of his
hair, or the symmetry of physical organism.
The weather has been very unfavorable thus
far, for the holding of public meetings. But
I have had much better meetings that I had
reason to expect, from the state of the roads.
I lecture in this place to-night, and present
appearances indicate, that the attendance
will be good. I find that Know-Nothingism
is making sad havoc in this region of the
country. Men who were, through the
instrumentality of Senator Douglas, becoming
pretty thoroughly abolitionized, are relinquishing
their Anti-Slavery predilections, and
wildly grasping after this recently developed
ignis fatuus. The more I perceive of its
destructive influences, the more am I determined
to resist it, with my humble ability.—
It takes with the masses, because they act
more from impulse, than reflection. They
are led into the movement almost
unconsciously, and once caught in the snare, they
adhere to their folly, with a pertinacity,
which would, in a righteous cause, be quite
commendable. When will the people of the
North learn wisdom? When will they learn
to oppose the damning crime of Slavery,
upon Principle? When this kind of opposition
is made to bear upon the system, it
will find its grave, and not until then; for
then, no new issues will be permitted to
transfer the attention of the People, from the
grand conflict between Liberty and Slavery,
to something else of mere secondary
importance.

We earnestly hope that Anti-Slavery men
will take this matter into consideration, and
suffer no stratagem of the wolf to deceive
them.

But I must bring my letter to a close, as it
is time to prepare for meeting. I hope those
who turn out, through all this snow, will be
edified, though I must confess, I do not feel
very speakified. Last night, previous to the
meeting, I went into a hotel to warm me,
having rode horseback several miles in the
cold. A little boy came to me, and thus
addressed me:

"There's going to be a lecture here to night."

"Is there?" said I.

"Yes," said he; "and a nigger's going to
lecture."

I went a little farther on, into the house of
a good abolitionist. I was sitting down
quietly, the observed of all observers. By
and by, a little girl sang out,

"The house is lit up; O dear me, I do wish
the nigger would come." When they got to
the "lecture," and found out that I was the
"nigger," they looked rather "curus."

Yours, for the Right,
W. J. WATKINS.