Henry Bush to Frederick Douglass, January 13, 1849
Rochester Jany 13. 1849
Reply to F. Douglass report of the Annual Meeting of the Western N.Y. Anti Slavery Society. Dr Sir you had the kindness to publish my letter of the 6th., and in the postscript I there stated you could take your choice of submitting the matter to the Executive Committee & publish their decision or to publish my reply, which you have preferd. you remarked you would like to know, what part of your remarks in the Annual Meeting of Western N.Y. Anti Slavery Society I would have you retract, my answer is to all that is not true, and you say that you shall not need to be asked to retract but will do so with all promtitude and pleasure if I will point out a line that is not so now, if I supposed you were as ignorant as you pretend to be you would have some excuse but knowing as you do the injustice you have done me, and the Western Society, in the article referd to and now attempt to cover up and plead ignorance, is only adding fuel to the flame; now to your report you add speaking of the meeting that but few friends from the country and almost as few from the city were in attendance but that they were fully up to the mark, small in numbers, yet large in principles, and Spirit,
then you go on and condemn and say our society passed all the symptoms of that disease which proved fatal to the existence of the New Hampshire Anti Slavery Society and you were fearfull that its fall would be similar to the fall of that Society (but do not tell us what their great Error consisted of) after much discussion reason prevailed and the Society was saved from disolution by adopting a resolution admitting all persons to express their opinions on the proceedings, but that members of the Society alone should vote
[here] the Society appears to be in a terrible state bereft of reason and all the symptoms of disolution; why because in another place he informs us that the meeting partaking largely of the peculiarities of what are termed New England Free Meetings, he then states, we think this was upon the whole a pleasing feature! of the meeting Frederick then tells us what saved the society reason, prevailed, come to their senses, who this Society that partook of the peculiarities of the New England Society, so pleasing to friend Douglass, by what means, of course a speech from Frederick Douglass brought the Society to their senses, it is however to be regretted says Frederick Douglass that one member of the society Mr. Henry Bush should not acquiese in this sensible arraingemt but evidently sought to embarrass and hinder its happy opperations when questions were submitted to the action of the Society, this accusation is not true, and I appeal to the chairman of the Meeting, and the Executive Committee who would be as likely to know as F. Douglass, if that statement is true, my crime if any is that I talked and voted in opposition to F. Douglass and I now assert that my views were and are in harmony with the majority of the Anti Slavery Men & Women of Rochester and Western N.Y. and at all previous meetings of the
Society and our Friend, F. D. knows full well that at a Meeting when he was invited to make Rochester his home when the Court House was filled to overflowing, that a set of the most [ultra] resolutions were passed unanimously and then three hearty cheers was given to liberty, all voted none thought of anouncing that only members should vote, but a hearty aye was given that done all good, and that meeting or the remembrance of it I doubt not was what made F. Douglass decide to make
Rochester his future home for that night he was voted a Citizen of Rochester; now it can be sumed up in few words, there was a resolution passed that all should be invited to participate in the deliberations of the meeting, Mr. [Black] a liberty party man asked if all who participated would be allowed to vote. J. C. Hathaway in the chair decided that they would and upon that decision Mr Douglass took exceptions and a warm debate followed. I took park and give my views that it would be unfair to ask people to come and discuss and take part with us and then turn round and sez although they had the best of the argument you cannot vote. Mr. Douglass was fearful that the Taylor Whighs might outnumber us, (why not be as fearful of the liberty party, or Democrats), no resolution could of course be adopted they could lay it on the table vote for its indefinite-postponement, & silence all discussion upon it, precedent in Rochester does not warrant such a conclusion but our ignorance recevied a terrible blow from our esteemed friend Frederick Douglass who accused us of being a Sham Society, an imposition upon the public and many other hard names, because on looking round but few had put their names upon the Books of the Society, their Hearts in the cause was not sufficient, & they could not vote; then another Resolution was offer'd that the chairman should tell the audience that all had a right to participate in discussion but only members could be allowed to vote, this was voted down, and many supposed the inconsistency of the former vote, was now made
to appear in its true light, and that we should go on in harmony as heretofore, and indeed I believe we did, with the exception of the Taylor Whigs voting down a resolution when they agreed with friend Douglass, and I did not see that he was horror struck or feared a disolution of our Society by their coming to his help. I then said that there
were those that voted that did not belong to the Society, I heard no confusion, I only intended to call up some of the pure minds to their own laws, that they made but it was all well because they voted as the law makes wanted. I voted in the negative several times, why, because I had a right to differ without being called to an account by the Editor of the North Star and my name published to the world as trying to hinder the operations of the Anti Slavery Society. he adds again we are glad to add that but little sympathy was shewn with him by the audience and that the society almost unanimously stood for the complete integrity of our Anti Slavery organization (which our friend F. D. calls a sham) will he tell us when they lost their integrity, (this he omitted) but thinks for the future it will be conducted with that order which shall inspire the respect and secure the confidence of those that would make a combined effort for regenerating the public mind on the subject of Slavery, then mark he says we regard the Society to be in a much more hopeful condition than at any former time and have no doubt that it will grow in strength and usefullness, why because he has straitened it out and put down the refractory, and has given to the world such a consistent feature of our Society; it is a little amusing to read over the Report under Jany 5. 1849. the readers of the North Star are respectfully invited to look over that report and see the logic of our friend F. D. and see how he has put all things to rights, and got the Society on a firm basis. I am sorry [for] the Credit of our City and the
Anti Slavery Society, and the Editor of the North Star, and the general cause at large, that he has made such a lame attempt, as the report of our Annual Meeting. I do not write you as an enemy but as a friend and one that always has been your warm friend and supporter in all things right but could not suffer my name to be used as you have done it without giving my state[mt].
[Yours for the truth and right.] H. B.