Henry Catlin to Frederick Douglass, September 6, 1853
SUGAR GROVE, Pa., Sept. 6.
DEAR FRIEND:—The success of reform
must depend entirely upon the energies and
efforts of reformers. The world has become
so corrupted, and the rule of despotism so
universal, and the destruction of human
rights and liberties so complete, that we do
not look for just civil government self-or-
ganized, or expect to see equality and right,
unaided, taking the place of tyranny and
wrong. Much as I may believe in the eter-
nal triumph of truth over error, I do not at
all suppose that of itself, and without human
agency, it is mighty or will prevail. The un-
tiring and earnest vigilence of living men is
required in the work of revolution. As the
world lies still, watching for the advent of
justice and of brotherhood, and listening for
the crash and ruin of bloody violence and
oppression, the surging tide of iniquity
comes on. Before its resistless march [fall?]
all the cherished hopes and dearest rights of
life—while from behind comes up in the dis-
tance the ceaseless wail of desolation and
misery. The accursed mould of slavery and
degradation gathers upon doomed millions,
and obliterates all rising hope of redemption,
and finally all traces of humanity. And
this comes of waiting, delusively, for some
this comes of waiting, delusively, for some
God appointed time to arrive, when, by some
God appointed way, the everlasting force of
right shall shatter the power of might and
wrong, and at once establish justice. I tell
you, we have no such God now-a-days—Whatever He will do for our crushed race,
will be done either directly or indirectly;
and there is much to be done. We have in
our country the aggressions of the slave
power to oppose on the one hand, and the
ruin of the rum power on the other; and
then other monster evils are rising up beside
them, and all to be resisted at once. But
the steady progress of reform has already
far advanced, and the present time has come
to witness encouraging prospects of our
speedy success. Among other influences,
the power of the press is indeed forcible. It
stamps an unfading permanence to truth,
which, uttered by the voice, is too soon lost
and forgotten.
I am pleased, Mr. Editor, that your paper
is doing such a noble and efficient work. I
believe it to be universally welcomed and re-
garded wherever known; and I hope it will
return you such pecuniary benefits as will
enable you to keep it continually on duty.
We, too, of Western Pennsylvania, are in
the work. We are thoroughly organized in
town and country. At a recent Warren Co.
Nominating Convention, we adopted the fol-
lowing resolutions:
Resolved, That our object is to aid in the
establishment of a righteous civil govern-
ment, by which we mean a government
which will emphatically protect all human
rights which come within the province of
legal protection.
Resolved, That the Free Democracy is a
separate and distinct organization, adopting
for its creed the principles and doctrines of
the Pittsburgh platform of 1852.
Resolved, That as Free Democrats, we are
not only anti-slavery men, but temperance
men—hostile alike to the slave power and
the rum power of our country, and conse-
quently can support no rum candidate, tho'
he be an anti-slavery man, nor a pro-slavery
candidate, though he be a temperance man.
Resolved, That the Maine Liquor Law is
the main spring of our hopes, for rescuing
our citizens and our State from the accursed
ravages of intemperance.
Resolved, That since the Fugitive Slave
Law is as odious, as foul, and as aggressive
as ever, we feel compelled to disdain, disobey
and reject it as much as ever.
Resolved, That we want no pledges from
our candidates, for if, from past knowledge
and experience, we cannot trust them without
a pledge, we cannot, then, trust them with a
pledge.
Resolved, That we recommend all mem-
bers of our party to read and sustain par-
ticularly the papers of our party press.
I remain ever yours, respectfully,
HENRY CATLIN.