Syracuse University Library
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Gerrit Smith Broadside and Pamphlet Collection

Elder Charles B. Ray : Peterboro, Nov. 16, 1848.

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874.

Digital Edition.

This digitization project was supported by Regional Bibliographic Databases and Interlibrary Resources Sharing Program funds, awarded by the New York State Library.

Call number: Smith 455

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[From the Model Worker.]

NEW YORK, May 18, 1848.

Gerrit Smith:

MY DEAR FRIEND - The enclosed Resolutions of the National Convention of Colored People and their friends, held at Troy, N.Y., on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th of October, 1847, would have been forthcoming, earlier this week, but, that, in looking them over, I found, that they had to be signed by the President of the Convention. I, therefore, despatched them to New Bedford to secure his signature. On returning home, a few minutes since, I found a letter from him containing the Resolutions with his signature.

Yours truly,

CHARLES B. RAY.

RESOLUTIONS.

"Whereas, GERRIT SMITH, of Peterboro, has made a donation of one hundred and forty thousand acres of land to three thousand colored citizens of New York: and

Whereas, this Convention regards the above donation as a manifestation of love on the part of the donor; a love for God in carrying out the Divine intention to grant to all a share in the means of subsistence and happiness; a love for humanity, in seeking the down-trodden and oppressed among men as the objects of this donation, and a love of human progress in placing in the hands of the oppressed the means of self-elevation: and

Whereas, the freedom, independence and steadiness of the farmer's life will throw among the colored people elements of character essential to happiness and progress: therefore,

Resolved, That this Convention do express its deep thanks to GERRIT SMITH, of Peterboro, for his splendid donation to the cause of God and humanity.

Resolved, That this Convention do call upon the Grantees of this land to forsake the cities and towns and settle upon this landand cultivate it, and thereby build a tower of strength for themselves.

Resolved, That we recommend to our people, also, throughout the country, to forsake the cities and their employments of dependency therein, and emigrate to those parts of the country where land is cheap, and become cultivators of the soil, as the surest road to respectability and influence.

Resolved, That a copy of the preamble and those resolutions that refer to the gift of Mr. SMITH, be signed by the President and Secretary of this Convention, and transmitted to him at Peterboro.

PETERBORO, Nov. 16, 1848.

Elder Charles B. Ray:

MY DEAR SIR - I express my thanks to you for your letter, and to the Convention for its Resolutions. This would have been done long ago, but from [for] my strong desire, that the doing of it should be accompanied by the declaration, that the great debt, due on the lands to the State of New York, is fully paid. This declaration I can, at last, make.

I promised to pay the taxes assessed on the lands prior to "1844 or 1845." All prior to 1845 are paid. I expressed the hope,that the balance of the purchase money, due on the lands from my late father, would be paid, within two years from the time I gave them. It is paid; - though not by several months as soon, as I hoped it would be. The grantees will excuse me for having taken so long a time to discharge these incumbrances, when they are informed, that my payments to this end, within the last two years, not to speak of such, as had been previously made, exceed, in the aggregate, thirty thousand dollars.

I am happy to learn that, notwithstanding the industrious efforts to dissuade the grantees from going upon their lands, some twenty or thirty are comfortably settled upon them; and that a considerable share of the remainder are preparing to follow them in the Spring. Would that the three thousand grantees were all in their homes, and tillers of their own acres! The time of their degradation, and, indeed, of the degradation of their race throughout the Nation, would, then, be much shortened.

Friendly whites may help diminish the obstacles in the way of the redemption of the colored people of this country,- but the colored people must themselves work out their own redemption. This, however, they will never do, so long as even the free portion of them are all, or nearly all, the servants of another race - and that, too, a race, which despises them. But such servants they will not cease to be, until they shall have left our cities and villages to scatter themselves over the country, in the capacity of farmers and mechanics.

My colored brethren may well lament, that others should despise them. But, this is not the greatest calamity. A far greater is, that they despise themselves. The contempt of others for us is, comparatively, tolerable. But, when it is well nigh universal and is long continued, it is apt to produce self-contempt in us: - and no sooner is this produced, than we have descended from an eminence which there is, seldom, spirit and energy enough left to reclimb.

The free colored people of this country have lost their self-respect. Hence, my gravest doubt of their redemption. Hence, too, my gravest doubt, that they will ever exert an effectual influence for the redemption of their enslaved brethren. What a proof have we of the invasion, if not, indeed, total loss, of their self-respect, in the fact, that, full as is the current religion of deference to slavery and of negro-contempt, they, nevertheless, have adopted it, and blended

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themselves, in church relations, with their despisers! What a proof have we in the fact, that they espouse the politics, and identify themselves with the political parties, of those, who loathe them! Even Dr. James McCune Smith of New York - a gentleman, whose rare talents and accomplishments fit him for the highest stations and the most polished circles - even he was, once, so far lost to self-respect, as to be found voting for men for civil office, who deny him the right of suffrage, and who refuse to sit in the same pew, or eat at the same table, with him. The Dr. has, happily, recovered himself front this amazing error - though I am not sure, that he is not, still, in ecclesiastical connection with monsters, who, could they but lay their hands on him, would buy and sell him as readily as they would an ox or an ass. There is Frederick Douglass also; - it does, indeed, rejoice my whole heart to see with what energy he endeavors to kick back American Christianity into the pit, whence it sprung: - nevertheless, even he, and though he has the talents and the dignity, that would adorn the Presidency of the Nation, could, at the late Election, let himself down so far, as to advise his colored brethren, who vote, to vote for such despisers of his race, as Doctor Smith, once, voted for.

How sad, that such men, as Doctor Smith and Mr. Douglass, should ever have so undervalued and degraded themselves - should ever have so pocketed the detestable and infernal insults upon their race! I am aware, that it may be said, in excuse for these gentlemen, that, in what they did, they aimed at the deliverance and elevation of their race. But to this we reply, that even the highest good is not to be sought for, at the expense of self-respect - that even Heaven itself is not to be crawled into; - and that, in all our purposes, relations, pursuits, activities, the Divine admonition to us is: "Quit you, like MEN."

The oppressors of my colored brethren - and the North is, well nigh, as full, as the South, of them - will never, voluntarily, relax their oppressions, and restore the rights they have plundered, until they have come to respect those brethren; - and this will never be, until the free portion of those brethren have come to respect themselves. Then it will be. Then, when that portion shall stand up in the self-respect, and dignity, and virtue, which would revolt at fellowship, ecclesiastical or political, with their oppressors and despisers, as at an ineffably degrading and criminal thing then, it will be morally impossible to continue to oppress and despise my colored brethren, much longer. I have, often, thought, how quick the colored people of this land would be redeemed from thraldom and contempt, were but those of them in the Free States to rise into so high an expression of self-respect and brotherly love; as to refuse, with all the promptitude and indignation with which they would refuse to drink their heart's blood, to eat the food, or wear the cloth, extorted from the slave's unpaid and compelled toil. Indeed, such self-sacrifice would gain for them the world-wide reputation of being a nobler and more truly heroic race than any other, which ever lived.

Could I but get the ear of my Northern colored brethren - could I but get it away from their flatterers and deceivers - I would say to them: "Cultivate self respect - cultivate self respect-cultivate self-respect" - for by that means, and not without that means, can you, peaceably, regain your own rights or the rights of your race at the South. Have no fellowship, political or ecclesiastical, with those, who hate or despise you. Turn your backs upon American Christianity and American politics, as upon the Devil himself - for he is their author. Vote for no man for civil office, who will not treat every slave-law as no law. The man, who feels the least respect for, or admits the least obligation in, slave laws, does so, only because he despises your race. He would neither feel the one, nor admit the other, in the case of slave-laws, which might be enacted against his own race. He abides by the present slave-laws, only because it is negroes, and not his own race, who are their victims. Let laws to enslave white men, whether they be organic or statutory laws, come into being in Massachusetts, New-York, and Michigan; and the Daniel Websters, and Martin Van Burens, and Lewis Casses, who are so full of respect for the old slave laws, would execrate and despise and nullity the new ones.

I would, in conclusion, say to my colored brethren: "be suspicious, as well of professed abolitionists, as of anti-abolitionists. There were, at one tune, seventy thousand professed abolitionists in the Liberty Party. But, where are they now? Nineteen twentieths of them have betrayed you, and have gone down into a party with those, who despise and loathe you - with a party, which, even at its formation and, in its very 'platform,' admitted the validity and inviolableness of'the laws, which enslave three millions of their countrymen; - an admission, which they would sooner have perished than have made, had those three millions been whites, instead of blacks."

Very respectfully, your friend,

GERRIT SMITH.

[It was hoped, that the foregoing Correspondence might get before the eye of the colored people. But none of their Newspapers have copied it. Indeed, the Lynn Pioneer is the only Newspaper which has copied it. Hence, the re-publication in the present form. Dec. 29, 1848.]