"Calling him out," and he Comes. (Article)

"Calling him out," and he Comes. (Article)

Henry Highland Garnet on support for free produce

MR. DOUGLASS: - In the last number of the North Star, you offer me an opportunity, to speak for myself, through the same medium through which you have slandered and traduced me. I thank you for it, and at the same time I assure you, that whenever you lay aside low and vulgar personalities, and call me out as a gentleman, I will answer, and not otherwise. I had two reasons for not resorting to your paper in order to make a reply. First, because I addressed a letter to you last winter for publication, expressive of my gratitude to some of anti-slavery friends in Penn Yan, and you did not suffer it to see the light, because it contained some views which were unpalatable to you. And in the second place, because I thought it unlikely that after having wilfully misrepresented me, you could not even "for a pretence" show so much liberality.
You heard that my friends, and the friends of universal freedom in England, had invited me to visit that country, and immediately you became very much alarmed, and your friends also. The reason for this trouble of mind on your part I have not been able to determine, unless it is, that you have the spirit of the Old Roman, and believe that "the world was made for Caesar." You did not even want to know whether I was going to that country, before you labored like a Hurcules to blacken my character in the eyes of a people who may never see me. I knew sir, that in your hot pursuit after a worthless, and a transient fame, you would sometimes stop to mean things, but I never dreamed that you would ever sink so low, that you would have to reach up, standing on tip-toe, to find that level of meanness where common knaves are inclined to pause. Ah, sir, the green-eyed monster has made you mad. Pardon me, when I tell you that you never imbibed a spirit so narrow from any dark son of our native Maryland, living or dead. But why should I marvel? When did you ever manifest friendship to any colored man who differed with you in sentiment? You deign not to mention the name of the noble Alexander Crummell; you have stabbed at J.W.C. Pennington; you have tried to ruin that eloquent fugitive Henry Bibb; and you have vainly attempted to crush that intellectual giant Samuel R. Ward. But you are at home in the company of Thomas Van Rensselaer, editor of the Ram's Horn, whom you have accused of falsehood. What think, you of the old adage, Show me a man's company, and I will tell you what he is?
In your assassin-like article, which you desired to take effect in England, you say that I am a man, and may stand among my brethren. - Why was all that necessary? Why raise a mortal to the sky? You talk of my race - pray sir, how many races of men are there? Certainly if you do not belong to my race , you must belong to that of Haman.
You make four charges against me, every one if which is generally and particularly false; and you knew them to be such when you made them.
1. You say I go to England to advocate a cause abroad which I have not espoused at home - the Free Produce cause. This is untrue in two particulars. I go not for that purpose alone - I am requested to advocate the cause of freedom generally. I am a friend of Free Produce , and have humbly commenced practicing it.
2. You publish that I have no faith in the use of moral means for the extinction of American Slavery. I believe with all my heart in such means - and I believe that political power ought to be used for that end, and that when rightly used, it is strictly moral . I also believe that the slave has a moral right to use his physical power to obtain his liberty - my motto is, give me liberty, or give me death. Dare you, Frederick Douglass, say otherwise? Speak plainly - I am "calling you out."
3. You accuse me of being your enemy. I am not. I stand in that relation to no man. You hate me because I tell you the truth. May you seek speedy repentance.
4. You, and the Anti-Slavery Bugle, say that I will misrepresent you in England. My theme in that land will be of better men, and better principles than you, or those which you possess. Will the Bugle please publish this letter, and send me the paper, and I will send him a years subscription.
Some two months ago or more, Mr. Douglass challenged me, in connexion with Ward, and Bibb, to discuss the matter upon which we differed in New York in May last. I accepted, but you became frightened at the mere "shaking of my goose quill." You could not be called out. You affirmed that the project to give the slaves the Bible, is unworthy of the attention of philanthropists. I dissent from you entirely.
Your servant,
HENRY HIGHLAND GARNET.
PETERBORO, Aug. 31.

Henry Highland Garnet

9.7.1849