Isaiah C. Wears to Frederick Douglass, October 29, 1855

LETTER FROM ISAIAH C. WEARE

MR. FREDERICK DOUGLASS: DEAR SIR:—While I am free to confess that I do not desire newspaper controversy, I believe it to be my duty, notwithstanding, to notice an article purporting to emanate from your Brooklyn correspondent, a portion of which is devoted to an effort to place me in a position that I have no ambition to occupy. The objectionable feature to which I invite attention, (and which does me injustice against which I, in the name of truth, protest,) is phrased in the following terms: The Philadelphia leadership had been evidently" assigned to I. Weare. Now, in great kindness, we ask him, how does he know that there was a leadership to be assigned to any one? This he is bound in honor to answer. Next he uses the terms evidently assigned; where is the evidence to lead any unsuspicious mind to such a conclusion? Certainly no conduct of mine could (except by force) be so construed. I will here add to help him out of the difficulty, (for I have no doubt that he means well,) by stating simply, that although there was a meeting or more held by the Philadelphia delegation I did not at any time meet with them in order to know or participate in their doings. True, I had a private interview, in regard to the convention, with that very excellent man, Prof. Chas. L. Reason, but I say, unhesitatingly, that no word or sentence, indicating a sectional idea or preference, escaped his or my lips. Indeed, in my opinion it is not only silly, but wicked to entertain such prejudices, and much more to give vent to them. I immediately question the colored man's head or heart that I find guilty of indulging in such culpable nonsense. Holding such views, it can not, therefore, be expected that I will suffer to pass a palpable misconstruction of my conduct

in this direction. He has volunteered to be my daguerreotypist, and to give the public, pictures gratis. Well, truly, he must have benevolence largely developed. I do not know that I had the good fortune to become acquainted with your very learned correspondent in the convention, and writing, as he does, under a blind or dumb signature, (a practice I detest,) it is not likely that I shall. I will here add, that he, who uses other men's names so freely, in his correspondence, should not withhold his own. According to his own writing, he arrived in twenty-four or thirty hours after this so-called missile had been hurled, which took place on the evening of the first day of the convention; our friend therefore does not speak from observation, which also accounts for his giant error in regard to Dr. Smith's resolutions. The fact is that they were originally offered as a substitute, but the quick sighted Dr. Smith, finding that they failed to command the necessary support to carry them, (in substitution of the original,) suggested that the original be modified in one of its terms, and then as a compromise that his resolution be attached thereto as an amplifying amendment. This Dr. Smith did in a very polite, dexterous, and dignified manner, accompanied with his bewitching smiles which it was difficult to resist; those of us opposing his resolution responded to his suggestions, glad to pay homage to the good sense which prompted the Doctor this to submit them and thereby harmonize the convention on that subject.

ISAIAH C. WEARE.

PHILADELPHIA, OCT. 20th, 1855.