State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1831-1836, 1836-04-05
LETTERS TO MIR. HALLETT.
No. 6.
FEBRUARY, 1886.

To i. +. HALLETT, ESQ.
SIR: You say, in your second letter,
that YOU take it for granted | have some
system in the course have adopted, some
plan to make my principles effective,
which YOU call on me TO point out; ana,
after charging me with involving the
anti-masons of Vermont in a labyrinth
from which they hardly know how to
escape, (how much they need your help }
YOU ask whether we "shall not, ultimately,
be compelled to sacrifice ourselves to the
ascendancy of southern politics, in the
person of Judge White" Upon the sup
position that such will he the result, you
very courteously ask, what will become of
all the principles with which have 'St!fed"
my pamphlet, and proceed 10 say, suhstan-
tiallv. that they will be just us much out
ragged in the election of Judge White as in
that of Mr. Van Buren,. Like the nurse
with refractory charge, which all ordinary
means have failed to subdue, you resort to
the Sraw-head and bloody bones" of Hhito-
ism. 10 frighten us into a support of Mr.
Van Buren,. Every man who ventures to
talk of third candidate, is set down at
once as "White man," an enemy TO the
NOrll. NC. l. Vi you pNSb hufN bNSi
the object of such attacks, insomuch that
you have publicly declared that l had
endeavored to carry my friends in YER
mont for Judge White, and that | had
actually written for him in the public pa
pers. The people of Vermont know that
this is not true, and shall not, therefore,
stop to refute it. Nor shall ] undertake to
discuss the question with regard to the
effect upon my principles, which would
follow the election of Judge White.
The truth is, you have altogether mlsta-
ken the strength of the opposition to MIR
Van Buren, north Of the Potomac; and you
may yet be convinced that there is as much
reason for accusing those at the South,
who adhere to Judge White, with doing it,
to yield an ultimate support to Northern
opposition candidate, as there is for accus-
ing the Northern opposition with playing
their game inO the hands Of the South, by
bringing out a third candidate. You
should remember, sir that Mr. Van Buren,
has been before the public as the Presi-
dents and the office-holders' candidate
for more than two years; and that 1t has
been part of the system of party tactics,
TO boast of his strength, and to assume,
everywhere, that he would be "certdlnly
elected" Even you, sir, have been de-
ceived by this, insomuch that you have
suffered the attractions of 'certdln major
ity' to win you over, nothing loath,' to the
embraces of the party. No obstacle,
moreover, to the perfect agreement of the
party has been presented i'll the necessity
of discussing and settling principles. The
great principle, devotion to party chief,
has been long settled. To fix upon the
man who should be the candidate of the
party, involved as little difficulty, for Cen
eral Jackson had early settled that question.
There seemed to be nothing to do, there
fore, but to cry, Van Buren, and Democ-
racy, (strange association!) and go ahead
Not so, on the other side. There was
no candidate, backed by the immense
power and patronage Of the Government;
no office-holders, dependent on executive
favor, to move in universal concerts and
no individual to make nomination which
should, at once, settle all competition. On
the other hand, there were honest dltler-
ences of opinion upon some points, in
regard TO which freemen might differ, and
which there was no Executive authority to
determine. And there was to be decided
the difficult question, can body OF free
men, who maintain a distinct political Or
ganization upon principles not acted on
politically by certain other freemen, give
effect to principles in which both classes
agree, to the extent of uniting on a candl-
date for the Presidency?
Pcrceiving this state of things, unweari-
ed pains have been taken by the friends OF
the Executive candidate to foster jealousies
and excite discussions among those oppos-
ed to the administration, and DESTROYS Of a
reform. This has heen especially true in
Vermont, rs could esily show.
From all this have resulted irresoutior
and delay, which have seemed to threaten
atsome times, the utter annlhlatlon OF al
hopes of drawing out and giving effect tc
the full strength of the real opposition
throughout the country.
In this state of things when all seemed
dark, light suddenly sprang up in PENNsYL'
WANNA. Anti-masonry triumphed in tina
important State; and whatever your Dos
ton masonic wings may say of it, has, II
that triumph, furnished in my opinion, the
only hope of saving the country from thC
'misrule' which you once so clearly saw
and depicted. The anli-masons of Penn
sylvania, with the venerable patriot anC
uncompromsing anti-mason, JOSEPH RIT
NET, at their head, have taken their stand
and taken it at a most important crisis
They might have delayed to make decis
ion, and waited the result of a nationa
anti-masonic convention, but for you
efforts to defeat it, and the conviction
thereby forced upon them that, lhougI
delayed it would finally be deieated-
PENNSYLVANIA, you knew, would have, AM
justly have, great weight in national con
vcntion. 1t was what you feared ant
desired to avoid, and have succeeded il
avoiding. But what you have avoided il
one form you have now to meet in another
The voice of Pennsylvania anti-masonr,
has been heard; and heard in good time.
The sudden attempt of the two opposin
divisions of the jackson party i'm tina