State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1831-1836, 1836-03-08


suppression of freemasonry is ga domestic
concern of the States !" that it properly APP
pertains to the po,cer Of the people them
Selues," or the authority Of the Stale Gov
ernmentS !" and that it would be dangerous
TO commit il to the General Government or
any Its departments and
4. That appointments by the President
should be made upon the good old rules of
Jefferson" honesty, capacity, and fidelity
to the constitution and shat they should
be acceptable to the People for whom they
are Immediately to act.
This is substantially the ground occupied
by Antimssons from the beginning 1t is,
as MIR Slade justly remarks, substantially
the ground taken by Mr. Writ in his letter
accepting the anti-masonic nomination in
1881. MIR Writ was as little disposed as is
General Harrison to attempt to correct the
evil of freemasonry by the exercise of the
removing and appointing power of the
President of the United States. General
Harrison distinctly admits the propriety Of
putting down freemasonry at the ballot box
and by State legislation. Yet who can
produce any evidence that Mr. Van Buren,
is even morally opposed to freemasonry !?
Mr. Barber proceeds:
While they the minority would have felt
bound to adhere to the nomination of any
member of their own party for President,
independent of all other candidates, they
could not consent to be transferred over TO
the ranks of modern Whigisn, by the vote
of convention which they could not con-
slider as fairly representing the views and
feelings of majority of their party.
Let it be remembered, the only candidate
not dvotoedLy antimaSonic, ,Oho received any
support IN the Conveniion, 'oas Martin Fan
Buren,. On the balloting for President,
Mr. Harrison, all Antimason, had 81;
MIR Webster, an Antimason, had %;
MIR Granger, an Antimason, had 90;
MIR Everett, an Antimason, had L;
MIR Van Buren,, non comnlittdl, had 81!
And yet we are told, forsooth, that had the
convention nominated an ANTIMAsoN, why
the minority, who voted for Mr. Fan Buren,,
"toO,dd hare felt bound to adhere to tie NOM
nation! What does this mean? Is it not
singular ground for a minority voting under
such circumstances, TO assume that those
who voted throughout for antimasonic
candidates, misrepresented "the views and
feelings of a majority of their party? We
have yet to learn that the support of Van
Buren, non-commttalism is the the test of
fidelity to the cause of Antimasonry. We
are rather disposed to adopt the emphatic
language of MIR Barber himself that
"Neither MASONRY nor VAN BURENIsM,
nor both can succeed icith the Green Noun
tam Boys. PoLITIcAL JUGGLING ,0W run
a short race among the descendants of Ethan
.Men."-(Free Press, July l, 1881
Again:
We believe that a majority of the Anti
masons of this State preferred in the first
place, that the party should keep entirely
distinct from both the other parties, if pos
slble; and if not, to have, in the second
place, no connection whatever with the
Wings.
Yet who has been foremost in courting
an alliance between antimasons and anoth-
er party, by making overturcs and erecting
platforms" for the consummation of such
a purpose? Who were the first to take an
attitude of preliminary defiance against the
nomination of any and every candidate,
except MIR Van Buren,?
OF the four candidates now before the
public for President, we believe a majority
would prefer Mr. Webster, as n first choice
of evils, and he being out of the question,
would have chosen next to him, Mr. Van
Buren,.
lndeed Upon what evidence is this
opinion of Martin Van Buren's popularity
among the descendants of Allen" pre-
dicated' How long have they been welded
to his system of non. committalsm and
"politicd jugglery"} The North Star and
Free Press have for some months been
sounding the praise of Mr. Van Buren-yet
how many supporters were found for him
in Convention from the counties of Calcdo-
mia and Addison? Precisely t,oo from the
former, and three or four from the latter!
If Mr. Van Burcn's admirers are so plenty
among the Antimasons, why in the name
of wonder did they not come up TO the
Convention and do battle for him? Why
were they among the missing at the roll
call The doors of the convention, accor-
ding to previous custom were thrown open
TO Gall opposed to secret societies in princi-