The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-04-20
UNH BER l6.
Anti-Slavery Voting.


Our brethren have done better at the nolls than
we expected. Our Van Buren, brethren especial.
| ly. Wing abolitionsts are not so strongly tempt.
ed-or so strong solicited by party as their breth,
rem of the other party. They had less to sacrifice
in carrying the independent ticket. From the re,
suits of last year they could not so naturally have
expected the success of their party Their oppo,
nen brethren did expect success from that result.
Every vote cast for the slave by them endangered
the triumph of their party. This the party knew,
and its leaders, and the party press, and they
were desperate upon them, to retain their alegi.
ance and their suffrage. The Wing press scarce
ly nerfered at all, naturally enough calculating
that the result of ant-slavery neutrality would be
less dangerous to themselves than their adversary.
This perhaps should make the anti-savery breth=
rem, who stood true to their duty incline to liberal
allowance towards their Van Buren, brethren, who
yielded. The Wing brethren who yielded have
no excuse at all.
Still we can hardly see how abolitionists could
vote for d party, whose leaders stand pledged to
hostility against their cause-whose head man
has soemnly committed himself before the nation
and the world, in his message, to forbid Congress
abolishing slavery in the district of Columbia,
should that body incline to do it as represen-
tatives of the free States. He has pledged himz
self to sustain slavery by his official power, so
long as the Shareholders wish to sustain it. A
bloody pledge And it will rank him below Nero
in after times. For it is a crueler and wickeder
thing than Nero ever guilty of-heathen and
tyrant as he was
The name of Van Buren, will be infamous IN
deed, if slavery ever comes to be rightly estimated
by mankind He sold himself to it for the political
favor of the South. This is no angry assertion.
1t is calm fact, and will be found in impartial his
tory. 1t will be recorded and as truly as the be-
l. Al -
How could abolitonists vote to favor party under
such leader as this?
1t may be said that the leaders of the Wing
party are as devoted to slavery as he. In truth
it may, of one of them, Henry Clay is slave
holding personfed, and between Clay and Van
Buren, there is perhaps nothing to choose by abo7
litionists,- that it is more honorable in a
southerner-a STAKEHOLDER born and bred, to advo7
cate it, than in a native and resident of free
State-in southern man with southern princi-
pies than in " a1orthern."
But with regard to members of Congress, we
can hardly offer an excuse for our brethren. We
hope they have one-but we cannot conjecture it.
Those who voted the Anterior ticket for Congress
-signers of petitions-and voted for candidates
who they knew would tread under foot their pc,
titions and their sacred Enthusiastically when
ticket of abolitionsts was provided at their hand,
and presented them in entire good faith and as
called for by their fidelity to the slave. How alb.
olitonists could vote fer their own base oppressors
and the Knockers at the anguish of the slave, we
can scarcely conjecture.
But party " is mighty" and sometimes will
prevail"
1t will not always 1t forebodes its own DOOM
1t stands aghast at our handful of votes. With
all its majorities the party dominant is i'll at ease:
Its glorious summer is made winter of discomfort
by this anti-slavery Mordeca sitting at the palace
gateway And well it may bode, if there is force
in truth, OR Providence over human affairs, The
little anti-slavery cloud which, now, at the polls,
looks no bigger than mans hand, shall ere long
olacken these political heavens and pour upon the
and thunder shower of the blessings Of equal
liberty. And the earth here now all arid and
slavery-scorched, shall look greener at the clear
ng off of that shower, than the vallies of Israel
lid, at the rains that made Ahab hurry down the
sides of Carmel.-Herazdot Freedom.