The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-11-09

MS government IL am the SUBJECT OIL r.
'' publican government, am guilty of treachery
all It's essential principles if vote to make la
maker OF any other than a republican and how
ever wise and virtuous may be the candidate, if h
subscribe not to the doctrine of the equality
men in their natural rights, he is manifestly, not
republican Here again must remark, that ie
norance of the real nature of slavery on the pal
of the candidate, who espouses pro-savery views
constitutes no excuse for voting for him. Th
elecor is to see to it, that his vote corresponds
not with the ignorance of the candidate, but wit
his own views, and with just views Of the charac
ter of the political institution of his country ant
with the political character of slavery.
i The wheel of reform would move but slowly
the reformer shape his course and adapt his de
mands to the views and wishes of those whom ht
seeks to reform. "Then shall we know if W.
follow on TO know the Lord" 'le can be no re-
former of his fellow men and no follower of God
who, instead of keeping pace with the divine rev
Citations to his SOUL contributes to elevate places
of power, persons, who will carry out the opposites
of his own great moral principles, and respond tc
his increasing light but in deeds Of darkness
Christian reformers can never lower the standard
of truth in accommodation to the voluntary or in
voluntary the guilty Or the guiltless ignorance OF
any mana candidate for the legislature or the
pulp not excepted.
You will, perhaps, say, that, in ascribing to you
the doctrine that we are at liberty to vote for a
Legislative candidate who is an anti-aboltonist,
misrepresent you. But, does not your language
Justify the Inscription You would have us vote
for man who is " ive-sixths an abolitionist."
But, what is " five sixth-abolitionist ?" What is
a fve-sxth honest man? What is ive-sixths
man of truth? A liar, and there is no truth in
him." What is ive-sixths sober man? A drunk
ard, and but drunkard.- so also Give
siXhs abotionist," is simply an an-abolitionst
and has yet to learn the abolition al phabet. |
recoect hat you think it right to vote for man
who will vigorously support nine measures we
advocate, but faers at the tenth" So do think
il right, in "the tenth" be not test of princi
ple But if it be, promptly reject him as I'M
worthy of the votes of a republican and Chris
.ian. Was Herod a Christian, because he favor
ed nine-tenths of Johns measures? Perhaps he
favored nnety-one hundreths of them, for it is
said that he did many things and heard him
gladly" These "many things" doubtless met
the Baptists appreciation. But there was one
thing which he would not do, and in refusing to
do that, he evinced his entire destitution of the
spirit of Christian obedience. So. in our day, a
man may do many things" that a. Christian does,
and yet not have the heart Of Christian-and
yet totally reject Christianity. He may, for in
stance be honest in his dealings in property. He
may drink no intoxicating liquors. He may read
his bible daily. He may daily call to God in
prayer; and yet if he refuses to forgive his enc
emes, he has not particle of Christian religion
in his heart. Analogous 10 his case is that OF the
member Of Congress, who is in favor of the right
of petlon-ofth the abolition of the inter state slave
trade-of dozen other ant-slavery measures
and yet be opposed to the abolition of slavery in
the District Of Columbia. Such one has yet to
learn his first lesson in abolition His heart is an
entire stranger to the principles of abolition. The
measures, which he supports, are not
espoused by him in answer to the principle Of alb
the principle of impartial and univer-
sal liberty-for, if that principle within him,
it would manifest ITSELF as we'll in behalf of the
slave in the District OF Columbia, as elsewhere
as well against oppression and pro-slavery laws
in one place as in another. To vote then for ga
five-sixths aboltionst"-or even for one "who
will vigorously support nine" anti-savery meas.
ures out of ten, and thus make himsefa nine-tenths
aboltoniss by your scale, is to be guilty of voting
for anti-abolonist for one who is not in prin-
cipe opposed to the crime of slavery. And one
thing more; since it is from considerations of ex-
pedency, and not from principle that the candid |
ate favors five of the six, nine of the ten anti
slavery measures he who votes for him can feel
no reasonable assurance that the shiGings of ex-
pediency will not bring his candidate into speedy
opposition to the very measures he now advocates.
What is but expedient to day, may be inexpedient
to morrow; whilst that which is now eternal i'm
mutabe principle, will be so always.
What have said shows that approve Of the
resolution of the National Anti-Slavery Conven-
ton which requires the candidate to be an i'm
mediate abolitionist--or, what is the same thing,
an abolitionist in principle the gradual abolition
ist having never welcomed the principle, or imbib
ed the spirit of genuine abolition. 1t shows, too,
that, able as are the arguments Of the editor of the
Cincinnati Philanthropist, against the resolution
in question, and much as | admire his rare talent
and incorporating integrity, the proposition
which he combats, is, in my judgment impregna-
Bile. However satisfactorily the candidate may
answer the ant-slavery questions addressed to
him, if there still be room to believe he is not an
abolitionist, we are not at liberty TO vote for him.
The main object in addressing the questions should
be to obtain answers that may guide us in deter
ming whether the candidate be or be not an abo-
itionist.
There is one view of the error of voting for
legislative candidate who is willing to perform
- -. r H. J,,t;oe opininnd On him nv the