The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-07-06

are appealed to--some by nattery-some by prom
ised rewards of subordinate offices-whe some
are brow-beat with threats. The party banner is
kept unfurled, and old associations, as we'll as fu
ure hopes, are brought to bear upon the prejud
ces, TO encourage the hopes, and excite the SYM
pathies of the wavering. They also foment with
skill and success those causes of disagreement
and alienation which unavodably exist among us
and thus they succeed by their own pertinacious
sel6shness, and our folly and disregard of our
dearest interests. Thus De Witt Clinton, the Ad-
amses, and all other candidates from the free
States, except the present incumbent, have been
run down, and he only succeeded by avowing
himself man with southern principles or in 9TH
er words, devoted to the Stare policy!
Being thus sagacious and successful in the at
tainment of political power, what use do they
make of it
They have but one policy; and that is to pro-
vide for the sale of cotton and every thing else
is subservebt to this. If we sell, they say, we
must buy, and is, therefore, necessary we should
import as much in value as we eXport-tor trade
is founded on an exchange of the products of la
Dor; and they would, if it were possible, import
their horse shoes, as they often do their harness
ses and saddes-indulging the hope that thereby
they might sell more cotton. This is their sys-
tenn of free trade.
In egislating upon foreign commerce they treat
with contempt the free laborer, and hold up the
spinner, weaver halter, shoemaker, &c. of our
country to the scorn and derision of the public
bloaed monopolsts, feeding upon the honest ear
nings Of others, that is upon the products of their
slaves.
SO far has this party carried its notions upon
this subject, OF late, that they have resolved by
Conventions to negotiate the whole business Of
foreign trade to build ships to concentrate capt.
tai, to create Cities and to leave ours to crumble
into dust under the absurd idea that the slave in
terest is the soul of the country. This approach
es very nearly TO naughty presumption, but their
dictation has been met so submissively by the
free States, that it begets vain arrogance on their
part
All this has most powerful bearing upon the
great crisis which is approaching, and which, by
the terms of the Compromise Act, must come
Meet it we must, and hope we shall meet it like
men. If the planters persist in trampling on the
laborers of the free States-if they insist on
crushing them unto the earth, and making their
condition in sober truth what they now represent
it to be, worse than that of slaves, then must we
come to the naked question, whether the slave in
terest shall rule the country, and whether the pol
icy of the government shall be so shaped as to
give prosperity 10 lIldL interest alone. 10 LDdl
question by itself we have never come for it has
always been mixed and disguised artfuly with
other matters, so as to conceal it. lspeak purely
of public policy, for ! have no reference to aboli
ton, or any of the hopes or doings of that sect,
with whom | never had any connection. If the
planters would run mady upon their ruin, let them
go on, and they will provoke temper and rouse
spirit that will shock their domestic institutions
and give them just cause for alarm. 1t is impos-
sibe that the free laborers, working as they do
for great ends, maintaining public liberty over the
nrigues and chicanery of politicians, can be made
the pack horses of the shareholders, by policy
suited exclusively to their interest, in the same
the great aristocratic landed proprietors
of England impoverish and starve the laborers of
that country by their corn laws. The corn laws,
odious as they are, are less oppressive and less
injurious than policy which disregards other in
erestS and goes for cotton alone.
| have already stated what is well known, that
the slave interest acquires this power over us by
our own strength, which it dverts to its own sup
port The alliance is, however, between parties
who have not an interest or sympathy in COM
mon, far as the free laborers party to it.
The STAKEHOLDER needs only to be understood to
render this clear and unquestionable. What pos
sible similitude is there between the planter and
farmer, or mechanic, or manufacturer! What
thought feeling, Or association have they in COM
mon? The one is proud naughty, arrogant, sell
fish, oftener than Notwithstanding his thou
sands of acres and his hundreds of slaves the
other has his small farm, his bench, or loom, and
depends on his own sinews for his daily bread
The one rides like privileged nobleman over his
extensive domain, and sees, without sympathy or
concern, the hardship, suffering and oppression of
those who owe him the hapless service of perpet-
ual bondage. The other is his own servant and
his own master, and shares the humble fruits of
his honest toll with the wife of his bosom and
their offspring. The one feels the dicatorial spir-
it of the lord of many acres and many slaves
the other the generous pulsations of free heart.
The one uses his great wealth, power and infu-
ence to perpetuate his high privileges, and to Sc
cure to his products all the benefits of an exclusive
and selfish policy; the other has an humble vote
to give at the ballot box, and if he would be adj
vised by me, he would give it wisely, by support
ing those who would do something for him be-
sides calling him a "good democrat" What
have our laborers to hope for by clinging to the
skirts of such men, who hold them and their oc-
equations in contempt9 Nothing but to be ca
ressed and patted on the head like children, when
an election comes round, and called "good demo-
Gratis" would have them inquire, when they