Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1841-09-20
POLITICAL ABoLITIoNIsM.


The recent movement OF portion of The Abo- !
litionist of this state, in nominating n ticket Of
their own for stale officers TO he supported by the
freemen, thus endeavoring TO get up third party
under the distinguishing banner OF abo'itiOnisnl,
il one which in my view calls for passing no
,ice by way Of showing to the candid render whose
mind mny lean towards the fnvoriug a measure of
this kind how little of real wisdom exhibits itself
therein, and how palpaby deficient is the necessi-
ty that be supposed to exist for the creation Of
a party of exclusive nbotionsts in state where
no slavery, such as that against which this parry
has so conspcuousy arrayed ITSELF exists aud in
a community where the people aud all disap-
prove such slavery The circumstance itself TINT
there is no slavery in Vermont, nor any one VIII
proposes or wishes to introduce it here, would be
sufficient of itself 10 show the superf1uousness of
making this question I'm issue in state election,
but the folly and absurdy of the thing becomes
sti ! more manifest when we reflect that the peo
pie of this state are from principle opposed to
slavery; and not only so, the action of our state
Legislature in regard 10 this subject has been as
favorable to the views of abolitonists as any one
of them can reasonably expect or desire. That
honorable body has time and again expressed its
dlsapprobalion of slavery and the slave trade rs
being wrong both in principle and practice. 1t
has recognized the power of Congress to abolish
slavery in the District of Columbia, and voted to
instruct our representatives in Congress to advo.
cate this view of the subject. They have passed
resolutions asserting The right Of petition tor this
object and condemned in strong terms the rule n
dopted by the last Congress excluding such petit
tons from hearing. This has been done by
Wing legislature. without its putting on The dis
.ngushed cockade Of political and exclusive abo-
liiionism. 1t is fact which Chauncey l.. Knapp,
Editor of the Voice ofFreedom, jonathan p. Mil
Ter and their fellow hair-splil!ers know full well,
and now let me seriously and perempiory ask of
every rational man, he he nm abolitionist or not,
what 10 tharp in This nj sboc tba lana
ground of reason for organizing third separate
party, composed of exclusive anti slavery men !?
is there any more reason IN II than there would
he in my fencing in half an acre of wheat or In
dim corn in the middle of two acres Of the same
kind of grain? think there is none What Col
M. and his clique want of Vermonlers more than
has been done, unless it be to join him in an expe-
dition against the shareholders at the the SOUTH is
more than am able with my humble faculties of
guessing to conjecture. If nothing short of fall
ling in with this southern crusade will pass for ab
olhioDism with these exclusives, then acknowl-
edge for one / an no aboiitiunist, and what is
more, it is not at all likely ever shall he.
But there is another reason why the question OF
abolition cannot reasonably be made political
one, and that is the circumstance that the internal
aud external affairs of the Federal and state gov
ernments must ever, ST. long as government is ne
cessary, claim the precedence in the attention OF
the people TO political affairs. The preservation
of our republican institutions from encroachment:
ut home and from abroad, must always be ncum
bent upon us ms duty, so long rs we wish to re.
main free and independent II nation. O
course the question as to how we shall improve
the moral and physical condition Of those whom
custom has male subject to slavery in another
quarter Of the Union, cannot become one of par
amount impor ance TO these considerable s aiid
that for this plain reason, that whatever may b,
the condition of the colored people, it respect.
family government, the government of the states
can and must lie looked To. TO endeavor there
fore to make the subject of abolition or teelotasir
| n leading topic of public discussion is to los,
| SIGHT of the first great object of all enghanet
| politicians, which is to see that government in al
! its branches financial, diplomatic, and internal
| goes on rightly, anG is calculated 10 promote aliC
| preserve peace abroad and order aud credit n
| home. This cannot be done, if those whose du
! " it should he TO look TO these things were lt
spend all their time and labor in worrying them
selves about the present aud future condition o
| some one elias, of their fellow creatures, whom
| their endeavors might or might not be the means
of benefung When the government of thu
state becomes so badly managed AS to call for
| change of its rulers through the means of th
| ballot box or il we wish to preserve II wise nd
ministration from being supplanted by had one
it is the duty of every ireemcn TO lay inside mino
| considerations and unite for the welfare of tn
whole. This is not done where n set of ulrasts
determining that they will not support men whc
though agreed on other points, do not go the whul
| hog with them and believe precisely ns they d.
on such and such points Now the abolition ct
! know, or ought to know, that all their discussing
slavery here at the north cannot liherate one slav
at the south, unless the owner q! such slave
himself minded to do 50 consequently, Will
they are wrangne with those who cannot believ
that putting charge of powder in II hollow
stump near their door will blast Il rock on III
summit of the Green Mountains, III, lirilsh ma
tnka nuipt pOSSpqSOn of the uISulItpd - r.
burn more STEAMBOATS, on our waters, aud supplar
cur wool manufacturers in the market, aud the Ia
cos take the government by surprise storm an
ride it 10 destruction, while abouonisls are ham
merng away upon slavery and pro>cribing ever
man who don't go their wh ole figure. Such, IN
fellow citiZens IRE the consequences and such tn
inlerences which follow the putting abolitionisr
foremost in state politics. Read them and por
der them well. J.J.
Huntington, Sept. IL, le4l.
"BRITISH DEMOCRATS"