Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-04-28


slave-holdng influence. FIVE forget those
rights, and spend our efforts in unmeaning
contentious and useless quarrels with each
other, will not our country hold us respon-
sible 2 Our interests have been sacrificed
our rights have been trampled upon; our
State has been disgraced, as ! have hereto
fore shown. Yet we have divided our ef-
forts. and separated from our political as
sooiates. and delivered the honor of our
State to the keeping Of a party who, forget
ful of the dignity of freemen, have shown
themselves willing TO become the cdtchers
of sLaves, and to degrade themselves and
their State by legislaling for the sole pur-
pose of robbing their fellow men of that
liberty with which the God Of nature has
endowed them. But desire to examine a
little further the cause Of our separation at
the late election. The Wings supported
our tariff; our harbor Improvements the
distribution of the proceeds of the public
lands, with zeal and constancy. But our
commerce with Hayti, the right of petition,
the slave trade in the District Of Columbia,
received from them, generally, much less
attention, although they were not neglected
by portion of that party. These latter
subjects, were deemed of paramount lmpor-
lance by portion of our political friends /;
on these they bestowed their principal
thoughts, and.treated the others with COM
paratively little attention. In this manner
each party felt that they were cxeriing their
efforts upon subjects Of vital interest to our
country, and each considered the other as
laboring in behalf of interests that were not
worthy of the attention paid to them.
In this way each party become dissatis-
fed with the other. Here, then. is the pre-
else point of division among our friends ::
not because either did ,orOng, but because
each felt that the other was not sufficiently
jealous in supporting all their interests
The division did not arise from any political
sin of commission, but far emitting some part
of our duties. The Democratic party has
violently opposed those rights which Liberty
men deemed sacred The Wings were
lukewarm in supporting them; and, on this
account, our Liberty friends withdrew from
us, and thereby delivered over our interests
to the disposal of those whose bitterness a.
gainst the rights of man can scarcely find
utterance in our language. Having thus
ascertained the cause, and the precise point
or our separation, the remedy is plain. Ii
consists simply in doing our duty-in main
tanning our rights and interests, aud firmly
resisting all abuses in placing ourselves
temporarily, but resolutely, opposing all en-
croachments upon our interests, our honor,
or our constitutional privileges. / am aware
that many Of our editors and public men
fear that the assertion and maintenance Of
our rights in regard to slavery, would drive
from us our Wing friends in the slave States
Ifthese fears were well grounded, they would
form no good reason why we should surren-
der our constitutional rights, in order TO
purchase their adherence. This is the pol
icy Of the opposite party. They appear
anxious 10 surrender up our rights our in
terests, aud our honor, for the purchase of
southern votes. If the Wings attempt to
rival that party in servihty, they must fail
The independent spirit, the high sense of
honor, the patriotic sentiment of our Wings,
will not permit them to become subservient
to the slaveholding interest. But the ar
gument is not well-founded Our southern
Wings are generally men of liberal and pat
riotic sentiments They will not ask of US
the sacrifice of our constitutional rights
On the contrary, they will be as willing to
grant US the enjoyment of all our rights, as
TO demand the enjoyment Of all their own.
If they are not such men, they are unfit to
be the associates of northern Wings 1t is,
however, true, that they, as well as north
ern men, have not, heretofore, fully under
stood our rights, for the reason that we,
ourselves, dare not assert them; and they,
as well as northern men, have unconsciousy
voted and acted in opposition to the rights
OF the free States, under the impression that
they acre sustaining the Constitution But
when they shall have fully investigated il,
and shall understand the constitutional linn
its of slavery, apprehend there will be no
difference between them. 1t, is therefore,
all important that public attention should be
directed to this matter. Indeed, intelligence
in regard to northern rights cannot be lon
ger suppressed. A spirit of inquiry is a.
broad among the people, and il is increas-
ing daily, and becoming stronger and stron-
ger A marked and papable change has
taken place in the public mind within the
past year. In February last, almost the en-
tire press united i'll the opinion that we
were bound to support the coastwise slave
trade of the south. AT this time, who is wll-
ling to hazard his reputation by advocating
such doctrine! Yet, with such examples be-
fore us, aportion of our public men, exhibit
much timidity as to asserting and maintain
ing our constitutional rights. So long have
the people of the north been accustomed to
silent submission, when onr rights have been
invaded, that many of our editors, our
statesmen and politicians, still appear to
doubt the SAFETY of an open, frank, and
manly defence of our interests and our hon
or. It, however, needs no spirit of propl-
ecy to foretell the downfall of any party,