The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1844-08-22
VOL. VI. NO. 9.

The next orator who addressed US was
HON. GEO. P. MARSH,
and he 100 deemed it in the line of his voca-
ton TO notice the Liberty party. Mr. Marsh
was, for the most part, eentlemanly and,
throughout, decent in his treatment Of the
subject, therein aflording a striking and fa-
vorable contrast to the efforts of MI Foot
and Judge Phelps. The notions of Mr.
Marsh, although l think hot original with
him, were yet rather novel for that latitude.
He maintained that the organization of the
Liberty party was v~iola,ive of the princi-
piles Of our government and of the Constitu-
tion-that we have no right to say that we
will not vote for a sla veholder-that a slaves
holder has a right under the Constitution to
claim 10 be voted for, and we cannot refuse
to vote for him on this account and be guilt
less of treason 10 the Constitution-that The
Declaration of independence and the Con-
s~titution were the works in part of slave
holders, and are we ready to throw away
these2 Shall we reject the names Of
Washington, Jefferson, Madison and other
great and good Shareholders from our ma
tional calender2 That it is rank fanaticism,
contempt Of law and order, a wicked trifing
with moral and constitutional obligations,
TO refuse to elevate Shareholders 10 the
guidance and direction of the American
government !
confess to you, MI Editor, that the
matter had never struck me in that light be-
fore. Being a babe in such doctrines, l
found Mr. Marsh's dogmas rather strong
meat for me. But, for a change, next comes
HON. S. S. PHELPS.
Judge Phelps also condescended to notice
the Liberty party, and in a way SO cons
temptuous, so spiteful, so uncandid, so un-
gentlemanly, that one was forced to believe
that the Liberty party might at some time
have noticed him. He admitted that the
rank and file OF the party were in part hon.
est, yet weak fanatics but these leaders,
the designing knaves, the s~kulking ~rascals,
the reverend rogues, the vagabond fellows,
those he mathematical and sent TO the Dew
il, and, as often as they escaped, sent them
there again, TO the great delight of the prac-
ticed band Of applauders, who occupied the
stage. Having vented his spleen towards
this most miserable party,' and 'cleansed
his stuffed bosom of that ~perilous stuff which
preys upon the heart he came TO the point
Of expressing his W views of slavery, The
evil and the remedy. These, he said, he
stated unwilIingly and only as they were
extorted from him. He said the South be-
lieved that the efforts Of the abolitionists
were calculated to do hurt rather than good
that slavery could not be got rid of at
once-,hat if slavery were abolished al
once the freed slaves would murder their
masters-if turned loose, they would starve
and with peculiar palhos he exclaimed,
What! would you take the female slave
who had ever been faithful in her service,
and turn her out of doors He said that
whether his public life was TO be long or
short, he must say that he thought The
South was right in this-that the abolition
isis were endeavoring TO force the South 10
emancipation, were using coerce, violent,
and u~nwarrantable measures, and so were
doing more hurt Than good; and likened it
TO a body Of men telling his honor that he
should not take snuff, a thing which did not
would of course resist. That slavery was
beyond our reach, and we could do nothing
with it. Suppose you pass resolutions ev-
cry year in your Legislature against slaves
ry, what do they amount 10? Just nothing
at all. But slavery may be abolished in the
District Of Columbia! | agree TO that, and
when you have done that, you have got 10
the end Of the chain there is not another
step that you can take. That pecuniary in
tere,t would be the motive which would at
some day work the abolition of slavery
that he well remembered the existence of
slavery in his native Stale, Connecticut,
and could recall the features tf The old
slaves that he had seen there-fhat we used
TO have slaves in Vermont, and ii was a
false boast that slavery had never existed
here--but slavery had moved on South un-
I'll Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Ken
lucky have become the frontier slave
States. Delaware now cares nothing for
slavery, and it is impoverishing the other
northern slave States-it is moving on, the
rich lands of Texas, and the increased profits
of sugar and cotton making there will Sc
duce it out of the United States, and once
being there it is but a step into Mexico.