Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1844-12-06
THE r r Z Il M A N i.
=" PLANT as reeds where Freedoms waters glide
Firm as the hills TO stem Oppression's tideF'
MONTPELIER, VERMONT, FRIDAY, DEC, 6, 1874.
The Wing Party.

liz WIS I'll w.
The Wing party for some time past, as it has
seen the day of its destruction drawing nigh, has
given way to the most malignant feelings and un
heard Of desperation. In showing its hatred and
opposition to the liberty party it seems almost to
have forgotten its former opponents, the demo-
Gratis. 1t makes bitter complaint because the
friends of liberty would not be fools enough to-
sacrifice their principles and go with the Wing
party and their leader, when they were both liter
ally STEPPED in the blood of slavery 1t has made
a mighty effort to charge upon the feeble and de-
spised liberty party, the occasion of its defeat,
all ihe sins it has committed, all the evils that may
result from the annexation Of Texas, the perpetu-
ty Of slavery, and all the wrongs and misery that
have been or may be brought upon US in conse
quence ofthe misrule of the democratic party. Its
leader is held up as the personlfication of every
moral eXcellency--the embodiment Of every Chris
tian virtue-the friend and patron of every benev-
client instituton-that every slave has reason to
lament over his defeat, since his brightest pros
poets andlong cherished hopes Nre forever blasted,
and every frehd of virtue and freedom ought to
wear the habiments OF mourning in vitT-of the
awful catastrophe that has come upon us in the
defeat of Henry Clay, that champion of Grecjap
and South .4merican liberty, and in the overthrow
ofthe wing party, that has so long and SO faithful
~ labored for the welfare Of the slave and the es-
Establishment of righteousness and human freedom.
This all looks well on paper, but what are the
facts in the case. Is Mr.. Clay, as nearly akin to
an an reI ne his frnnds bo 20 renresentod him + bo
and have the wings, as a party done allSthey have
professed to have done9 Facts are stubborn
things, and before we give way to very SORROW
ful feelings in view of the defeat of party which
has been so prolific in professions it may be well
to look at what they did while they were in power,
and Judge from that what we might have expected
had they succeeded in gaining the ascendancy.
The history of the past is the best criterion by
which to Judge of the events of the future. Has
not Henry Clay, for the last half century, shown
himself to be an implacablo enemy to emancipa-
ton "gradual or lmmedate''? Has he not done
more to extend and perpeuate slavery than any
other man in the nation-by giving his casting
vote to admit Arkansas as slavoholdiDg Terrific
ry-by his master-eifort in the Missouri Compro-
misc-by voting to dsfranchise colored citizens in
Mchigan-by opposing emancipation in his own
Stately declaring that he would not even be out
done by Calhoun himself in protecting slavery
by bringing forward bill in 1919 to annex Texas
to this counuy--in 1887 in making motion to that
etfectin 1914, declaring that personally he could
have no objection to the measure, and should even
be glad to see it done in certain manner, slavery
having nothing to do with the question one way or
the other. In all this has not the slave aud his
| friends sufficient proof that in his election they
had nothing to expect from him and had nothing
to lose by his defeat? But how is it with the
whig party that processes to be the anti slavery
party-the true liberty party. Surely that party
must have done something while it was so favora-
bic to the interests Of the slave, and when it has
had power to remove slavery from the capitol tc
destroy 1t in the territories and to remove the in
ternal slave trade, and thus effectually put an end
to the denominations of slavery. Read the history
OF the party during the 9th Congress when it had
; a large majority in both houses and you have al
answer to the above inquiry The following fact:
,t'may be relied upon as correct, coming as they dc
from most responsible source, and shows the sub
servlency of this slavery stricken party better thar
j any thing we have before seen. Here YOU have
some of the anti slavery measures of the party:
J L. Chose John White, Shareholder, for Speaker
not because there were not men from the nortl
with talents, qualifications, and experience suffi
, eient, but in the language off Q. Adams, becaus
! no northern man, under existing circumstances
4 can occupy the chair of speaker
y 2. Adopted a general gag, excluding all miscel
: aneous petitions during the extra session for thu
purpose of getting over the abolition gag until tn
= regulnr session