Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1844-05-24

Il
inc down {" lust this once' in the house OF RIM
mon" 1t is true that many of the causes of your
voting for Henry CLAY are to be found III your PEI
cuar circumstances, and are, therefore, WITHOUT
any bearing on the persons OF whom speak,
Notwithstanding, when they read your letter, and
see that you reserve to yourself Inc privilege OF
"ius this once" in opposition to the principle OF
aTti-savery voting they will be but too apt to feel
that they now have the authority of an emlnently
wise and upright man to Justify the departure from
lit of which they themselves occasionally gull
ty In vain will it be for US to remind them that
your opposition to this principle IS to be but lor
once, and that theirs has ALREADY been repeated.
They will reply; that the fa1%ime they violated
this principle, they were as sure that they should
not violate it again as Cassius M Clay now is,
that his adherence to it will relax after the
next election.
observe your two excuses for casting a pro-
slavery vote at the coming election One is, that
darkness prevails in respect to the character and
criminaItv of slavery; and that light will not take
the Mace of this darkness until after the next e.
lection is past Be it so, Notwithstanding, totally
fail TO understand it, that the next election will
prove to be the dividing line between darkness and
LIGHT on this subiect;-neverthele how will this
give you in " whom darkness is past and the true
LIGHT now shineth,' the right to cast pro slavery
vote at that election? If all other men are, your
letter shows that you are not Ignorant that IT Is
wrong to make a STAKEHOLDER civil ruler. And
} it. in their ignorance, all other men vote for
sIaveholder know not what right you have to
vote in their darkness, rather than in your own
light: and to make their ignorance, rather than
your own knowledge, the standard of your con-
duct. If, in the providence OF God your mnd has
been singled out for illumination by his TRUTH are
+ YOU at liberty to defer to benighted majority,
and to act as it acts? | am aware that Judge Il.
of Missouri, denies the right to call in question the
conduct of the majority: but am also aware that
i a higher authority than Judge L. says, "Thou
: shalt not follow the multitude to do evil" SO far
from your being at liberty to act in the supposed
case, IS the majority acts, you are to regard the
revelation of truth to your mind as your commits
sion and obligation to employ this truth for the
enlightenment ofthat majority.
From the doctrine of your letter, that good men
can, through ignorance, live even III great SINS,
few aboIitoniss will be found to dissent. But
YOU will pardon me for not being able to per-
ceive, that either your doctrine, or your quotation
from Macaulay which, | cheerfully admit, serves
to Justify it, has any pertnence whatever to the
!. question before us-has any bearing whatever on
u the point of voting find no fault with you for
: Iintmating that Henry Clay is ignorant OF the
a moral nature of slaveholding. find no fault with
u you for numbering him, as you implicitly do, with
- sc religious, great, good and patriotic men," Bul
3 what contend for, is, that you have no more
~ right to vote for him, under the supposton thai
u he does not know than under the suppositon thai
y he does know the snfulnesS of slaVery-no more
u RIGHT to vote for him under the suppostlon that he
), is great and good, than under the supposltior
~ that he is little and bad man-no more right tC
Is vote for him, under the suppostlon, that he is
10 christian than under the supposton that he is al
10 Iinfidel And in this connections would say, tina
- the leading consideration of the abolonls in hi
y vote is extensively Inexperienced. lens o
T. thousands of persons suppose that the ohotionst
~ in his bigotry and narroWness, votes for his can
81 didate because he thinks him sinless; and with
. holds his vote for rival candidates because h
II, thinks them sinners. But they are mistaken
vi The abolitionist passes by pro slavery tickets no
- because the names them are sinners, but he
W cause they are the names OF men who, whethe
IA saints or sinners, will, if elected, refuse to wlel
n their official power for the overthrow OF slavery
o He prefers the anti slavery ticket not because II
NJ names are those of sinless men, but because the
-. are the names of men who, however imported
el their practices principles, will, if elected, us
~ their office, as far as they consttutlonay cam
u deliver the land from the curse of slavery. In d
w. this the aboonist exhibits his good sense. Whe
~ am choosing man to act for me, | must see
VIZ if that make choice of one who will act upol
~ and act out, my own principles When a
or' voting to fill the office, which has power to grant
ct- withhold licenses for making drunkards, am
'e' concern myself not much about the general +
ar eous character of the candidates, as about Il
'W' question of their fathfulness to the principles
10 temperance. So, too, when am voting to fill Il
MT office of President of the United States, it is an
eS sufficient excuse for my pro slavery vote to say,
ra- YOU virtually do, " The man for whom am VIC
pa ING is indeed, in favor of slavery but he does
70 know slavery to be wrong; and he is, moreover
nG religious, great good, and patriotic man.
nry have, as trust, shown the fallacy of one
i'd your excuses for voting for Henry Clay /
os; other is, that he is sound in respect to sever
ans questions of political economy, which you en-
If merate, and that his election is important to
Won proper disposal of these questions. Now, WI
if YOU please, admit all that you claim for Hen
tho CLAW concerning these questions: and yet, yol
The self being judge-your own letter being my autnt
,sti-I ty-he is not entitled to your vote. | know IL
mo- YOUR letter says that the election of Henry VI
apd and the proper disposal Of these questions, are
tion cessary to prepare the way for triumphant acl
lorn against slavery and allow, that in your beNef
,our this you have, at least, show OF excuse tor
will ing for him. But | know, too that your letter
LIST, so virtually says that, be his financial CT oil
own views what they may; provided ne remains
isis slave holder after the next election, he VIII,
with too, whatever may be the result of such election
the however unfavorabe, in your eyes, Its bearing
,ess- the economical questions referred to-be UNIV
bpr- thy of the office of a civil ruler. ! put 1t TO y
t us then, dear sir, kindly but rresstbiy' whethe
naed need summon any other witness to the stand Il
r in yourself, to prove the emptiness OF TINS otner
,bor cuse for your vote for Henry Clay, and to depr
ire YOU of even all show of excuse under this head
wing such an unjustifable vote!
,ca- But it is hard to use man for his own cond