Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1844-02-09
JOHN c. CALHoUN's POSITION DEFINED.

JOHN c. CALIlOUN'S POSITION DEFINED.
This doughty champion OF Free Trade has at
length come out in an address to his friends, and
declares himself hostile to the nomination of Pres
idenal candidates by National Conventions. lie
will not pledge himself to abide by the Baltimore
(Loco) Convention, nor consent to have his name
used there. What course is to be pursued he
leaves his friends to decide though it is pretty ev
ident that he would like their support in some
shape. Mr.. Calhoun says nothing of Mr. Clay or
Mr.. Van Burcn. Adhoring to his Free Trade pol
icy, as he does, he cannot and will not support Mr..
Clay and unless Mr.. Van Buren, toes the mark full
ly for Free Trade and Slavery, he will not support
him. 1t is clear that he considers Free Trade to
be the doctrine of the Locofoco party, and under
such auspices he expects Protection will soon be
demolished. We apprehend the American people
will have q word or two to say before free labor is
sacrificed to slave labor--for it is worthy of re-
mark that Mr.. Calhoun himself presents the ques-
ton IN this shape. AS strong rs his hopes are for
the speedy triumph Of Free Trade, We think tie
"auspices" are all the other way, forewarnng the
doluded advocates of the system that their party
and themselves will be swept away as chaff by the
next Outumnal breozcs. The doctrine Of Protcc-
ton covers all interests embraces The Peop'e,-
how, then, can it be prostrltod? Never unless
the people themselves are deceived; and the tr-
un.ph over them must be shortliyed. With the
masses is the power above Presidents and Con-
crosses; and nothing would bring that power into
full sway quicker than the practical knowledge of
the fact that their rights and interests have been
sacrificed
The following are the closing paragraphs of Mr..
Cahoun's letter:
"IIaving now assigned my reasons for refusing
to permit my name to 90 before the Baltimore Con-
vention it rests with you who have placed it before
the people and assented to abide by Convention
fairly constituted, to determine what course you
will pursue.
Be your decision what it may, shall be content
But regard it as due to the OCCASION to you and
myself, to declare, that under circumstances
whltever shall support any candidate, who is OPP
posed to free trade, and in favor of the protective
policy, or whose prominent md influential supper
tiers are hold the policy to be another name for
system of monopoly and piundor and to be thor
oughy anti republican and federal in its character
also hold, that so long as the duties so laid
to be in fact hounties TO Que portion of the
nifty, while they operate as oppressive taXes the
other, there can be no hope that the Government
be reformed, that its expenditures will be re-
duced to the proper standard.
Were |, with the evidences before me- to say
otherwise Of my course, it would be, practically to
declare that regard the protective policy to be an
open question, far as the pnriy is concerned;
which would consider, on my part, virtual aban-
donment Of the cause Of Free Trade. That can
never be. have done and suffered too much for
it. when its friends were few and feeble. TO aban-
don it now-now, when the auspices every where,
on this and the other side Of the Atlantic proclaim
the approaching downfall Of protection, and the
permanent triumph of Free Trade. l. who upheld
i! against monopoly and plumber, in the worst of
times, and braved the menaces of Administration
and Opposition when backed but by a sinule State
will not--cannot abandon the glorious cause
now, when its banner waves in proud triumph over
the metropolis of the commercial world No. shall
maintain immoveably the ground have so long oc-
cupied, until have witnessed It's great and final
victory il it shall please the Disposer Of events to
spare my life SO long. 1t will be, indeed, vcro-
RY-the harbinger OF new and brighter and high
er civilization.
Much less, STILL can | give my support to any
candidate who shall give his aid or countenance to
the agitation of abolition in Congress or elsewhere
or whose prominent and influential friends and sup
porters shall | doubt the sincerity of any man,
who declares he is no abolltionist, whilst at the
same time he aids or countenances the agitation Of
the question: be his preteXt what it may. If we
have right to slaves, we have the right to hold
them in peace and quiet If the Constitution guar
antees the one, it guarantees the other; and if it
forbds the one from being attacked it equally for
bids the other. Indeed, the stands to the 9TH
er as means to an end, and is avowed by the alb
olitoniss and on the planost principles of NOR
ais, if the end be prohibited the means Of effect
ing it also are. OF the two regard the deuded
fanatic far less guilty and dangerous than he who,
for party political purposes aids or countenances
him. in what he knows IS intended to do that which
he acknowledges to be forbidden by the Consttu-
ton
1t is time that an erd should be put TO this sys-
TEN of plumber and agitation. They have been
borne long enough. They are kindred measures,
and hostile as far, at least as one portion of the
Union is concerned. While the tariff takes from
us the proceeds of our labor, abolition strikes at
the labor itself. The one robs us Of our income,
while the other aims at destroying the source from
which that income is derived. 1t is impossible for
MS to stand patiently much longer, under their doub
lie operation, without being impoverished and ruin
cd.
JOHN c. CALHOUN"
To this we add the following from one of Mr.
Calhoun's friends. 1t will be seen that the condi-
ton of supporting the nominee of the locooco con-
vention is, that " The party piHre9eem their PLEDG-
Els on The Tariff" 1t seems, then, that the locolo-
CO party has been pledged" to go with the Free
Traders What say those Vermont ocos who are
favorable to PROFESSIONALLY they be sold to South
| Carolina
From the Charleston IS. CO. Mercury
We have assented to go into Convention fairly
constituted pr0Uioeii SIC party .rould redeem their
pledges on he Tariff We never had any ntontiea
of going into any other sort Of Convention to give
it sanction, as nn authoritative exposition of the
will of the party. We held the mode of constitu-
ting the Convention which has prevailed to be rad
ically unfair corrupt in tendency and dangerous to
the highest and most cherished principles of the
Democratic creed What ground for doubt as to
our course was lett? Did the Enquirer expect us
to denounce the Convention as political atrocity,
and yet when the time came, to assent to its or
ganization and receive its DEGREES as the words OF
fate? We have not been used thus to spend our
breath in the support Of principles and then sur
render them at the very moment when our snceri-
| ty is put to the test