The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1844-09-05
NO. H..

Aope Ito on"atu progress. Ihev have
reJoiced to see human conscience unchaip-
ed punishment for opinion abolished.
human beings %(sIaves excepted) accounted
as creatures of God, and made amena.
Die 10 God alone for their religious
faith. The American people, YES,
and the whole World have admired 10
see The effect Of this experiment on the
progress of American discovery and in
venlion. Under its suspicious influence
the useful mechanic arts have fourished.
the conflicting elements have been taught
10 labor at the wheel and even the electric
fluid has been tanned and made the mes
senger Of man, sent with its native speed.
And have we hoped too much when we
have hoped to see this system of Ameri4
can liberty in its onward progress c
TO every member Of society the proper use
of himself? and by casting man on his
own resources bring into acquisition the
whole mass of human mind. with all its
immense. variety of genius? seventeen mill.
ions of human beings, each body and soul
at his W command, restrained only by
that limit when liberty becomes intrusion.
Each in himselfa society and in society a
host. And what might we not anticipate
from a nation composed of such variety in
unity. Activity without monopoly, and
harmony without dIscord and without all
loy2 And yet, these are bat the begin.
nlngs, the incipient effects of the true sys-
tern of liberty, the system our religion
teaches and our fathers have labored to
establish. But alas the blight that has
over us. Polk is nominated and
we are no more!! Can this be So? That
man but poorly appreciates our institutions
of liberty who finds in them nothing more
valuable than the privilege of engaging
in elective competitions he not only mis-
takes his privilege but aids to contract It's
great designs. And our liberties brought
into so imminent jeopardy: nay destroyed;
by n few irresponsible men who, in be-
half Of the Wing and Democratic parties
have nominated for president such men
as by the index of precedents, made by
our previous elections would seem most
likely to succeed And is it the fault of
convention that they put in nomination
the man most likely to succeed with their
party. This is the very object for whIch
they met. True it is that both conven.
tons sci up men in favor OF national slave
ry as it is yet it is abundantly obvious,
that no other, whatever else his character
and qualifications, could have the least
prospect of success. Here then is the
dilemma the voice ofthe party as here
tofore given, fixes the course to be pur-
sued by the convention, and the voice of
the nominating committee prescribes and
fixes the course ofthe party at the ballot
box, tho it requires US to vote a compro-
mise with slavery, dueling SC. But how
and by what means is such an exigence
brought ? an exigence by the way which
has ever succeeded the triumphant success
Of either the parties, and which is likely to
recur once in four years. 1t is brought
about not by the principles just quoted or
their legitimate effects.-Not by the Or
garic law of our government or its benign
results. 1t is founded in a ~aervile obedi-
ence 10 the law of precedents, or the law
of custom, even tho its acquisitions stand
opposed to truth, reason, and all good
principle. This law is the bond of blind
party, and the bane of civil liberty
This is the law on which the thrones of
Kings and tyrants are based, and by which
they subsist. Even a late king of Bril-
tain could answer a humble petition thus
my predecessors were not wont to
hear petitions from that quarter p The
laws of war with all their barbarily, tho
conceded with all the authority among
civilized nations, have no better support
than the fact that they are sanctioned and
sancliied by a few hundred years of pre-
cedents. And it is but the imperious law
of custom or precedent more irresponsi-
Bile and scarcely less absolute in its man
dates than the Autocrat of Russia, or the
Turkish Sultan. that in spite of adverse
binds so largea proportion to one