Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1844-08-30

J y
y greater in importance to the interests of man,
than the multitude of ephemera ideas which have
divided and distracted mere political parties from
the days of Cyrus the Persian to the present time.
should glory in the universal application and
prevalence of this d" idea,'' 1t will be proud
day when success crowns the efforts of that party
whose bond of union has been cemented by this
sacred, undying principle Of human rights--when
victory perches upon the banner on which this go-
rious principle has been inscribed. God himself
will approve-whIe mankind, by universal con-
sent, will accord to such party, by right and in
truth, the name of LIBERTY PARTY.
Should the enquiry be made, when did this party
and this principle have their origin? answer,
when man was first created ''in the image of God.
Every one thus created, has equally right to the
benefit of this principle. 1t has. trust, from that
time to the present, "grown with his growth and
strengthened with his strength and will continue
to increase with the increasing light dihused by
truth and knowledge until it subdues every OPP
posing obstacle-untl the huge fabric of slavery,
whether of the mind or body-whether of the
white or colored race wherever found, with all its
kindred expressions, will become as the "s small
dust of the balance If these expressions owe
their origin to political, immoral, religious Cor ir
religiousl combinations and influence, then it be-
comes highly proper, and is incumbent upon every
good citizen who claims to be FREE, to resist them
with all the moral, religious, and political infu-
ence and action iii his power. Action is but an
indication of the decision of the mind upon great
moral and political truths; and he who fails TO act
where, in accordance with his expressed convic-
tons of right, leads the world to suspect the sim
cerity of his intentions.
Without referring, as might, triumphantly, to
other periods and other countries, where this great
democratic principle, to which ! alluded at the
time, been developed, | WILL for the present, con-
fine myself to our own history.
We read that certain oppressive acts of the
British Parliament against the rights and ber-
ties of the American colonies reused them, at last,
to open rebellion. But what was the distinctive
principle which. at that time, united nearly the
whole country in one mighty and persevering eff
fort to sustain that rebellion? You will find this
principle not only clearly defined and acted on by
every colonial legslature-by public men and pri-
vate citizens; but also ably set forth in the unani-
nous declaration of the thirteen colonies to the
civilized world on the 4th day of July, 1776. No
apology can be required for abiding to this in
strument The time and occasion of its promul-
CATION constitute erd in the history of Freedom.
1t is mastery summing up, as it were, into one,
of the principles on which every professedy free
government is, or has been, founded One idea
and that great one-pervades this whole docu-
ment: That is, RESISTANCE TO OPPRESS-
ION. Or, you may term this the act, and person
al rights the principle; but they are both insepara-
bly, connected and included in the same idea.
This oppression manifested itself, it is true, in
various ways, such as ''taxaingus cithout our con-
sent-transporting our citizens to England to be
tried and condemned for offences pretended tC
have been committed here-deprivng us of the
trial by jury-for plundering our seas, ravagins
our coasts and destroying the lives of our people
These were few among the many expressions tC
which resistance was demanded In fact, the his
tory of repeated injuries and usurpations, all hay
ing in DIRECT OBJECT the establishment of an alb
solute tyranny over these States" "The charac
ter of our oppressor' (the king of Great Britain,
&c is marked by every act which may define a ty
rant" This list of expressions then closes in the
following remarkable language. Let it be remem
bered and applied.
In every stage of these expressions we have
pettioned for redress in the most humble terms
Our repeated petitions haze been treated only b,
REPEATED INJURY"
What different treatment have the petitions o
the people received at the hands of our own ser
wants in the halls of congress?
We thus discover the one idea embodied il
this whole declaration and that is, resistance II
euery measure opposed to the "self-evident trut
that all men are created equat-that they are en-
dowed by their Creator with certain inaenabl
rights that among these are, life, LIBERTY and tn
pursuit of happiness. That, to these rights
governments are instituted among men, derivin
their just powers FROM THE CONSENT OF TIL
, GovERNEDH
f 1t will not, we imagine, be denied [by those VIII
, arrogate to themselves &c several ideas!"1 that
t merlcan slaves are men," and that they are ais
S governed but what seems to trouble them
# the " one idea" that they are " equal" in right
# to other men, and that no I" Just powers can b
# derived from heaven above nor from the cart