Litchfield enquirer., 1845-11-13
THE ENQUIRER.
LTTCHFIELD, NOV. I3, Is46.
THE LIBERTY" PARTY.

for the nomination or canuloateS IOI State oulCetS was held in Hartford last Wednesday. Gen. Futile of fTorringford, was temporarily called to the char and the convention was permanently organized by the appointment of John Hooker, Esq, of Farm ingtou, as President, and D. c. Platt, Secretary
 The following ticket was then nominated:
 FOr GoveyaOr Or-FRANCIS GILLETTE; For Lie,a. GOuanor - LEVI YALE, of Meriden; F0r ! Secretary, VINCENT HINcKLEx, of Plain6eld; For Treasurer, GEORGE READ, of Saybrook For COmptrOsleT-LEwD BEERS, Jr., of StrattOrd.
 As this party is now fairly in the field" for the Spring campaign, we presume 1t to be legitimate subject for comment and anmadVeTsion. When abolition was purely mOrG' question, and it's ad- vocatcs deprecated the insane attemps to make 1t political hobby. very many judicious. candid and able men, identified themselves with the party, and used their earnest endeavors to advance its objects. And. indeed, it had then character Of lofty patriotism and selfsat rcing effort, which tt irrevocably lost when its champions entered the lists as competitors for public preermen, and the mass of its members joined in the petty scramble for place and power. Yet we have no unjust pre- iudices against them, either individually or as party, even now and we can never join in that barbarous personal crusade which has at times been waged against some of them by certain of our DO. litical brethren They have the same right to ex- ercise the freedom of speech and the liberty of the press. and the same priUiiege of thinking and vo. ting as they please, those who differ from them and for the manner in which they use or abuse those rights and privileges, they are amenable to the same laws. and are to be judged by the same public sentiment. If, in the mad zeal of party, they lay themselves open to the charge of treason, or slander or Hbe let the violated law be avenged the guilty; or if, in advancing their claims uo- on the consideration of the public, they become the advocates of the rankest heresy, deal in sophis- tries or absurdities, let their errors be unmasked and held up to the light ofreason and truth in he,r naked deformity. But let not us, as Whigs, 90 far forget the ordinary courteses of fe as to stoop to deal in personal abuse assail, without sufficient cause, the motives and character of those with 1 whom we contend. The differences in education, caracity temperament, clearness of perception, cueness of the moral sense, and in the elasticity of conscience, among men. is so great, that we should be extremely cautious in judging too harsh. ly of the secret springs by which they are moved. The Hindoo mother may he honest in casting her infant to the crocodile, and the Hottontot may be sincere in the worship of reptiles. And. though their honesty and sincerity do not make those acts rsght, yet we should be slow in denonncing the Hindoo or the Hottentot "sinners above all oth. ers." But ignorance is not always an excuse for error. So far from it, in these days of light men are censurable not only for the msdeeds and wrong opinions which spring from lack of knowledge, but they are often worthy of douhle or that
 :al nh fhovNu to shield themselves. Hence. the errorists of our day may not make MGt plea available. They must look elsewhere for paliation or defence.
 But we commenced this article with the design of making some few remarks upon the e3a'"'s ; which the Liberty Party" have upon the support of freemen at the polls, and upon the MORAL. AND POLITICAL TENDENCIES OF THEIR DoCrRINEs' And, first, we protest against it's arrogant assump- tions of superior purity and patriotism. Weregard it as standing upon the same general footing with all other parties, and its cloak of sanctity ought not to protect it from lnerited censure and rebuke.- "Stand by-I am holer than thou," is, in effect, the language of all their harragues and appeals- .Neuer choose betsceen t,co evils," is with them the one mighty argument with which they would fain overthrow all opposition-an aphorism, with their mode of construing it, absurd as the dog mas of "Lord Dexter" Do they believe their creed to be peyfect and their cand dates tcith0uG sin ?- If not, according to their mode of reasoning. they are but choosing between three " evils" instead of two; and, in our view, they have selected the greaiest evil of the three. But zoe do not believe that either party selects its candidates or it's creeds because of their evils" but for the sake of the supposed good there is in them; and hence they but choose what they suppose to be the greafes' good. Would these pure minded partisans teach the miner to reject the ore which he laboriously digs up from the bowels of the earth. because per. chance there is dirt and droes blended with the gold As well might they contend that the miner chooses the dross, and condemn him therefor. It we are to take the ground that we must reject ev- cry thing and prescribe every body which is in any degree evil, who or what will there be left! The truth is, so long as we are in world which is fill ed with imperfection and error. it is the extreme of folly to say we will have nothing to do with them Until the curse of " the Fall'' is removed. they will exist in the world, and we cannot stand aloof from those who under that curse; for "aU (even the Liberty men') have snned."
 But again. This party loses sight of every ques-
 ton and consideration which can in the least be affected by legislative action. either in our State or Nation. What man among them all, who. at the last presidential election cast their votes Tor MT.
 Birney, knew for what they were voting! Who among them knew whether they were voting for
 friend or enemy of the Tarif-for a nulii6er or
 Ctata p;~h%s vnau-uhothar he would OppOSe Oy