Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-02-14

"PliAnt as reeds where Freedoms waters glide
Firm as the hills to stem Oppression tde!''
MONTPELIER, VERMONT, FRIDAY, fIB Il, 1916.
VERMONT WATCHMAN--C. Nj. CLAY
LIBERTY PARTY,

LIBERTY PARTY.
| The Waterman of week before last contains a
somewhat lengthy review Of the merits of the Lib
erry Party, elected by the late letter of Cassius Nj.
Clay; and as this is the first extended notice thar
the organ of the " true Liberty party" in Vermont
has degned to bestOw upon US since the close of
the Presidential campaign it may be worthy of our
considerations We had fain hoped that those can
tislayery Wings" who were so vociferous in their
denuncialions Of slavery during the late campaign,
but urged the other great interests of the conn
try as a prctext for supporting 'Ihis once" the
prince of savery's champions for the Presidency,
would, after the excitement and maddenng zeal OF
the great election had subsidized, show the sincerity
Of their professions by taking the only consistent
ground for honest and enlightened antisavery men
to take. But alas, their course subsequent to the
election has revealed the baseness of their motives
They sought to avail themselves of the antisavcry
Isympathies Of The North in securing the triumph
of an administration which they knelU would place
the ponderous foot Of its power upon any and ev-
cry scheme Of emanci PATTON either gradual or inn
mediate And because the Liberty Party could
not the propriety of choosing a man to the
Presidency who declared, in so many words, that
it was the "dLty of the general government to pro-
tect and defend the institution of savery,' these
'antslayery wings are now pouring the most ma
lignant and yenomous abuse upon their devoted
heads. Instead Of redeeming the pledge they made
previous to election to take a stand for Liberty,
after having worshipped 'once nore' at the shrine
of slavery, they are further from it than ever
Their moral perception (if they ever had any has
become obscured, until Il still greater 'evl' is
they knew was an unrighteous cause, is doubly
mortifyng; and in the honesty of their hearts they
eXclaim--" We will sooner 90 with Calhoun and
McDuflie than the Liberty Party'
The first thing noticeable in the Waterman,
article, is the studied caution it observes in select
ing sentences from Mr.. Cluy's letter for comment
TO show this the mere clearly, we quote the three
sentences which the Waterman ilalicises for COM
ment, and also the ones Immediately preceding and
foIlowing:-
1t is far from my feelings aud purpose, now
to reproach Mr.. Clay to whom nm under many
| obligations, both as man and Il statesman, which
can never he cancelied-yet believe that Tho grea
| Wing party north of the line is now prepared to
admit, that, in losing the moral power of opp0si.
ton TO Texas, lis a S{aUtry question: we lost all
" For whilst the South, under Democratic rule
was prepared to sacrifice all things TO slavery the
Wings, Of necessity were doomed to lose many
VOTES in the North upon minor questions--thus en-
abIing the consolidated votes Of the South, aided
by the otlce-seekers Of the North TO carry the
day. Until, therefore, the spirit Of liberty in the
Tree STATES shall become as strong aud controlling
as the power of slavery here, all will continue to
be lost. Thus, and thus only, can the unholy and
disastrous alliance between slavery, utter desrot-
ism, and SO called democracy, be broken up. IN
A temporIZing policy can never again he renewed
under as favorable circumstances as have already
witnessed our defeat"
The index denotes what the Waterman talicsed
In the first of these sentences Mr.. Clay admit
that by the avowal of Henry Clay 'that the ques-
ton Of the extension of slavery would have no in
Auence with him in deciding the question of an.
nexation, the Wings LOST ALL J" while in the
last, he boldly avows that the course of the Wings
during the last campaign was 'temporzing' time
serving course, and can "neuer be rene,ccd ,uiH
aay hopes of success" Taken us whole, it is a
manly and patriotic resolution to merge all tempo
rary cXpedien5 in the ''one idea" of opposition tc
the unconstitutional and unrigheous encroach-
mcnts of slavery and coming, as it does, from
the land Of representation one hut recently d
STAKEHOLDER, and nearly allied TO the main pillar.
upon which this damnabe Institution resls--i
ought to meet with hearty response from every
inhabiant of the free States. Instead of this, the
re Tho ots rlv or tt,o
ton, and makes this an occasion to reterate the
scnseless and false charge that the Liberty Party
is responsible for the recent triumph Of slavery
and closes with advising renewal Of that "tempo
rizing policy" which has just caused their defeat
and which "can never be renewed with SO good a
hope Of success"
/ The Watchman says
''The tendency of this organization is rather tt
weaken the resistance of Slavery. For evidenc,
look, If yon please, at the great number Of abol
itonlSts in the free states who regard slavery as
moral disease, to be eradcated by moral means
they cannot pronounce the shibb6eth of third par
tyism and are excluded from all sympathy witt
them"
The class here referred to are the handful o
Garrison abolltlonlsts, we suppose, who 20 fol
INC ueStIuCuuh Hot ohy Oh slavery, Dut Oh al nu
man governments & church organizations. Would
the Waterman editor advise the Liberty Party tt
take such ground? If we mistake not the creates
) arguments he has ever used against our organiza-
ton was to charge US with these revolutionary de
signs!
"And then look to the two largest political par
!, ties in the country, no member of which Can b
admitted to fellowship in this organization, with
out sacrificing principles which he believes essen
tial to his country's INTERESTS
renewal of the ''temporizing policy !" Are
your peculiar views of national policy, MIR. Wing
any dearer to you than are those of Mr.. Demo
crat to him? And is it not perfectly evident, tina
before the "mass of antislavery men in the Nort
can he brought into harmonious. action" Their
must be preemnence given to the great ques
tionof Human Rights over the Insignificant dssen
sions in party politics
5 And beyond these, look to the influence upol
the slave states-for from the slave states mus
help come before the work can he accumulated