Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-09-04
Kentucky MObOcracy VS.. Free Discussion
MIR. CLAY's PLAN OF ABOLITION.


The public meeting called by the mobocrats, was to
be held on Monday, the 18th On the Saturday pre-
yious Mr. Clay issued an address to the citizens in
the hope of calming the prevalent excitement BY pro-
pounding his plan Of abolition to be effected by means
of a convention. From this address make the fol-
lowing extract
'In convention, which is politically omnipotent,
would say that every female slave born after certain
day and year should be free at the age of twenty one
This, in the of time, would gradually, and at
last make our State truly free | would further say
that after the expiration of thirty years. more or less
the State should provide fund, either from her own
resources Or from her portion of the public lands, for
the purchase Of the existing generation of slaves in
order that the white abong portion of our community
might as soon as possible be freed from the ruinous
competition of slave labor
The funds shall be applied after this manner: com
missioners shall be appointed in each county, who
shall, on oath, value all the slaves that shall be vou-
tarly presented to them for that purpose To the
owners Of these slaves shall be issued by the proper
authorities, scrip bearing interest at the rate of SIX per
cent to the amount Of the value Of their Slaves and to
the redemption Of said scrip principal and interest
By this plan, the present habits Of our people would
not be suddenly broken in upon, while, at the same
time, we believe that it would bring slavery to almost
utter extinction in our State within the next thirty
years.
forcible expulsion but | would encourage by all the
pecuniay resources the State had to spare, vounta
ry emigration to such countries and climates as nature
seems particularly to have designed them.
With regard to the political equality of the blaaks
with the whites, should oppose i'll convention their
admission to the right of suffrage. AS minors women,
foreigners, denzens, and divers other classes of ind-
vduas are, in wellreguluted governments forbidden
the elective franchise, SO good reason WHY the
Dlacks until they become able to exercise the yigh to
vote with proper discretion should be admitted to the
right OF suffrage, Sufficient for the day is the evil
thereof. The time might come with succeeding GEN.
eratons when there would be objection on the part
OF the whites, and none account of the disqualified
ton of the Blacks to their being admitted to the same
political platform; but lot after generations act for
| themselves. The idea of amalgamation and paid e.
quality proven to be untrue and absurd It may be-
said by some what right would convention have to
liberate the unborn? They who ask equity, the law
yers say, themselves must do equity; and while the
Shareholders have rights they must remember that the
blacks also nave rights; and surely in the compromise
a we have proposed between the slave and the sayebod
err the stakeholder has the lions SHARE
Inc above is specimen of the tone and language
OF his address but produced no effect on the minds
OF mon who had sought to prejudice the community A.
galnst his course-and were determined that the rue
American should be put down. The meeting was
held, and }. M. Bullock presided. Thomas f. Mar
O"tT PCOOIUU CiCHLy Vi clay, was called
upon to address the meeting! which he did in truly
nammatory style. He read various garbled extracts
from the True American, and commented on them-
lie read, also, the correspondence between the COM
mttee and Mr. Clay, and concluded violent and ex-
citing speech by offering series of resolutions, of
which the last was follows "The press we will stop
} I-peaceably if we comfortably if we must:' thus
openly and avowedy advocating mob law!
A committee of sixty was thereupon appointed to-
proceed to the office, take down the press and send it
with the other printing materials, to Cincinnati
The committee subsequently reported to the meet
ing that the press would be on the cars in few hours
Governor Metcalf then addressed the meeting for two
hours, at the end of which time it was announced that
the press was gone, and the meeting DISPENSED sae
u i'll sAelB Ill
E SstS Utmost
and tut he was asaR Anabla m hold pef or 1nlIa
8as ldhpl Dbl foIld ed most strongly
is pF i6ds pFotestatons, that the language of his
newspaper had been grossly misrepresented. The
Lexington Journal says;
Il Con Sunday evening Mr.. Clay, who, it was under
Stool was too i'll to sit up in his bed, and in fact
i'll that his ultimate recovery considered doubtful
had large number of loaded muskets and other dead
" weapons with which he had intended to defend his
Office removed from that building. On Sunday night
the alarm throughout Lexington was very considerable
on account of the fact that the knowledge OF what was
transprng said to have reached portion Of the
population ,ohO should haze been kept ignorant Of it.
Many fancied that they symptoms of insubordna-
on and patrols kept up throughout the city du-
ring the night
| The Senior Editor of the Louisville Journal who
witnessed the proceedings at the public meeting, says
"'The President read the names of the committee OF
Isixy, who were taken indiscrimnatey from the two
pOltco and fnrthIith tho crowd
c. M. Clays office, filling up the whole street for a
: considerable distance The doors and window blinds
r Of the office all closed In few minutes, the
committee of sixty arrived and on their approaching
the door, pledge profered to them in the name
and behalf of c. NJ Clay, that if they would not mo-
: lest his property, his paper should Immediately be d'S-
Y continued member of the committee replied that
the proposition came too late and that they must do
the work for which they were appointed The keys
according to the orders of c. NJ Clay, were then CIV
up to them, and the members of the committee as
v their names were successfully called by their chair
man, entered the Office all other persons being exclud
. ed. The committee after taking possession Of the Of
II flee sent for of the master printers Of the city,
and had every thing boXedup in the most workman
q like manner and the boxes were taken to Frankfort
= yesterday morning to be placed on the first Cincinnati
Ii boat"
g An address to the crowd, in the name of commit
tee previously appointed for the purpose, read by
the Hon. L. F. Marshall, its authorize conclusion
:. being as follows;
! "Mr Clay has complained in his recent handbills Of
his indisposton, and charged the people as deficient
in courage and magnanmity in moving upon him wheI
incapable Of defence. If all that is said ofhim is true
s his purpose and his means, his indisposon is fortu
nate. lie may rest assured that we will not be deferred
by one or 10000 such men as he He cannot bully
{ his countrymen. Kentuckian himself, he SHOULD
= have known Kontuckians better His weakness is hi
r security. We are armed and resoved-if resistance
be attempted, the consequence be on his own head
>, For vndication under the circumstances, we ap
Il peal to Kentucky and to the world.
; The address was unanimously adopted together with
It the following resolutions
lst.-That no Abolition Press ought to be tolerated
lie in Kentucky and none shall bs in this city or its vi
" cinity.
W 2d-That if the Office of the True American
- be surrendered speaeeaby, no injury shall be done
I'd to the buldinn or ant other property The presses