Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-04-11
THE FIRE + NJ An .
From the Boston Morning Chronicle.
CONDITION AND POLICY OF THE WING
pARTY

The writer has presented his propositions with
so much candor, and without any sneaking filings
at men as honest as himself, for having exercis-
ed their rights as freemen in voting against Hen
ry Clay, that we feel under some obligation to
give his views a serious consideration, which we
do not owe the snap-dragons of the Atlas breed
He admits the sober truth, that the Wing party
refused in 1924 to take the anti-savery ground
he wished He admits even now the formida-
bic difficulties in the way-that "even in our
own (Whig) ranks, there is torpid indifference
to eUcry thing that does not Immediately touch
oar persons or property" How true that is =
To our view, it is easier to abolish slavery itself
than to convert the Wing party to real, hearty,
trustworthy antislavery party We will give
MddleseX some ofthe reasons why we think his
attempt to bring the Wing party to the position
he sees to be necessary for the deliverance of
the country, must prove a failure.
In the first place, the Wing party, as it actu-
ally exists, is made up in part of men who are
not only Shareholders but rcsolutely devoted to
the interests Of slavery--to the defence and per-
petuatlon of slavery Tell us where there are
lhCh w NC lVuLN WIZ dlC IHOlC HAOu--NC VIII
say more fcrocious, in behalf of slavery, than
Cost Johnson, Archer, w. G. Preston, Berren,
Garrett Davis, Foster of Tennessee, Barrow of
Louisiana, &c Yet these men are Wings, true
wings, leading wings, glorious wings and main
tmbers of the wing ship. What does Middle
sex propose to do with them You call a meet
ing now Of wings to hold a fraterna consuta-
ton on the condition and policy Of the Whg
party will not these men come into the coun-
Gil? Will not their advice and their feelings
have weight ? Will you not be in honor bound
to men who have done so much fer the party and
remained SO faithful to it, to take no new posi-
ton in which they c;nnot 60 with you?
Such would be the dictates of honor between
men of honor, so far as we can understand that
somewhat abstruse code. But suppose that diff
fcuty to be got over--suppose you are prepared
to say to Archer, and Mangum, and Foster and
Barrow---Gentlemen you have ever been true to
the party but the times are changed, and the
wing party must change with them and we are
compelled to tell you that you must now come
out ag a nst slavery to the extent of our consttu
tional powers, direct and consequential, (includ
ing the general welfare clause,) or you can be
wings no longer You have got rid of the Soutl
what then
For the wing party Of the North to declare it
self an anti-savery party would be to declare al
untruth 1t is not an anti-slavery party From
the beginning of the anti-savery effort, larg
portion of the wing party, in many parts of thu
country large majority-al the leading inilu
ences of the party have been and still are strong
y opposed to the effort to arouse the antl-slayer
: feeling of the North to action. They have don
all they could to keep it down, by coaxing
$ threatening, mobbing, brbing by Office, &C.
The wing party is not an ant-slavery party. Or
position to slavery, and especially a determine
ton to abolish slavery, constitutes no part of til
= objects for which the wings are party sue
o principles and aims are no part OF that whlc
- goes to make man a whg man without
ny such principle is as truly full whig, to a
=. intents and purposes, as one who holds it, FL
- the whig party to profess anti-slayery pcincp
is therefore to possess that which it does not P
:, ssess And it will make such untrue profcs
ion under circumstances which will compel {
y but the wilfully blind to see, that the professiC
is made for purposes purely selfsh---to get vote
We do not deny that there are many since
III abolitlonists who act with the wing party al
10 some of them are customarily made quite prom
le nent about election time +; but we know of i
1t stances (and are not sure but Middlesex h
lie some experience) where they have been mat
II, b,,p,l o1 eoneillo o1actiop tbot IL,
d were barely tolerated in the party because tn
OF colld be used---in getting votes.
tn But we will go farther, and suppose that t
us wing party were actually to take anti-slaye
CT ground, and determine, in sincere earnestness
Sc act for the abolition Of slavery, as MiddeseX pr
Ut poses---'at least so far as our admitted constt
tional rights shall permit such action'--whi
is, substantially, the ground of the Liberty par
vn There is still difficulty, which would attach
60 them, that does not attach to us. The new pc
d. ton is to be taken, avowedly, as means to
ne end, for the sake of restoring the ascendency
rs the wing party. We take the same postlC
"a solely for the peaceful overthrow of slavery, hi
de ing no Interior views to serve,
ay Ow position enables us to call, in good fai
upon honest, Liberty-loving Democrats, as W
as wings, to join us, We present that tr
ct, ''midde-ground, on which both wings and |
in mocrats can act together, in good faith and wi
ri out distrust orjealousy We can say to cacl
rk if you bcHepc your own principles, you can trr
les them to obtain their proper asceudency at
he slavery is removed But it cannot be said II
is the platform proposed by Middlesex halds out
VS.. ny such invitations lie summons Democr
to topnite against slavery in order to again comb
eft the energies of the (whig) partyP and give
a, energy sin future contests with the party now
rd, power, that is, the Democratic party. Is t
zen likely to win largely from the Democratic par
be- We can well conceive how Democrats might c
re- sent to act with the Liberty party, in order tC
fiji bolish slavery, in the belief that their Democr;
DIS, principles will have lairer chance; but we c
md NOT conceive cf n rpnl Democrat ournen0 IN