Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-04-02
Free Suffrage in New YOrk-the Liber
ty Party.

Our whig contemporaries have found new argyll
men against the Liberty organizations in the fact that
many of its leading adherents in New York advise
distinct nomination of Liberty candidates for the APP
preaching constitutional convention instead of dis
banding their forces and joining the support of such
wings and democrats promise to support the rights
Of the colored people to free suffrage. The Watch
man. of last week. in copying from an address of some
colored men of Albany mostly Wings urging the
friends of Liberty to the latter course, remarks, that
cit is singular Liberty party that needs such prompt
ngs" The Waterman editor undoubtedly spoke as
he felt 1t should not be expected that the benevo-
lent and expansive principles of the universal equality
of mans natural rights would be comprehended and
appreciated by those whose political principles are
"emboded" in one who riots upon the unrequited toll
of three score of his fellow beings and declares it to
be missionary dogma" that man cannot hold property
in man. The fact that our party appears singular"
in the eyes of such men is, of ITSELF great argument
in its favor, in our view
But we have word to say respecting the duty of
New York Liberty men, touching the decision of this
question. The restoration of thirty or forty thousand
DISTINGUISHED coored people to the enjoyment of their
rights as citizens, subject of vital Importance, and
should not be lost sight of for moment by the friends
of Liberty; but, in our Judgment it should be held
subseryent to the restoration of three millions of our
to their rights as human beings. Many
Liberty men, even, prone to lose sight of the great
central truth of our organzatlon-he redemption Of
the nation from the curse of slavery We are "de-
termned to know nothing save" the accomplishment
of this object and hence the folly and danger of weak
enng our energies and paralyzing our influence by
engaging with the pro slavery parties in every little is
sue that temporarily incidentally affects our cause
We trusted these old parties with the question of hui
man rights until the lamp of repubcansm and human
ity hckered family in its socket; and shall we now
lightly esteem and rudey scatter, the little Gideon
like host of Liberty men, in whose fidelity and rmness
is the only hope of our nation?
Every Liberty man in the State of New York is
in favor of free surage and think it
the duty of friends to nominate good and true Lib
crty candidates for the convention. Should then,
wings or democrats care straw for the question of
free suffrage let them come up and support such can
ddates and if the measure should fail through their
refusal to do so, let them bear the responsibility We
should not feel justified, as matter of principle, in
delegating man to frame the organic law of the
State, for series Of years. who tolerated. in his pot
cal creed, the principle of property in man-even tho
he might pledge his support to the specific measure of
free Suffrage Such men are not consistent republi-
cans, and the law-makng power ought not to be en-
trusted to their hands,