Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-04-23

THURSD AZ, APRIL 90, 1916
The Liberty Party-itS Policy No, 2.

Never, since the days of the revolution, has party
been organized upon the broad and enduring basis of
moral principle and the naenable rights of man. I'M
til the Liberty party received its exisence;-and
err since the history of the world began has any party
planted itself firmly upon the immutabe platform upon
which Jesus Christ, His apostles Luther, Clarkson,
and host of others, have stood and chung to the one
alcomprehensve all-glorious idea that swelled their
bosoms and nerved their hearts, without securing al
signal and complete triumph The great secret of
their success, was that they had but idea-to that
they cung with all the energy of their mighty minds
The Savior had but object in view in his mission
on earththe salvation of man. All that was contain
ed in the law or written by the prophets has been sum
ed up into a single idea, viz, love to God and man.
Every reformer that has blessed the world with his
influence has had but one idea distinctly before him.
When men have lost sight of that they have been
left to the blind guidance Of their own understand
ing and have been swallowed up in the vortex of
difficulties and party strife Garrison and his follow
ers, while they made freedom the object around which
all their efforts cenercd exered an influence that
made slavery trembe to its very centre. But when
they introduced other things into their creed their
influence was paralyzed, and they have been driven
well nigh into the darkness of infdelity The result
has been nearly the same whenever party has a
dopted similar course. The great difficulty withthe
two leading parties has been that they have had
no polar star to guide them-no fixed principle to
govern them and no settled, paramount policy upon
which they could anchor. The result has been, that
they have been carried wherever the current of expe
diency and popular favor might direct One day. they
have rode trumphantly into power upon the waves Of
party excitement, occasioned by tariff, bank, sub
treasury, Or something of the kind and the next
swept down by an opposing current and the other
party takes their place. The trouble has bCen they
have abored to settle the great questions of State and
national finance, and correct the political evils that
exist, without attempting to remove the disturbing
force the grand cause that keeps the nation in contn
ual turmoil and binders settling these questions at
once and forever. They seem to have lost sight of
the fact, that it is slavery which lies at the bottom of
these difficulties and that we can have nothing perma
nent and stable until this evil is removed How has
it been with the tariff which both parties, for the last
place upon some correct and stable basis? The cues
ton is now in as unsettled state as when John G..
Calhoun in 1876 became the father of the protective
tariff Since that time it has been entirely under the
control of slavery. Whenever the south has wanted
a tariff, she has had it. When her interests required
compromise to reduce it. to entirely destroy it. she
has found slough faces" enough at the north to graft
r "a L. e
finance that has been agated by either party; and so
it will be as long slavery exists, for the interests Of
slave labor and free labor are and must be, d.
recty at war with each other. In this consists the
difference between the other parties and the Liberty
party. The former laboring to purify the streams,
the latter is attempting to cleanse the fountain from
which those streams flow. One is in favor of protect
ing wool, and other property, while they make the de-
mants of slavery the rule of action, and keep the
ton in everlasting commotion; the other makes man,
paramount to mOney-seeks to protect the rights of the
weak and helpess-to correct the evils and abuses
that now exist is our government by removing the
causeto settle these perpexing money questions by
calling off the attention of the people from their party
peudices, to the claims of Justice and humanity until
the slaves shall be reethe interests of the north and
south be made to harmonize, so that some policy can
be adopted that will be for the general good of the
whole country.
We regret that some of our Liberty editors en-
deavoring to get up new issue, and call off the at
tenton of the people from the great work of restoring
100000 of human cattle TO the dignity of men; as
though this was too small business for them. They
want something to contend about, to keep the party in
a continual petty quarrel, and, by the same means
which the other parties have adopted, draw in those
who cannot be influenced by their love of freedom or
force of moral principle. Such a course of action
would have tendency to introduce civil discord, d.
vide and subdvide the party, and forever keep us from
making united and successful onset upon our COM
mon foe. Contention there must be- SO long as our
party is made up of members from both the other par
and preludices when attempt is made to take any
action upon those questions which are connected
with the creeds of the other parties that must ne
cessary take sides with one or the other. The only
way to avoid this difficulty, is to let these questions
alone until we have accomplished the work for which
the party was organized, until Liberty shall have
become weaned from their old party notions and be
disposed to look at the wants and interests of the ma
ton, not as partizans, but as honest men.
1t is mistaken idea that the party has arrived at
the zenith of its prosperity unless it takes decided
ground on the popular questions of the day. There
was never time when our principles were taking
Deeper root and ner hold upon the hearts of the peo
pie than at the present time and nothing but the mis-
guided efforts Of the Emancpator and two or three
other papers, in advocating the free trade and taxation
doctrines, can stop the onward progress of the party