Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-08-12

Washington Union.
And I very sensible motto, under one aspect.
An agent who refuses to carry out the measures
prescribed by his principal, should dismiss him
self or be dismissed. 1t is more important thrt
the measures should be maintained than that he
should be retained. In selecting candidate to
carry cut great measures, merely personal prefer
ences should undoubtedly yield to the higher
consideration Of qualifications for that work.
10 this extent, then, the motto is good. 1t is
repugnlnt to the pride Of the individual, but it
|cleyatcs the mass. No matter what his ambition
or wisdom, their will must govern. In fact, the
great men Of the earth have been great because
they embodied the sentiments, the life, as it were,
of a party, a nation, or an era.
But the maxim has been prostitutcd to the
worst purposes by cliques and dcmagogues. BY
contriyanccs we'll known to themselves, the popu-
lar will Of a party is suppressed, while a pledge
Of adhesion to the decisions of a General Con
@vention is Wrung from it in advance. No mana
gers, however skilllul, could control a party, cx-
cept through this piece of machinery. Hun
dreds Of thousands Of Independent men agree to
suspend free speech and free action, and to hold
a General Convention, yesting in two or three
hundred delegates the sole right to resolve and
choose. The meeting assembled, the few man
gcrs-wire-Workcrs-wh have been assiduous
in keeping down all preliminary popular discus.
sion, and, by unseen Influences, securing the
election Of unpIcdged delegates, begin their op
%erations. A unit in purpose, with a fixed line
of policy long mlturcd, the Convention in theil
hands is as clay in the hands of the potter; j
obey5 their slightest movement, as the ship doe,
the hand of the hclmsIlan. Their suggestion.
are carried out by persons ignorant that they arc
used merely as pieces Of an ingenious machine
ry, accomplishing certain results, without intel
llgent purpose in its different parts. A candi
date, 1t may be, of dcbauchcd morals, guilty o
practices abhorrent to the good men of the par
ty, is selected. Or, sound in morals, he ma,
cherish principles, propose measures, i'll TIN
sanctuary of his own private thoughts, far be
yond the principles and measures which hay,
been recognised by the party; and for this yer.
reason he may have been chosen by the mana
gers,
Harmony is at last secured; the proceeding
are ratified by accIamltion; the Convention ad
%journS; and now what is the cry? 1t has all beer
arranged beforehand, A few leading papers il
the secret lead of, and soon from Jew and Gen.
tile, Christian and InideI, from every two-penn,
and mammoth belonging to the party, from tin
centre to the circumference Of the Union. burst
forth the stunning cry, Measures and not Men
The unlnitiated mass 90 to work forthwith, an
elect these men for the sake of the measures
They have succeeded in carryingth their measures
but they have done something more. Dishonest
is installed in the Presidential chair, and tn
cause of sound morals has receiyeda blow unde
which it staggers. Or, they begin to find thu
the "embodiment' is doing more than they cor
tracted for. True, he has established their mea
sures; but another play opens, which was nc
1 announced IN the programme. Their candidat
= was elected to extend the "area Of freedom;
i and having done this by cutting it down som
five degrees, the world sees him all at once eng;
ged in a war to extend the area of slavery! An
= this is the result OF Il blind devotion to the mot
1 to, Measures, not Men.
d Will American citizens, who love fair deaIin
n and hate slavery, never learn by the things whic
they suffer! This very maxim by which the
n have been so often cheated, is beginning to b
d preached again. 0, how beautifully the practice
: politician is discoursing upon the text, "Mea,
o ures and not Men" How august our measure.
o how insignificant is mani What is it to US whctl
t er Cass or Woodbury., or sone fortunate III
kloWh, DC the hOhofed recipient OF the conf
$ dence of the Convention. measures and nc
Menu Worthy Democrat! Wilmot-Provis
Democrat. Under that banner you placed MI
n Polk in the Presidential chair; but do YOU fa
e get! Who defeated the Wilmot Proviso! Ha
you not a majority of thirty with you at Grstl-
e What became of them? Who reduced YOU to
minority! Was it the President And was tn
i use Of Executive influence to defeat the Whine
n Proviso one of the measures you meant wher
voting for him, you shouted, measures, nc
d Menu Had you taken as much care of you
l. man as your measures, the question would hay
been settled in your favor. In the face of a
TINS experience, you are once more coolly aske
70 go dumb and blindfolded, into a Nations
Convention, and rally under the same old batt1
cry Measures and not Mcn!-Nat. Era.