Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-07-22
Be Steadfast.
July 10, 1917.

Nothing could be more fully justified by the events
Of the future than has been the step taken ten years
ago by the friends of Liberty IN the organization ofthe
Liberty Party Slavery, though for the most part ST.
lently and unnotced, had rapidly extended its limits
and strengthened its power and become deeply rooted
in the civil political and religious institutions of the
land Although this, as we have said, was mainly
done in silence, and without attracting public notice
alarm, yet in the few memorable instances in which
the spirit of impartial liberty has ventured to raise her
voice against the aggressons of slavery the latter by
unity of purpose and energy worthy of better
has most signally prevailed. These feeble and incf
ectua efforts to resist the growing power of slavery
and prevent its deadly fangs from being fastened deep
in the vas of the nation furnished abundant evidence
religious energies of all such sought to establish
the equality of Mans rights beneath the wide spread
ing wings of the American Eagle, nothing short of
revolution equally glorious in its results TO that Of 7G
and infinitely superior in the mode of its accomplish
mentwould meet the eXigences of the case, and Sc
cure the desired object. Under such circumstances
these, the apparently feeble and despsod band of
Liberty Apostles estceming the liberties Of the nation
Of greater worth than the success of rrupt party,
and the purity of conscience more to be desired than
the unnatural peace of church sumberng over the
oppression and heOthenism Of Gods image stood out
before the world and pledged themselves to the some
dea of the full redemption of our land from the curse
of slavery.
The power of slavery had never been known until
this effort for its abolition. Never had it bowed itself
in the uness of its strength, until assured that the
Philistnes upon it. In its conyulsve throes the
political organizations of the land have been dashed in
to foam, the leviathan ashes the Deep their ounda
tons have been broken upheir long cherished prin
cpes Abandoned and their idolizcd leaders sacrificed
"This once" and again and again, have they been
qured to bow down at the foot of its power and each
Time still lower until at present. the demand is to not
only bow in the DUST but so to secure the manacles
and letters to preclude the possibility of ever rising
again, The church, too, has been conyused by the
power Of slavery and the babel-lke confusion into
which it has been THROWN may well suggest the fear
full inqury-where would have been the hope of her
salvation if slavery had been allowed for but a brief
space longer to coil itself around her sacred aars?-
The peace and amity the several States of the Union
has been destroyed the forms and customs of society
have been changed households have been literally d.
vided and the father set against the son, and the son
against the father.
But in the midst of all these exhibitions Of the pow
err and desperation of slavery, the fororn hope OF
freedom has gone straight forward, unawed byviolence
unparalleled, and unbrbed by hattery the most full
some At first, the abotonsts were denounced as
incendiares and crazy fanatics, and were held up to
scorn in the official documents Of the President Of the
United States and the public speeches of the greatest
statesmen of the land, and price was set upon their
heads by the authorities of the South Then ban
set upon the public mails, to prevent the crcua-
ton Of light and truth the subject and the bonfire
at the south, the gibbet the whppngpost, the bowie
knife and pistol, the bloody riot and mob, and the
gloomy pententiary, have combined in the face of
heaven and the civilized world to proclaim the utter
and reckless denominations of American Slavery. But
in the midst of all these trials and offences the friends
of freedom have pressed onward-not without excuses
and mistakes in many instances, undoubtedly as no
man or set of men may lay claim TO infability--b
with ixedness of purpose ard devotion to principle
that challenges the admiration of the world.
And now what do we behold Instead of the feeble
band of despsed fanatics, constantly exposed to the
fires of persecution, our principles are disseminated
far and wide, and all such parties in the free States as
seek the popular favor, vie with each other in their
professions of genuine antslavery principles Indeed,
the foundation principles Of The Liberty organization,
viz; that Congress had constitutional power, and WIS