Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-05-13
True as the Needle 10 the Pole,
Hear the patriot sage of Saginaw
LETTER FROM ]. G. BIRNEY.

SIR i am glad that you have told us in the
Signal of Liberty, on the goth March, in terms
that cannot be we'll misunderstood, where you'll
are to be found in the anti-slavery ranks. You
proclaim 10 wings and donloorats, that yo, will
vote for any candidate they nomnate-unobjec-N
tionabe, of course, as to moral character-whol
will come up to an anti-slavery creed, (properly
published by you,) and who has the best chanceI
of success and you eXhort others to do so too
As one addressed by you, now speak and ii
speak plainly, it is because human duty is con-
cerned, when will kn0w no man, but as its eX-l
FOUNDER,
You say that the candidate who would come
up to your creed, would, for all "practcal pur-
poses" be a 'tLiberty man" Let me ask you if
YOU want to elect candidate for any other than
practical purpose?
fla "Libcrty man" be in the democratic or
wing ranks, is he not in wrong place; for have
we not said, up to this time, that both these par
ties are pro-slavery and corrupt!
Does not such Notwithstanding that
there can be such an one-want the love of truth
enough, and courage enough to join himself to a
small party Z! lfthe wing and democratic parties
are pro-savery, is not your Liberty man traitor,
or false to them? Do you expect, if the views
of the party by whose name he is called, come in
conflict with the views of the Liberty party that
he will forego the first to do yours And do
YOU expect that such Liberty man will be hon
est after election-qtter he has got your votes
who has practiccd dishonesty before
Have you confidence, at all commensurate
with the OCCASION in the wing or democratic par
ty Do you not believe that to vote for their
candidates would be to support slavery That
to vote for any nominee Of party is to vote real
ly for the party and its principles If you do
not believe so, the Liberty Convention held late
Iy at Kalamazoo, did.
| If the "Liberty man" you want be democrat
or a wing, why do you go to those parties when
YOU can Get such candidate as will suit you, in
the ranks of the Liberty party | will not say
that you prefer such an one; but that you vote
for him to get, in return, the votes OF party
that have not regard enough for our principles
to avow them, or to act on them. If your wing
or democratic elderly man" only equal your
Liberty party man, where is, then, the reason
for your going to a traitor, instead Of one who
has had the courage to avow his principles be-
fore the world
Suppose, too, and it is not at all improbable,
that Liberty man, such as comes up, in prom
Use, to your creed is found in each Of the other
parties What are you to do in such a case .
According to my notions, the wing and the dem
ocrat nOw with us, groes back to his wallowing
in the mire with the party to which he was here
tofore attached. But where is the Liberty party
In any view | can take of your project, it is
calculated at once, to break up the Liberty par
ty. 1t is therefore, wild and visionary, and one
that was not prepared to expect from the ripe
reflection which has heretofore distinguished
YOU Ifa party or person deceiyes us-the first
time he is guilty; afterwards wc too. Besides
this, the religion that does not make us 'wiser"
| mot more suspicous) ought to be re-examlned,
for we may be assured there is some deficiency
in it.
There are some who think "National Con
vention of anti-slavery men, irrespective of par
ty," will heal our woes, and teach us how to
'succeed" But first of all, let us answer this
question-are Ve bound to succeed? Are we
bound to lower our principles, till men will &C
cept of them We, certainly, are not but we
are bound to act, what is more important, always
according to the truth.
Much of the reasoning above will apply to the
National Convention proposed-but | cannot
look on it as any other thing than fresh occa-
sion for diluting our principles, so that we may
have strong party IN Church and in State to
lean on. How very few, Mr., Beckley, are pre-
pared to stand Alone for what is right and just
and true To do so, however, to the individ-
ual is everything whether he succeed or not
The democratic party have succeeded, but
know, you would not have their success,
From an early period of the Liberty party, it
took the ground, that it would apply its reform
principles-for that it was reform party cannot
be denied-to every case to which they were APP
plicable so that it should be, as nearly as pos
sible, what it wanted the government to be, In
this way, slavery, and every other abuse, which
the wing and democratic parties, in their strug.
gle for office and power, had attempted to faster
on the government, almost to its perversion, was
to be wiped away. 1t was, in fine, to be what
had never been seen in this country democratic
party-a party that feared God, and in which
calm considerate, and enlightened people would
have decided influence. 1t was never intend
ed to be a mere incident of another party-or in
any respect, "balance of power" party 1t,
, permanency and its excellency were to be the
reason why others would Join it why its increase
, would ameiorate the government, and its utim
ate success thoroughly purify it.
This the intention of the party was attempt
! ed to be kept up. The last Presidential election
tried it severely. But enough of Liberty part!
men were unmoved by the clamors which
:, surrounded them, and the wheedlings to which
they were exposed on that occasion, to be de
. pended on in any future emergency, and to b.
i further organized, so as to render them, and tn
additions that might be made to them, still NOR
: effective. Then, we boosted of their unseduce
: number-we did, for some time after that even
d and even now, occasionally.
n But not very long afterwards, many of our ed
IF ltors and others becoming impatient of success-
rs and thinking that it could sooner be attained b
Y. keeping the moral question of the Liberty part
II IN the background, put the political question
d tront-considering that more palatabe than tn
- other Of this we may be convinced bv readin