Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-06-10
State Com'tee.
Influence of VermOnt""Where is it ?
May 25, 1917.

fore the American people for Neutrality-suspicious. so
vitality affecting political, religious, moral and So
cial well-being, yea our very existence republic,
and firmly n-wrought with the temporal and eternal
interests of Man, in every age and cme-we have
been led to inquire upon which side is the influence of
Vermont? Is her voice, politically and relgousy, ut
tered in behalf of the Right, Or is it, through the aid
of political demagogues and the mal-formation of par
ties lent to the aid of oppression and despotsn? We
shall now speak of the matter more especially in
political point of view.
There are, perhaps in round numbers, $4,000 Voters
sovereign Freemen--in the State of Vermont whose
prerogatve it is to give voice in deciding who, and
what principles and policy shall govern this nation
And this influence is as really exercised and felt in
determining the policy, and as consequence the des
tiny, OF this nation, is that of the $4,000 of our
fellow countrymen who are so freely laying down
their lives in fighting the Shareholders in Mexico.
We say there is no neutral ground Every freeman, if
he Yields that mighty weapon, THE BALLOT decides
directly in favor of men and measures to govern the
naton if he refuses ncgects to VOTE he is respon
sible for having surrendered his power of deciding
right into the hands of him who may decide wrong
Where, then, is this influence exercised and upon
which side does it tell? Let us see.
1t should be promised, that the great question a
waiting decision at the bar of the American people,
is as nearly all intelligent men in Vermont will admit,
and as the united South are proclaiming with stento-
rian voce-shall American Slavery be cherished
where it now exists, and shall the army, navy and
treasury of the government be put in the control of
shareholders for the indefinite acquisition of new ter
ritoly, by which to extend and perpeuate the
power of slavery and give it the permanent ascen-
dancy over the interests of the Free North? 1t should
also be borne in mind, that all parties in this State
thoroughly anti-savery, far theory
ed nasmuch as pointed resolutions of that character
have been almost or quite unanimously adopted in
legislature for several years. But the ACTIONS, which
give character to the man, and angbility and efficacy
to princp les-which speak louder than mere empty
words, uttered to secure a selfish end, these are
what we are after On which side are they?
OF the $4,000 voters in Vermont, large plurality
are wings, claiming to be genuine abotonsts the
"true Liberty Pary,"-and most bitterly denouncng
the Liberty Party for having as they charge, abetted
in the election of PQik and consequently strengthened
the slave power What has been the course of this
party? In l840 they we're all abotonists, "as much
as any body" and only consented to vote for slave
holding Vice President "ust this once" for the sake
of securing the election of Gen. HARRISON, who
declared to be an anti-savery The "this once"
policy succeeded and Harrison was elected; and du
ring his brief career the ant-slavery hopes, if any
had really been entertained, of the Vermont wings,
must have been dashed to the earth; but did they
complain? No. In John Tyler, his Accidency' the
slave power found most willing and effective instru
ment, and by this means laid the foundation for the
annexation of Texas, siege and conquest of Mexico
and the glorious train of slaverys triumphs which we
are now witnessing. Were the wings disappointed or
dissatisfied with this? Not they. To be sure, John
Tyler was renowned and denounced, burnt and glib
beted in effigy for his alleged teachery upon the
bank, tariff and distribution questions-but on the
slavery question have reason to doubt that he
was all the wings expected desired, In 1914, the
"his once" policy was again adopted and the wings
of Vermont with trfing exceptions, Joined with as
much apparent zeal in support of Henry Clay as they
had before manifested for Gen. Harrison That Mr..
Clay gave the high sanction of his example to the
enslaWng of his fellow-men; that he declared the
practice to have been sanctioned and Sancfed by two
hundred years. legislation; that he opposed to all
measures for its immediate or prospective abolition,
and that the extending of slavery the territory of
Texas formed 10 objection IN his mind to its acqusi-
tion,-all these things presented barrier to his re-
ceivng the united support of the antisavery wings of
Vermont And in favor of this man stands recorded
the last electoral vote of the State. Where them is
the influence of Vermont at present to be found, so
far as the dominant party is concerned? So cheeruy
was the vote of this State given to Henry Clay in the
last President al election that the South, in their est-
mates of the chances of success in the next canvass
set down Vermont-"the Star that never sets"-as
sure for Gen. Taylor, Southern man with Southern
principles And we see no reason to doubt that
should Old Rough and Ready obtain the nomination,
the electoral vote of Vermont woull be as readily
given to him as it was to either of the preceding can
didates Indeed we think the we-working politicians
and leading papers are preparing the way for this
suit. Gen. Taylor-a that is known of whom is, that
he is wholesale stakeholder; was prime actor in the
Florida war; and the insgator, it is sad of the blood
hound system, that shocked the moral sense of the
whole civilized world; is now the hero in the slave
holders war of conquest in Mexico, and the guilty
author of that war, alleged nasmuch as he recon-
mended the march across the Rio Grahde, which led
to open hostities with Mexico; and is as the South
aver, sound to the core the subject of the Wilmot
Provso" can it be that this man will receive the suf
frages of the antisIauery tohigs Of Vermont? Can
men of sense and of principle so sultfy themselves,
and give the lie to all their loud professions? We shall
see
| The Democrats OF Vermont, constituting small
and hopeless minority, have left do doubt as to their