Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1848-10-13
The Old Sinner.

Onc OF the organs ct the Van Buren, party
in this State, the northampton Courier, Icing
unable TO deny notorious facts, has come at last
to the following humiliating confession -
1--WE readily admit that Mr. Van Buren, has
been 'an old sinner against freedom, and for it
we dcnounee him as sincerely as did Mr. Ash
mum but he is right now, and no honest and
reasonable man will affirm the contrary"
This is more honest and manly than tho course
which many other supporters OF MIR Van Buren,
have taken. Some Of them will not admit the
existence of any "sin" 1t all in their 'good old
mnn,"-his law for burning liberty books and
papers by the hands Of the common hangman
WAS only a demonstration in favor Of the freedom
Of Speech forsooth and he has always been a
saint upon earth allowing for circumstances,
that "shot in the locker" ever ready for the SER
vice of General Cass But We are compelled
to say
Whether the rharmcr sinner II or saint II.
II humbug grows romantic We must paint It.
No honest reasonable man. quoth this simple
soul Of Northampton, will affirm that the old
sinner is not right now We must remind our
honest friend that here are two distinct points 10
be settled before honest and reasonable men can
fall down and worship rs political saint, that
individual whom Mr. Charles Francis Adams the
other day pronounced to be fixed TO nothing
but his own interest" These arc, frs;--What
does the old sinner now profess TO be? And
secondly How far can We take his word ? Or
il our Free Soil friend likes it any better, the
query may be-ln what did he sin and how
do we know he has repcnted?
/ The answer to one part of this question is
| that he sinned when he began his public life,
/ and has been in wicked ways ever since. From
the time that he commenced his intrgucs to get
Andrew jackson into Office, and to creep inio
office himself under the skirts Of that partisan
leader, whose only acknowledged principle was,
TO reward his friends and punish his enemies,
through the whole course Of that career in
which he followed in the steps Of his illustrious
prcdeccssor-he continued TO 10 that which was
c, in the sight of the nation. Down 10 the
moment when he set his foot on the Buffalo
platform, did he remain IN the gall of bitterness
and the bond OF iniquity-a Northern man with
Southern principles, defender Of slavery, an
enemy to American industry. Nobody said
more. did more, or attempted more against
Northern men, Northern institutions, Northern
interests, and Northern feelings. Anew EnglanC
is my wash-pot, and over the East will cas-
out NV shoe might have been the text Of nj
his political homilics lie sinncd upon the tariff
he sinncd upon the sub-trcasury, he sinncd upoi
the gag-law, he sinned upon Texas, he sinnet
upon the Mexican War. Whatever idols b,
worshippcd, he sinned himself, and he laugh
Israel 10 sin.
+ Now, we would thank any ono OF our social
cd Free Soil" ncghbors TO inform US when thi
old sinner began to repent, and whether conue
ton was followed by conversion When he wa
first conscience-s,ruck, and under whose preach
ing lie first got clear sense Of "eiiectua call
ing,"-whether in the agones Of his "contei n,
his "suiIerings intolerable,' on account O
, stopping the mails, whether his bowels onl.
, had prospective yearning toward another non
+ ination for the Presidency whether he ha
cast his sub-treasury and free trade idols to tn
moles and to the bats Of pure democracy, q
!, whether they are now snugly slowed away ur
der the darkest corner Of the Buffalo platform.
! 1t is very difficult, as the provcrb says, I
+ teach an old dog new tricks. To manuiactur
a new saint Of an old sinner is equally Difficult
. The Free Soil party make very clumsy work {
it. The whitewash they daub upon the Ethit
plans skin will not stick, and the creatures SCOT
hide only looks the dirticr for their bunang Al
7 tcmpts with the brush. Let il not be forgotte
Z that Mr. Van Burcn's friends and followers cot
= fess in the face Of the world that he "has bee
an old sinner against freedom" and that his rigl
4 hand man and associate upon the election tick
. declares that "Alr Van Buren, must be Judge
Z by his preceding course taken as Who'll
u and from that let no man deludc himself vii
e the belief that he is fixed TO any thing but b
own interest" A party must have come 10
IS last prayers, when il is willing TO follow the foo
/. steps of an old sinner. Where can they expo
, to bring up but in the pit of perditionY
= Boston Courit