Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-09-21
For the Green Mountain Freeman.
What is the Duty Of Liberty Men!

What is the Duty Of Liberty Men? !
In these times ofpotical strife between slavery and
freedom, when Stree soil" is rousing itself with g-
ant strength to do battle for liberty, it becomes
question Of serious moment-What is the path Of du |
ty?
We have for some ten years past predicted that the
time would CONT when the two pro-savery parties
would be broken up--when the friends of liberty
would unite in an unti-savery party and try their
strength against slavery at the polls. Slavery is a
creature of local law, Of Lynch law, sanctioned by
legislative enactments. The whole strength of our
government has been demanded, yielded, and ,cield-
ed, in its defence. Every successive grant to the
slave power has been but basis, or pr ecedcnt for
new demands.
Hence our government has been, essentially, pac.
tically and totally a pro slavery government. The
liberty party had its origin in desire to break up and
destroy this government patronage of slavery and in
the belief that political action in the course adopted
by it was the most eecual and indeed the only wav
in which it could be accomplished. We have gone
on from weakness to strength, if indeed such thing
as weakness could be predicated on truth We have
called upon the good and the true of every party and
of every sect to unite with us and do battle for the
slave and for universal liberty Thousands have hung
back; some from fear, some from shame, some from
Indifference, and others from absolute hatred Of our
cause and the men who advocate it. 1t is not reason.
able to expect that men should be born in their full
strength. We hear of progressive dcmocracy"--
and there is such thing. The mind is enlightened
by degrees. We should not forget the path in which
ne have been led, or the struggles between old pref
udices old party attachments, and the demands of du
y which from time to time have been forced upon our
minds by the light of truth. Hence we should learn
to wait patiently for truth to have her perfect work in
the hearts of others. We should encourage the faint
hearted ltup the feeble and help forward those who
are hating.
We have seen SO much Of the falsehood and rcach-
cry Of party leaders, and have been so often deceived
that we have been slow 10 trust them. We have
doubted their sincerity and with sufficient reason
We feared that the movement oftllose who were most
instrumental in getting up the Buffalo Convention
originated in disappointed party feeling other mo-
tjves than desire to break up slavery. We feared
that many would be deceived and cheated out of their
|
earnestly labored, would be abandoned for something
infinitely inferior But whatever might have been the
original personal motives in the minds of these men
they have found themselves at the mercy of current
which will carry them onward to the conflict for lib
erty all its battle grounds There is retreat fol
them, they are at the mercy of the peoT There is
power behind the throne greater than re throne it.
SELF and this power will accomplish lisp poses, with
out reference to men. They must ride With the tdt
or be overwhelmed in its waters.
This then is the position of affairs The lon.
prophecied time has come. The anti-savery feeling
which has been created by the efforts of liberty men
with that which exists by nature in the hearts OF al
true men, and which has been pent up as it were 70
years-has at length broke forth. At first it seeme
like small breach in dam, but its waters widene
the breach as they flowed, and now the stream rush
es through in a foaming torrent seemingly destine
to bear away all opposition to lis course.
Surely the hearts of the people are in this move
ment True all are not equally advanced in ant-sla
very truths. All not in the front ranks of tn
battle nor could this eUT be expected. But all ar
determined to resist the demands of slavery. The
are giving up their old party attachments--we lon
since gave up ours, for principle. They have adope
our platform, and shall we not unite with them hea
and hand?
Already has the slave power begun to fail like liz
man before Mordecia. Calhoun has taken up tn
note of lamentations and gone home and told his vii
> and his friends of his forebodings Surely we sha
0 prevail against him. Surely slavery shall fall befo
y us. The poor trucking sycophonts from the Mort
who have so long trembled before 1t, have felt tt
Buffalo fire in their rear, and have been frightened
once out Of their sycophancy. 1t seems too srane
to be true but the proof before US. Let us heat
furnace hotter and hotter until all the dough is tho
y oughly baked.
;, A. II. B..