Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-08-24
VAN buren, AND SLAVERY.

LORENZO Dow, with sarcasm as bitter as
was quaint, and which would have been pro-
lane IN another man, once defined death bed
repentance to be burning out the candle of life
IN the service of the devil and blowing the
snuff III the Lords face. OF this character is
the new love of freedom with which Martin
Van Buren, finds himself suddenly anima ted
He is man who has passed his whole life in
the service of slavery; so that he has given the
strength of his manhood and all the force Of
his character; and now, when he has been ov-
erwhelmlngly defeated by the people in one
canvass, aud ANONYMOUSLY rejected by his
own party In the next, when he has neither
station no: influence, nothing which he can
sacrifice, nothing which he can risk, he comes
forward as the champion of freedom? He
brings the weapons which he has battered and
broken in the warfare of slayers, and which
he has no longer the strength TO use with effect
and hangs them up in the temple of liberty.-|
We are called upon to admire his magnanimi-
ty, to praise his independence in bursting
from the shackles of party which refused TO
have anything to do with him four years ago!
And more than this, the tried and consistent
friends OF freedom, the men who have struggled
through failure and obloguy in the cause, are
expected 10 abandon alli other organization,
and to arrange themselves under the banner OF
this new recruit who has just deserted from
the other side, or rather whom the other side
has driven away.
In every station to which Mr.. Van Buren,
has been elevated by the popular suffrage, or
has raised himself by successful intrigue, he
has been the fast friend Of slavery. As leg
| islator, an ambassador, as an executive, he
has always been true to this one cause. Change
full Upon everything else, upon which both sides
of every other great question, this has been the
sole consistency of his political life. As Vice
President he gave the casting vote for that in
famous law authorizing the mails to be viola
ted and the freedom OF the press outraged by
! the destruction OF any matter which might be
found in them offensive 10 slavery; as Secreta
ry of State he directed our minister al Madrid
to warn the Court of Spain against ''ihe bane-
full spirit of emancipation, which was in dan
ger of extending TO the Island of Cuba; as Pres
ident he fastened in his inaugural address to
give assurance of his adhesion to the cause OF
slavery, pledge which he fully redeemed in
his efforts against the liberation of the Amist-
ad negroes, and in the whole force and direc-
ton of the executive influence. His gratuit-
Gus pledge that he would veto any bill for the
abolition ofslavery in the District of Column
bia, is still on record unrecanted and in full
force Ee is nominated for the Presidency
suject to that pledge. He is still the ..North
ern man with Southern principles and in hi
letter to the Utica Convention he reiterate
: some Of his most offensive and ultra SLAYER,
/ opinions, and declares that he has not reason
to change them. Now, when such man i
put forward as the representative of the part
of freedom, it seems TO US that nothing NOR
: inconsistent can be found even in his own pc
iticel career, full as it is of the grossest con
. tradictions; and although we readily admit tina
e he is supported by many honest and intelligen
= men, we must say that we never should hav
IS suspected them OF honesty and intelligence
>. we had no better evidence than is afforded b
:. their course i'll this particular; we could not i
e such case, give them credit for either of thes
T. qualities except at the expense of the other
,fI Providence Journal.