The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-09-02
THE called OMAN.
ENEMIES OF SLAVERY !
R 81 I on ?

The following ID lToHl LlpeT'y PuPcr
which declines to support Van Buren,, the
uep anti slaue,y candidate for the Presidency
From the Liberty Standard
In his letter, Wan Buren's) Of June 80, 49,
As. he admits the power of congress to abol-
ish slavery in the District, but virtually re-
news his old pledge to veto bill passed for
that purpose. He says:
"WbiIst the candidate ofmy friends, for
the Presidency, distinctly announced my
opinion in favor Of the power of Congress TO
abolish slavery in the District of Columbia
although was, for reasons which were then &
are still, satisfactory TO my mind, very decl-
.oedly opposed TO its exercise there"
How was it possible for civilized man
thus to speak after all the revolving scenes
which have TRANSFERRED there within the last
year? The whole heart ofthe North demands
that the nation be relieved of the unutterabe
shame and guilt of that bnrbarous"Man Mar
ket." How is it possible for an anti slavery
man to vote for one who places himsolfm d.
RECT OPPOSITION to that Object?
There is 10 evidence that MIR Van Buren,
would oppose the admission of more slave
states, should they he presented by the di-
vision of the great state Of Texas, or should
Cuba be offered. llo only opposes slavery
scte,e IL is not--ho asks nothing more. Not
the slightest intimulion is given that he is OPP
posed to slavery existing in Indian territory,
in the District, on the high seas; or that he
would not, as he formerly did, employ the
navy and army in its favor, rs well us other
;r1unrcns InftIn Enycrptncpt And n
his general views and sympathics respecting
the anti slavery cause, aud its becoming II
'"political clement North or South, his late
letter says:
"The peculiar liability orthc subject to nc
converted into an element of political ngita-
ton, as well in the slnvcholdinr as in the
non slavcholding States, may hnvo led to &C
casional attempts so to employ it, but these
attempts have been very successfully irHSra-
ted 10y the good sense of the people, il every
quarter ofthe Union. detailed account Of
the numerous acts of The Federal Govern
ment, sustaining, and carrying into full effect
the policy of its founders upon tile subject of
slavery in the States, and its extension to the
territories, and the steps taken, in the non
sIaveholding States, to suppress or neutrnliZe
undue agitation in regard to it, would he IL
like Instructive and honorable to tho actors
in them. As the only period when the peace
of the sluvchoding States was supposed to
he seriously endangered by abolition agin-
ton, there was spontaneous uprising of the
people Of the North, of both parties, by which
agitation was paralyzed, and the South re-as
sured of our fidelity to the compromises of
the Constitution"
The scenes Of 1884, and the three next
succeeding years,are fresh in the recollection
-, - T. ,,,.I
large towns, led on by "men of property and
Standing" the numbering of editors, the de-
sruction of printing pressos,the lynching Of
nnti slavery lecturers, the public burning of
nnti-sIavery publications, the indignation
meetings held through the Free States, with
out distinction of party, for the purpose of
SURPRISING the agitation of the subject of
slavery. This was the "sPoNTANEoUs UPRI-
SING OF TIE PEOPLE," (which Mr. Van Blu
rem speaks in such terms of commentator
in 1913!
We would gladly let the veil of oblivion
cover forever his past public life of servily,
had he not himself dragged it before the
country, declaring that st is now a source Of
CONSOLATION TO me that Ip,uSued the course
adopted"
We cannot now review his life, but all
who are familiar with our political history
for Is years know that he richly earned his
Southern appelation ola "Northcrn man
with Southern principles" No man in the
North has done more 10 drag the country into
subserviency to the slave power. During
his administration that most infamous Flori-
da war had its principal existence, at cost
of $40 millions.
In 1889, fifty three lately kidnapped Afr-
cans were seized by one of our vessels on
the high seas, and demanded by The Span
iards as murders; and although free by the
laws of Spain and the United States, and by
treaties between the two countries Mr. Van
Buren,, making himself, as John Quincy Adj
ANS said, "the catch pole of Shareholders
sought TO overawe the court, and sent an
armed vessel to get them off "for trial beyond
the seas" He conspired against lives of
those innocent men and children, perfectly
known by him to be such, and here in his
order-the blacklist thing in our history.
"The Marshall of the United States for the
District of Connecticut will deliver over to
Lieut.. John J. Paine, of the United States
Navy, and aid in conveying on board the
Schooner Grampus, under his command, all
the negroes late of the Spanish Schooner A
mstad, in his custody, under process now
pending before the Circuit Court ofthe Uni
ted States, for the District of Connecticut.
For so doing, this order will be his warrant
"Given under my hand, at this city of