Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-04-27
Most truly, your Friend.
LIBERTAS.

more.

1t is common and natural too, for even candid per-
sons and much more so for persons of ardent tenn
perament to put a construction upon what they have
heard and read, which agreeaby avors or rather dis
agreeably approves preconceved opinions or wishes
This thought is suggested by noticing the different
constructions put upon differences from what was
said by the Hon. John P. Hale, in the Senate concern
ing slavery in the States. And appears to me that
wrong construction wrong Inference results from
failure to keep in view all parts of the sentence he
uttered and also, in some degree perhaps from not
sufficiently recoecting that in short aluson to a
subject the explanatory details can never be incorpo
rated into it ees it would cease to be short alu
sion.
Mr.. Butler of South Carolina, in the stereotyped
cant of Southern Shareholders, complained of Mr..
Hae's attacking the peculiar institutions of the South
ern States Mr.. Hale, in reply among other things,
said: "Once for ALL let me say that we desire no in
reference nor disturbance of the existing institutions
Of the South. If the institution, of which you speak,
be blessing, bless yourselves with it if it be curse
stagger under it as we may but let remain free
from it-let us alone. 1t is all that we desre-al
that ask" From this an inference has been drawn
and that by men of greater intellect than can boast
Of that all Mr.. Hales opposition to slavery is aimed
only against It's further extension. confess was
pleased with Mr.. Hales observation and never thought
it ground for any such inference, till | discovered
such to have been drawn from it. | supposed Mr.
Hale had reference to the state of fact universally ac
knowledge. The expression the peculiar institutions
of the Southern States" has definite meaning. It
means slavery under the laws of each of those States
Now the liberty party has no power, inclination or de-
SIRE to attack those Institutions in the sense of repeal
ing them, or compelling those States to repeal them.
But we are at war with the principle of slavery every
where and, in the language of Mr.. Hale above cited
'we desire to remain free from ito be let alone"-
We desire that those peculiar Institutions in all their
hornd Influences should no longer as they have DONE
cench their fangs into all the interests of the North.
and make us the submissive tools ofther despotc man
dates, furnishing at their bidding and for their support
all the vast patronage of the President of the United
States; and all the monies they want, to purchase
slave territory as Florida and to carry on war of
conquest to obtain free territory to plant slaves on as
In Mexico. We desire to be free from all this con-
nection with slavery. It appears to me that this tells
e "hole sIoGy Vi MI AaIeS expressions above cited
Those institutions of the Southern States are very
peculiar. They are created by something in the form
of laws, destroying human freedom, and sanctoning
all kinds and degrees of cruelty and oppression, that
does not come within the Southern notion of moderate
correction, The congress of the United States have
no power to touch those phantoms called laws We
at the North can't touch them We can condemn them
in the most appropriate and severe Language; but we
can't get near enough to shoot them with our small
arms, while they, with the of their artillery, and
air-guns, are destroying liberties, and robbng us
of our monies, and compelling to Join in her mur
derous conquests And though those things. in the
form of laws void both by the laws of God against
oppression, and some say with great pausbiity, by
the constitution of the United States, made to insure
the blessings of Liberty; yet no court has been
found OF sufficient stamina in defence of liberty and
right, to adjudge those hideous things void May we
not hope and expect that while the spirit of liberty is
spreading and reforming whole nations it will reach
the heart and reform the conscences of all the peo-
pie of the United States with regard to the personal
and political wckedness and reproach of those pre-
tended laws?
MENTOR.