The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-09-05

THE POWER TO EFFECT IT, would violate The
spirit of that great compromise of interests which
/ lie at the basis of our social compact; and / an
thoroughly convinced, that it could not be so done
,cithoG imminent peril if not certain destruction
to the Union of these States. Viewing the matter
in this light, 1t is my clear and settled opinion thai
the Federal Government ought 10 abstain tTomdoing so
and that it is the sacred duty Of those whom the
people Of the United States entrust with the con-
troll of its action so to use The constitutional O,ccr
cith ctich they are INFESTED as TO prerert it,
Well, as we before said, "Free Soil" Martin
Van Buren, was elected President in 1886
and in his inaugural message he gratuitously
proclaimed to the world, that HE WOULD We
TO ANY BILL WHICH CONGRESS MIGHT PASS
FOR THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY IN THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. This threat of the
veto in advance, was new at that time, and
even good Van Buren, democrats rebelled a.
gainst the Kingly mandate. William Leggett,
an able writer, for many years assistant editor
of the n. Y. Evening Post, thus expressed his
opinions of the matter:
at would seem that we have elected Mr.. Van
Buren, to the office of President, for the mere pur-
pose that he may be the slavemaster in-chief and
negro overseer. He pledged himself to exercise
his veto power against anything which Congress
might do toward the abolition of slavery for the
next four years, without even pretending that it
was beyond the constitutional competency of that
boay to act on the subject. This threatened use
of the Veto by man standing on the very thresh-
old of the Executive Office, is the most indecent
abuse of power of which any American President
was ever guilty"
Thus we find a Democrat, in 1886, calling
the President of his own choice, the immacu-
late free soil Martin Van Buren,, "a SLAVE
MASTER IN-CHIEF, AND NEGRO OVER
SEER" We shall not, in this article, follow
Mr. Van Buren, through his four years admin
istratiou, and speak of his conduct in regard
to the right of petition-the corruption of his
administration, the Florida war and the Amis-
tad negroes-we thall speak of these matters
hereafter. Van Buren, was defeated in 1910
by General Harrison, most signally. The
people, after fair trial, had found him out
No sooner, however, was he defeated, than the
Regency at Albany, and its agents in other
States, set to work to restore him to power in
1874, by making him the candidate of the
Democratic National Convention So well
were the plans laid, that majority Of Dele
gates were elected TO the Convention to NOM
mate him. The Texas question came up
He wrote non-committal letter, as usual, up
on the subject. The South wanted something
stronger, and they determined to defeat him
The two-thirds rule, accordingly, was adopted
and Van Buren, did not in consequence gel
the nomination. He fell by his own snare
He was mad, his friends were mad; the Regen
cy had for once, been cheated. At first, courses
not loud, but deep were uttered. A way TO
revenge was not yet clear. General Cas- wa
the rival whom Van Buren, & the Regency tn
most thoroughly hated, and they were lookin
anxiously for the time when they could get hin
son the hip" Van Buren,, knowing he coul
expect nothing further from the South, begal
to play for the Northern strength; and her
we have him, in the year, our Lord. 1S4S
up as a"Free Soil candidate for the Presiden
cy, and little "man in Boston" on the ticke
with him for Vice. The juggle by which thi
result was brought about, shows how admire
bic is the drill of the Van Buren, Albany RI
gency. Hale and the whole Liberty party OIL
ganization have been set aside, swallowed VI
or put out of sight, by one wave of the "magi
clans" wand. The Convention never kne,
where they were till Van was nominated
They now rub their eyes, and begin to as
how the thing was done. And well they ma,
for Van Buren, has taken back none of hi
former opinions about slavery, as the following
extract from his letter TO the Utica Conven
ton, written June goth, 1S4S, less than tw,
months ago, proves:
"The extent to which Ihave sustained it (slaye
ry) in the various public stations have occupies
are known to the country. was at that time a
ware that | went further in this respect than m,
best friends could approve. But deeply penetra
ted with the conviction that Slavery was the onl,
subject which could endanger our blessed Union
| was determined that no effort on my part, with
in the pale of the Constitution, should be wanting
to sustain its compromises as they were then un
derstood and II is no1 a Of consolation n M
that pursued The course then adopted = = 4
Whilst the candidate of my friends for the Presi
dency distinctly announced my opinion in ia
vor of the power of Congress to abolish SLAYER.
in the District of Columbia, although | was, 70
reasons which were then, AND STILL Arr
SATISFACTORY TO MY MIND, DECID
EDDY OPPOSED TO ITS EXERCISE
THERE"
After reading the above, no one can sa!
that the Miller delusion exceeds in absurdit,
the farce played off at Buffalo, by which Mar
tin Van Buren, was put forth as the -4nti-S Stare
~ candidate for the Presidency Of the Unite'
States-Boston alias.