The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1849-05-21
ADDRESS


ordered to be signed by the President and Sec.
rotary OF the meeting and published.
o. W. ALBEE, Secretary.
TO the Free Soil Democracy of .uassacbu.
sets
FELLOW CITIZENS: Elected by your suf-
rage members OF the Legislature of thiseCon.
mouwealth, and having executed The trust az.
signed us, we feel it duty to ourselves and TO
you, to present the views and feelings which
nave governed us In the novel, and some what
peculiar circumstances IN which we have been
placed.
We came together from different sections of
the Commonwealth, as the representatives. of a
new party. Until within short period we had
been members of the three parties into which
the State had been divided, and to a considerable
extent, were personally unknown to each other
With no common basis of union, but the Plat.
form OF the Buffalo Convention, we were at once
called upon 10 act on all those questions OF State
Legislation which necessarily came before us
In regard to these, as party, we had no guide.
NO State platform had been adopted, no line of
policy marked out Tor US by any instructions from
our constituents We were, therefore, lie # to act
on our own responsibility, according to our sew.
era convictions of du "
Under circumstances like these, we expected
that great difference ofoplnion would exist among
US, on all matters not in our National Platform
The result OF our experience has been, how
ever, different from our expectations On most
leading questions, we have acted to either. with
remarkable degree of unanimity Cordiaty
and kind feelings have at all times prevailed, and
rendered our personal and official intercourse
pleasant and gratifying
But the position ID which we have been pIac.
ed, has necessarily led us to recur TO our N alton
al Platform, to examine anew its leading element,
its prevailing sentiment aud spirit, in order that
/ a nIry in I
iormlty with our pri&eiples and professions as
members OF the Natio5ialsFree Soil party.
| In doing this, it has appeared to us that the
characteristic element, or principle OF that Plat.
form, was deep reverence for the rights of man:
and its spirit, none other than the fraternal of
sincere phllanthrophy: that unlike other parties.
| our lines were never drawn upon gu estions of
mere governmental policy, political economy,
but existed in the highest moral and religions
sentiments of our natures
With such views il has seemed TO rs that tn
act consistently, we were bound to reward the
interests oil the not over paid laborer OF the North
as truly as those OF the entirely unpaid labornr
OF the South. That while we are striving tn
emanclpate labor in other States, we should be
equally sollcious 10 aneliorate and elevate its
condition in our own. That our desire to dignity
laoor' 10 place 1t on just equality with capital,
and make it honorable, independent and free,
| H.
izens at home, as in respect to an unfortunate
portion OF our fellow men abroad
beheVing that capital and labor, although NOT
antagonists, are, nevertheless active and increas.
ing competitors for all the profits OF industrv and
mat the iormer from the facility with which il
may De concentrated, and its power over labor
thereby augmented, has greatly the ADVANTAGE
over the latter, we have endeavored ia our Ier.
lsatlve acts to guard with strict fidelity against
any ehcroacnment upon the rights and interests
OF the weaker party. Yet we are NOT of tho
number OF those who believe there Is any neces.
sary conflict between the interests OF labor and
the interests OF capital or that one class of the
community ought ever to be arrayed in hostilitv
to anothar.
Under just and equal laws, with no exclusive
Legislation Tor enc at the expense of the oth.r
ooth may exist together with perfect harmonv
ana reciprocity of interests as Joint and friendly
copartners, in all the profits OF business nj
sucn are the disabilities of labor, and the disad
yantages 1t suffers, for the want OF power 10 com.
Dine Its energies with the same ease, and TO the
same extent as capital, that the former does and
must ever need the watchiul care and vigilance
OF those who are called upon to enact the IaUs
"nlch establish or define the relations that exist
between them a' o"ie'
by recurrence to the course we have ,,r-
suea curing the session now closed our cnns,i,
uents will be able TO decide with wbat 6daI;',.
we nave acted in reference to these views and
the general principles OF the party to which yys
have the honor to belong
we DO not, however, present our course 40 4.
RUE Oh future action, nor ourselves as The exno.
nents oil the sentiments of our party. is regard n
the local politics of our State. AS we have he.
lore remarked, we acted with no other onid.
than our convictions of right, and we leave 70
otners, and to more appropriate occasion. the
duty OF presenting such platform of state policy
as snail seem most In accordance with our ma.
tonal creed, should such platform be regarded
as necessary.
In the meantime, let us 20 forward. mindfu,
OF the great object we have In view. and the
Leading principle on which, as a national partv
we are founded. Pa'y'
A series OF ''Resoves concerning Slavery and
the slave Trade" was introduced during the
session by the Judiciary Committee OF the Honse
l mere resolves asserted "the power of Congress
to Legislate on slavery in the territories Of the
Onion;' and, that 'when that BODY shallfurnish
governments for the territories OF California and
New Mexico, it will be its duty 10 establish
therein the fundamental principle of the Ordi-
nance OF 1857, upon the subject OF slavery; that
neither slavery nor the slave trade, ought 10 ex.
lst In the District of Columbia; and that il is the
duty OIL Congress to devise some Just practicable.
a M iRtAr.