Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1849-12-27
}oolttieal.
Fom the n. Y. Tribune.
Slavery and the Union---Threats
of Dissolution.

Slavery and the Union---Threats
of Dissolution.
For several years the Right of the Peo-
pie of these States to petition their Repre-
sentatives in Congress was practically dis
allowed and annuled, so far as any portion
of said People saw fit to exercise that right
with any sort of relation to Slavery. BY
the influence of Slavery, acting through its
own Representatives and upon the hopes and
fears of others, this serious abridgemeni of
fundamental Right was effected. The
Free States demonstrated, expostulated, and
in a legal, peaceful manner resisted, but
they never threatened to dissolve the Union.
AT no time were those who threatened or
contemplated dlsunlon a twentieth part of
the voters Of the Free States.
As early as 1915, intrigues looking to
the Annexation of Texas to the slavehold-
ing end of the Union were commenced, and
thence untlrlngly pursued until crowned
with complete success in lSi4-5. BY this
contamination Slavery obtained an Access
sion of territory exceeding the entire area
of the Revolutionary States now Free and
containing Seven Millions of People
Slavery obtained by this accession two Sena-
tors and two Representatives in Congress,
with the raw material for half Il dozen fu-
tnre States. And it was distinctly avuwcd
10y her champion Calhoun then hoIdiur the
commanding position of U. S. Secretary e
STATE. that our Government embtrkel in
this Annexation crusade for the purpose Of
terrifying, securing and pcrpciuatlng hu-
man Slavery.
That whatever Of moral sense and en-
lighted conscience there was in the Free
States should resist this pcrversion of our
common Government to sectional and re-
voting ends, was inevitable. Before the
Scll-styIed Democracy had been formally
involved in II by its Baltimore Convention
OF lSll, lis jnuratls aud other authentic ut
tcrances were vehement in denouncinr the
pre- Ject. 1t was characterized as black as
ink aud bitter as help by leading journal
OF New Hampshire which was in full cry
for Polk, Dallas aud Texas a few months
aiterward, and this is fair example Of the
spirit IN which the plot was regarded by the
Northern Democracy The Locoloco
members of the Massachusetts Legislature
united III resolutions denouncing the an
terms In our State, the opposition of Van
Buren,. Wright, Bryant, Barker and the
greater portion Of the leaders of Democ-
racy' was equally determined and de(inite.
Yet they bowed to the Baltimore fiat, and
keeping as still as possible about Texas and
Slavery, carried the State for Polk and Dal-
las. BY Folks influence and patronage,
Annexation was driven through Congress-
receiving bare majority of votes in the
Senate
The Free spirit of the North was shock
ed, 1t was outraged but how many of us
talked OF dlssolvlng the Union! What one
State, among all who had resisted Annexa-
ton to the last gasp, now turned to Disun-
ion as the remedy!
Next came War with Mexco-the natur-
al fruit of Annexation 1t was Goreseen,
ioretold, deemed inevitable. d" Annexation
and War with Mexico are Identical" was
lhe warning seasonably uttered by Mr.. Clay.
Mr. Van Buren, said substantially the same :;
SO did many others. Not, indeed, that War
might nat have been avoided after Annexa-
ton, but that it v0"M not. The shirt that
l'npclled to the first wrong would he certain
not to stop a, that, The appetite for acqui-
sllloh would be sharpened, not stated, by
It's first qualification. So it proved
Nothing could have tried the fidelity of
Northern men of conscience to the Union
more severely than this War. Having oh.
served and resisted all the steps by which
II had been reached, they felt a conviction
OF Its atrocity and inexcusable perfidy which
language can but family express. They re-
sisted 1t, Of course; but only by endeavor-
ing to drive It's authors from power; they
resisted as loyal freemen, not as disorganiz-
ers or lac'ionists.. They interposed no OBJ
stacle TO the constitutional action of the
Government; they paid their taxes without
resistance or scruple no considerable,
scarcely an audible, fraction of them talked
OF dissolving the Union. PerpIexed, dis
tracted, revolving at the daily spectacle of
their blood and treasure lavIsned in the pros
ecution of War they knew to be unjust
aud deiestable, they still cling with unaba-
ted tenacty to the ark of Nationality where
IN their fathers had found peace and secur-
ty.
The scene changes. New and spa
cious cong tests from our feeble aud disls-
trous foe become inevitable. The Repre-
sentatives of the Free States in the House
some moved by principle, others by shame
aud many by fear of their constltuents-u-
ute IN declaration that no Free Territory
acquired by US shall in our hands become