Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-05-16

IN, as small change on the settlement of an
account Has the South been so gener-
Gus copartner, as to deserve this distin-
guished token of our gratitude!
Why, by parity of reasoning could h.,
not have claimed all the four states, =" in
addition TO said State of Texas" as free
States! The resolutions divide the terri
tory into two parts, one north and one south
of the line Of 36 deg. 30 min. Could not
Mr.. Webster have claimed the four States
Tor freedom with as sound logic, and with
far better humanity than he surrendered
them to slavery? When Texas and the
South have got their slave States 6" to tie
number Of Jou" iato the Union, whence are
we 10 obtain our one or more free States
The contract will have been executed, aud
the consent of Texas for another State will
be withheld.
Notwithstanding all this, Nh Webster
aiilrms the right of Slavery to four more
States, III the following words: " know
no form OF legislation which can strength
en- this. | know no mode of recognition
that can add Il title of weight 10 it," Catch
ing the tone of his asserVaton, | respond.
that | know no form Of statement, nor pro-
cess of reasoning, which can make it more
clear that this Is an absolute and wanton
surrender of the rights of the North, and
the rights of humanity.
According to the last census, there were
more than eight thousand persons of Airl-
can blood m Massachusetts. Abolish the
moral and religious convictions OF our peo-
pie, let slavery appear to be in their sigh.
not only lawful aud credltable, but desIra-
bic as badge of arIslocratic distinction,
and as a political, social, moral, and reIl-
glous blessing" aud what obstacle would
prevent these eight thousand persons from
being turned into slaves, on any day, by the
easy, cheap and shorthand kidnapping OF
legislative act Africans can exist here
for the best of ons,-they do exist here.
i state OF slavery would not stop their res
plrltIon; nor cause them to vanish into
thin air" Think, for moment, Of the
complaints we constantly hear III Certain
circles, of the difficulty and righteousness
OF commanding domestic service. Ii no
moral or religious objection existed against
holding slaves, would not many OF those re-
spectacle and opulent gentlemen who sign-
ed the letter of thanks to MIR. Webster, and
hundreds Of others indeed, instead of ap-
plying TO Intelligent offices, or visiting emf
grant ships, Tor domestlcs, as we call them,
20 a. once To the auctIon-room, and buy u
man or 4 woman, with as little hesitancy or
conjunction as they now send to Brighton
Tor beeycs, OF 70 to Taltersalis for horse
If the cold of the higher ATTITUDES checks
the flow Of African blood, or benumbs AZ
rlcan limbs, the stakeholder knows yeiy
well that trIiling extra expense for Whips
will make up for the difference.
But suppose doubt could be reasonably
entertained about the invasion Of the new
territories by slavery. Even suppose the
chances To preponderate against II. What
then Are we TO submit question OF hu-
man liberty, over vast regions aud for an
IndclnIt extent Of time, to the determina-
ton of chance With all my faculties |
say 10! Let me ask any man, let me res
peciiuly ask Mr. Webster himself, if it
were MS own flther and mother, and broth.
ers and sisters, and sons and daughters
who were IA peril Of ,ae 4aetio chance,-eren
to a favorable chance. Would he suffer
their fate to be determined by dice or dlyI-
nation, when positive prohibition was in his
power And by what rule OF Christian
morality, or even of enlightened heather
morality. can we deal differently with the
kindred of others from what we would with
our own lie is not Christian whose hui
manitv is bounded by the legal degrees OF
blood, or by general types OF feature.
But Mr.. Webster would not "tauut the
South. Neither would |. | would not
taunt any honorable man, much less GRIM
inal. Sui, when the most precious inter
esis of humanity are IN peril, | would not
be tlmid. would not stop too long to Gull
lovers phrases. Standing under the eye OF
God, IN the forum of the world aud before
the august tribunal OF posterity, when the
lltlgauts are Freedom Tyranny, and human
happiness aud human misery the prize they
II should happen to the sworn adj
yocates OF Liberty, as OulntIlllan says II
did to Isocrates, mot to speak and to plead,
but to thunder and to tighten" Mr.. W eb-
ster would not taunt the South and Vet |
say the South were never SO Insulted before,
as he has Insuted them. Common SCOTS,
ieers. and yilIiicatiOns, are flattery and syc-
ophancy, compared with the IndlgnlIes he
has heaped upon them. Look at the facts.
The South waged war with Mexico from one
and only one motive; for one aud only one
extension of Slavery They re-
fused peace unless 1t surrendered territory.
That territory must be south of the abhor-
red line of 36 deg.30 min. The same Pres
ident who abandoned the broad belt of
on our northern frontier from 10
deg, to 81 deg. 40 min, to which we had,
in his own words, IAN unquestonable title"
would allow no prohibition of slavery to be
imposed upon the territory which Mexico
coded, though she would bury 1t u foot deep
III gold The Provlso had been resisted in
all forms, from the beginning. Southern
Wings voted against the ratification of the
treaty, foreseeIng the struggle that was to
follow. Desperate efforts were made to
smuggle in an unrestricted territorial gov
eminent, against all parliamentary rule aud
all constitutional implication. The whole
South, as one man, claimed it as 'des-
cribable, VEGETABLE, estImable, tangible"
and most valuable fright" 20 carry Slaves
there Calhoun, BerrIen, Badger, Mason,
n ,,,b.Io horn ,h,I,,v