Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-07-25
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MONTPELIER, THURSDAY. JULY IS. 1850


ss1i 1rAl g
The Late Free Democratic Party.
In our last paper we announced the NOM
nations for State officers, made BY the rival
Democracies at their recent Conventions.
We propose now " give our readers brief
summary of the past and present principles
Of the late Free Democratic party, as they
are to be gathered from the resolutions a.
dopied. and other official acts perfoTmed, BY
them in Convention assembled. IT, ..ss
We shall only Indulge in brief, but we
trust, kind obituary notice of our deceased
contemporary, it being fixed principle
with us never to speak harshIy, Of the de-
parted. We begin with the name, which,
owing TO peculiar circumstances, possessed
unusual significance. Two years ago they
1.-The departed was many headed monastery
styled themselves the :" Free Scil party"
one year ago the I" Free Democratic party"
and this year simply "fhe Democratic par
ty." 1t is somewhat curious to observe the
essential modification that has each year
been made in the RGne. 1t indicates with
almost perfect precision the downward pro-
gress towards old fashioned locofecoism. In
lS45, it was Free Soil" and nothing else,
and so their resolutions declared. They
would vote for no man who was slavehol-
der himself, or who would vote for slave
holder or appoint one to. any Office. This
was the only principle the party had. In
lS49, the leaders Of the Cass party-hav-
ing in the mean time, discovered by search
ing into the hidden mysteries Of arithmetic,
hat shar in hos
words, that the Free Soil and Democratic
parties united would produce party great
er in numbers than the Wing party-lndu-
ced large majority Of their friends secm-
ingiy to forsake the faith of their fathers,
and unite with the free solIers for the pur-
pose of whipping the Wings" Accord
ingIy, on the ever memorable 3lst OF May,
A. d. 1919, the union was cemeuted, and
10! instead Of free soil party. we had
Free DemOcy attic party. Their resolutions
correspondent with this change of name
They still professed to hate slavery, as in
lS4S, though with considerable less veheiil-
ence but they added few new items to
their creed. They resolved that all the old
issues we're settled-i. e. settled Just as the
Democrats wanted them-and they were OPP
posed to their revival. This roundabout
way of saying that they were in favor OF
the whole Iocofoco creed, was an ingenious
contiisance ofthe knowing ones to ease the
consciences Of certain Wing Free Demo-
Gratis, who, by some hocus pocus or other
trick found themselves snugly ensconced IN
the back parlor of locofocoism But the
thing didn't take well, after all. The Wings
came out of the contest with large plural
ity in the popular vote, and still larger
majority in both branches of the Legisla-
ture. Patent Free Democracy was dunn
founded! Their arithmetic had failed them,
and there they were, Just as far from the
"loaves and fishes as ever Ii soon began
to be whispered about, however, that that
useless little word " Free" which some how
or other had become attached TO their bap-
tismal name, was the cause Of all their
troubles, and the question Immediately a.
rose, " can it be got rid Of" Certainly"
said the Castles, :" it don't mean anything,
and we have got those troublesome CUSTOM
cas-, the-conscientious-W hig- and-A BOLTON
Free Democrats. so thoroughly indoctrina-
ted now that they won't bolt, no fear Of
that"
Pursuant to this advice, the party met at
Montpelier on the I'd inst, aud the obnox-
ious word Free" was dropped without
word of remonstrance from any quarter,
and 10 aud behold in place thereof we find
inscribed on the banner " The Democratic
party Of Vermont" And here again we
find corresponding change of principles.
They are still in favor Of Free soil''-oh,
certainly-but not word about not voting
for shareholders, or anything of that sort |!
That point, which had been the test ques-
lion in their creed frem birth, it was DEEM
ed advisable to say nothing about. OF
course, those Wings who couldn't vote for
Gen. Taylor because he was a STAKEHOLDER,
now see the error of their ways. Instead
of sustaining an underground railroad for
the escape Of fugitive slaves, as formerly,
they now think the poor fellows ought TO be
returned to their masters, after a trial by
Jury. They are also in favor Of the Sub
treasury, Revenue Tariff, with Mr.. Folks
incidental protection" and against distri-
buting the proceeds Of the public lands.-
And last, but not least, they. are firmly, uni
teddy and bitterly opposed 10 the "rayler
party" of Vermont and the Unionl This
last principle is the only one they possess
that has not changed in the last two years.
All the rest have been quietly deposited in
the tomb Of the Capu!eis, almost without a
single mourner to bewail their premature
death, and others more congenial to the soil
Of locofocoism, have sprung up in their pla-
ces. Where they will be one year. or even
one month hence, is a question that nobo-
dy short Of prophet, or the son of proph-
ct, can safely answer.
We wish to ask those Wings who united
with this party two years ago. from the most
honest and upright, aud as we believe, mis-
taken motives, If they cannot now discover
the cloyen foot of the enemy? 1t does seem
10 us-and we say it in all charity-that the
Wing who remains longer with this party
lis guilty Of something far less excusable
than the sin of ignorance. We believe ma
ny such will at once return to the arms Of
their first love, TO stray no more.-Brattie-
6oro Eagle.