The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-11-26
bIect, written by Ar. Webster himself If the

subject, written by Mr.. Webster himself IL the
Wing party erred therefore, in the position it as
sumed, namely, that opposition TO the extension
OF slavery, Il did 80 under the active lead Of Mr.
webster. After peace was declared between this
country and Mexico, and we found ourselves in
possession OF some six hundred thousand square
miles OF free territory, and the question arose OF
applying to It the principles Of the ordinance Of
49,, Mr.. Webster was one of the advocates Of it,.
lie declared IN his speech at the Springfield Con-
vention, holden in the fall OF lS47 that the Will
mot Proviso was "his thunder"
In his speech at Marshfeld in 1913, during the
presidential campaign he repeated substantially the
same thing. Indeed any one who will examine
his speeches, will find that up to the 7th of March
last, he has always taken the Wing, ,Free-soil,
anti-siavery ground, and no one has done half SO
much to make up the volume of anti-slavery senti-
ment in Massachusetts and the North, as Mr..
Webster. The fact that he was nominated at
Philadelphia instead of General Taylor, caused
twenty thousand Wings in Massachusetts, to 60
oil from the party, and form what is now known
as the Free-soil party. We said the other day
that :" the people Of Massachusetts have not made
the slavery issues, they have made themselves -
The idea Is prePos,erous that these issues, when
they arise, can be winked out of sight, that they
can be got over or around, or that they can be
lodged. They cannot be, they must be met. A
party must have policy, it must have principles
1t must be in favor Of extending slavery, or it
=
ton Of Cuba, or against it. 1t must be in favor of
the Fugitive slave law, or it must be against it.
No'c, then, the point haze been trying 10 sho,p is
THIS, that The party in the free States that sides Nth
Slavery or that shoes by its acts that IL but lille
about IL, and tcouh remain PASSIVE, riH surely 20
do1rn, II cannot stand because il is false to the
sympathies and moral and religious culture of the
people. If we would move the masses, we must
speak to their hearts, and engage their sympa-
tines: AS well might you expect to succeed in u
popular election in Georgia or South Carolina, by
planting yourself upon an anti-savery platform,
as to succeed in Massachusetts, by planting your
self upon pro-slavery platform; one is just as
easy as the other.
Such being the fact, which no man who has min
ged with the people can deny, we wish to pursue
such course as will retain Wing supremacy in
Massachusetts and in the nation We do not pro-
pose 10 interfere 10Th the local politics Of the Southern
States. We do not blame them for voting to up
hold and strengthen slavery, when they do it with
out violating the Constitution. Were we a South
ern man, born, nurtured and educated in the
South, we probably should act as other Southern
men act. We claim for ourselves no exception
from the common fraitles Of mankind. We ask
OF Southern men In return mol 10 interfere ipih the
local politics Of Massachusetts. Not to force upon
us doctrines which we abhor. Not to denounce
us, because We prefer freedom to slavery aud that
whenever zoe can act tcifh due regard to o, consii-
tutionai obligations, the advancement of free prin-
init and If we vote them down, they must submit.
We want no threats Of notification to interfere
with our just rights, no Nashville Convention TO
overawe the action of Congress.
Nothing can be more untrue than to suppose
that 1t is the ree-soi party in Massachusetts that
retains all the anti slavery elements. The Wing
party proper Is ant-siapery the FreeSoit party.
They have maintained their position until this
fall, by maintaining that they were true Free
soil men as the Free-soll party itself, and much
more so than some Of its leaders. On the other
hand, nothing be more false than the charge
that Is hppantly made, that the Free soil party
| composed of men of only one idea, that they are
all tactonlsts and fanatics, enemies of the Union,
and disloyal to the Constitution. The masses 0,
the Fee-sol party in this State honest and as
tcorhy aud intelligent men as ertst the face Of the
earth. Of large portion, not all, Of their leaders
we entertain very different opinion The late
election sho,os that there are 81 900 roters in this
Commonwealth ,cho poted the Free soil ticket. Twen-
ty thousand of those men three years ago were
Wings, and acted with the Wing party, and We're
worthy members Of the same. They are Wings
yet, and were rapidly coming back to the Wing
party at the time of General Tayor's death. Had
he lived to carry out the benefcent schemes Of lis
administration, we believe that nine-tenths of them
would have been this day Taylor men, u Gen.
Tylors policy satisfactory the mass of he Free
soil party, chy should not Mr. Fulmore's be ? One
thing is certain they do not so view it, and why
because efforts have been made and are now max
ing to show that Mr.. Fillmore and his administra-
ton are in favor per Of this Fugitive slave law,
and opposed to the principles Of the ordinance OF
1887. The Fugitive slave law, as it now stands
is rankly offensive to- our people, and yet papers
which claim to be in the confidence of the admin
istation, say that this Fugitive slave law is an ad
ministration measure, and those who oppose it,
and speak against it, oppose and speak against the
administration. You cannot be an administration
man, or Wing, even, unless you acquesce in
the late measures ola Locofoco Congress, includ-
ing the Fugitive slave bill IT IS THIS DOCTRINE
THAT HAS LOST US MASSACHUSETTS. And if it is
persisted in, we sink party still further in de-
feat. Suppose we should 60 into the next can
vass with our banners inscribed with motos like
these
ITIIJC DOrTPJA'ES