The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-06-11
For the Middlcbdry Register.
Under Which King?"

MIR EDIroR
In your last paper you gave us some
account Of the Slate Convention, which as
sembled at Burlington the 29h OF last month
happened to be present myself, though not
strictly MS a member OF The convention, but
more as a spectator For to speak frankly
il seemed to me very difficult to make out
what sort OF q convention it was-what it
was driving at-and what were the ultimate
purposes Of majority OF those present
have always been Democrat, but oufess
my inability 10 determine whereabouts in
this State look for he real. Identical De-
moc!acy, that WAS in vogue, and easy enough
TO be discovered, when fist became vo-
ter
We all krow the exact date of the organ
izalion OF Ger ain Free Soil " party
which was first licked into shape and set on
" al fours - one rainy day in August, 1913.
The Convention which had this business III
band il is well known. was composed oil
three different political elements-Demu-
Gratis, Wings, and Liberty men. As | IN
dersiood that organization, it was avowedly
composed OF men whose views on all the Old
issues were al variance-of men VINO had u
greed tn disagree about all those old pollti.
| cal questions. and to unite on common
ground, simply and solely to save the terri
tory acquired by the Mexican war from the
| curse Of Slavery. Democrats were not ex-
pected TO give up their Democracy; Wings
were not asked to yield any of their old hos.
| liIy 10 Democratic measures; Liberty men
we're hol required TO add any new article to
their creed Am | not correct in this? Ii
so. in going into that rgsnization-which
drew TO itself about one half of the old Dem
ocratic party Of this State-l think any
Democrat might have acted inteligehtly and
honestly ,-only he must not have expected
to find there any portion oil bis Democracy
hdt was laid aside.
liz ls49, he Cass portion OF the Democra
cy, in Convention at Montpelier on the 3ls
Of May voted to come upon the Free soil
eround-and both that party and the Free
Soil party agreed to give the old political
issues the go-by. and TO accept as their can
didaes three oui-and-ou Liberty men. That
was the vote. That was the fair agreement.
And, 10 accommodate the incest Of Demo.
cratic scrupes. we adopted The name " Free
Democracy in place Of Free Soil"
say we" for that movement had my assent
and support
As bad luck would have it, all my Demo-
cratic friends could NOT, Tor some reason I'M
dersiand what We were driving at, and a.
bout 1000 Of them determined TO stand Ly
their old principles, believing them Of more
consequence than the single Free Soil issue.
do not mean to reproach tn, III. | believe
they were honest only wish they could
have thought otherwise.
In 1850, we had the same thing over again,
with slight varia;orIs-two sets of candidates
ii platform expressly Democratic, and an
other expressly + ee Soil, which blink ed the
old issues. The Democrats gained thirty
three per cent.-the Free Sellers lost 4, 600.
] was not one of the 1000.
| This year, we have new development,
which little puzzles me, and If any OF my
Free Soifor Democratic friends can help me
out OF the difficulty. shall he very much O.
bIsed if they will do so. And ! address
this appeal 10 you Mr.. Editor. because am
apprebensive that The organs of neither party
will be very DESTROYS 10 oe catechlzed on This
suoj"c,-and Us must speak through the
columns OF paper devoted TO other politi
cal interests, If you show me the courtesy to
publish this, ought to be brief. come to
the prlnt at once
The Burlington Con,e niion has now re-
suned the old Democratic name and Tho old
issues The Slavery question has ceased to
be paramount with an, organized party in
Tins Sla'e. 10 carry out the purpose that
first induced me to join the Free Soil party,
lind one organization no more 10 he relied
Oh than another, All profess hostility TO
Slavery, aud TO its extension, alike Only
the old political Issues remain | am forced
10 resume my Democracy and that al1ne, or
else 10 lead of in q new organization And
J regret this the less, thar believe the ques
tion Of extending slavery is settled, and set
lied in favor Of freedom. have nothing "a
do, then, repeat, but TO look up my old
, Democracy, aud to return 10 il Where
shall ! find il? How shall ! recognize il ?
That the Burlington Convention was not
properly a convention Of Democrats. is man.
ifssl from the determined aud bitter oppo-
siion Of large minority of that body tc
everything Democratic in the Resolutions
reported Besides,-and here is the ics
question, and the only conclusive test -pi
S tbs Delegates Of his organization be admit
. ted 10 seat in The neri National Convention
10 nominate a Democratic cdRdidape foi
: President! Is this the Democracy that vii
be fellowshipped by the Democracy Of Vir
: ginis. Mississippi, Alabama, and other South
| ern Democratic States? II 50, IN returning
again TO the Democratic standard shall fnC
il here If not. -ifrn every other State O
: the Union this is 10 be set down as Shan
! Democracy why should have anything MOI,