Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-09-16
4 Platforms.

DR.. Elder, Of Philadelphia. in an article
in the National Era, discourses upon "PIat-
forms and Positions" as follows
was once standing with hasa dozen
young men in the diamond of'my native
village, on fine summer evening. Our
attention was attracted by a pheasant, pur-
sued by hawk; the fugitive, driven to de-
spair, bore directly towards US, though we
were every one of US hunters of its kind,
and it knew we'll that we were its enemies.
1t alghted upon The roof of low wood
shed, across the street from The place where
we were standing. The hawk seemed to
have different apprehension of our hu-
manity, aud wisely turned tail upon us, ex-
pecting no compromise, and hoping for no
rendition Of the captive. The trembling
victim sat fronting us, as if conhdIng in
the natural force Of its appeal. While we
looked, suddenly a gun cracked, and the
poor bird rolled lifeeSs into the street, The
meanest man in town had shot it from his
garden behind the she'd Believe me,
thrill Of horror ran through our little circl.
Of sportsmen, and not one of us has forgot
ten the ieIon deed to this day. The Vir-
GINA hunters must excuse me. The Con-
stituton and the Compromises. and the
laws, must take care OF themselvs, and get
along, and maintain the order and harmony
of society, and all that, in some way that
will not make me ashamed to look in
glass, or afraid to sleep by myself. should
have to practice hard swearing seven years
on board pirate ship. before could de.
scribe myself with any hope of doing JUS
tice to the subject, if | for one moment ad-
mitted The possibility of obeying that Fugi-
tive Slave Law. | am not Dragging of my
audacily; cannot do this thing God
knows cannot, aud that is an eud of it.
have sworn TO the Constitution some FIVE or
six times but no man can swear, or curse,
or pray me down TO the point Of catching
fugltives from slavery, whether they come
from the battle-Gelds Of Hungary or the
cotton-Gelds Of Carolina.
But was taking about Platforms. On
the point in hand, the Pittsburgh manifesto
is, think, a little ambiguous, and its build.
ers something more so. wish they had
put it down plump and plain, that the Fupi-
tive Slave Law is law, ami that they in.
tended to take special pleasure in trampling
upon It at every opportunity s; then we
should have had doctrine for our duty, and
people would know that we justified our
dlsobed'ence, and would look into the reas-
ons that are as good for rebellion now as they
were for revolution hundred years ago. A
Minister oil France said to his most abso-
lutte master Sire, you cannot make this
law, because it is unjust" 1t seems to me
that an American freeman may say to our
tyrants, Slrs, you cannot enforce this law,
because 1t is inhHmah-I cannot obey it
because am man. And for all the pros.
pect there is of electing John P. Hale, or
making demonstration of our forces. I
don't think it would have been impoitic.
But wish TO be understood about this
business OF shooting slave hunters. | am
convinced that, as the world goes. those
" who would be free, themselves mus, strike
the blow" Ii is not worth while for free
man to shoot a tyrant for the sake of
slave ; and Fnever will believe that "the
best blood of Virginia" flows in the veins
of her slaves, till it is shown. The best
blood of Virginia flowed for the liberties of
Virginia, and didn't stick fast the veins
Of her heroes. When the boRdmen insist