The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-03-04
through veal, and maintain them now, and
always if need be, until they, we, and the Re-
public, perish together in a common ruin
BUFFALO AND RALT1MoRE-is4s AND 1852

al confess myself disappointed in the results
of the Buffalo Convention. To one at the time
it did seem that the people had become thor
oughly awake, both TO their rights and their
duties, and that party attachments are no longer
TO prevent a manly, fearless assertion of the
rights Of the free North to take the control Of
the Government, and to WELD it in favor Of
liberty.
"While believe that that demonstration did
exert salutary influence on the then pending
election, | am constrained to admit that the
high hopes then formed have faded away, and
left the sad conviction that the people of the
free States are yet to learn lessons of deep hui
initiation, before they will rise to the true posi-
ton and dignity of freemen."-ErtrGet Of a
Letter from A. A. Guthrie to the Free SOIL Con-
rentiOn Of Ohio.
The organization Of the friends Of Freedom
represented by the Convention which met at
Buffalo on the 9th and 9th Of August 1848
was a reorganization of the Liberty party of
1S4O rendered necessary by the new and ex-
traordinary schemes of Slavery. A vast ex-
tent of free territory had been obtained by
conquest from a sister Republic, which was in
tended by Slaveholdng Administration to be
converted to the uses of Slave Labor The Slave
Power made no secret of its purpose. Slavery
was to be planted in the new Territory, in de-
fance of it's local law: new slave States were
to be developed, to increase the political power
of Shareholders in Congress and the Electoral
College, so as to secure and perpetuate their as
tendency: the necessity of Emancipation was
to be indefinitely postponed by laying the
foundation of an indefinite extension Of Slave
territory: and for the execution Of this plan
the whole power of the Federal Government
sustained as it is by a People three-fourths e
whom reside in non-slaveholdng S,ate-, srI
four-ffths of whom are opposed to the perpc,
uaton Of Slavery was to be placed under COZ.
tribution.
The public mind was profoundly agtated;
tn People of the free States protested loudly
against the schevae; old political organizations
were shaken; and when they embarked in
the Presidential contest Of ls48 with declara-
tons and nominations from which no effectual
resistance against Slaveholding usurpation
could be expected numerous voters who had
till then acted with them indicated their ankle
ty to enter protest at the ballot-box against
their policy.
The Liberty men, in accordance with their
usages, had already held their Convention and
nominated their candidates, but they did not
wish to be in the way ola movement in the right
direction more comprehensive than their own.
If they maintained their position, they might
receive some accessions from the ranks of the
disaffected members of the old parties but the
great body of these would either return to their
allegiance, retire in disgust from the struggle,
or proclaim nominations of their own In
any event. there would have been no such dem
onstration at the polls as would have embar-
raised the plans and impaired the force of the
Slavery Propagandsts. On the contrary, by
agreeing to unite with their fellow-citizens, who
were prepared to take an anti-slavery position,
they would secure unity in the ranks of the
friends of Freedom, impress their own princi-
Piles upon the new organization, and aid in a
political movement imposing in aspect and
benefcent in effects.
'ioClJ3 40 VIC ViiLhh, eboy uctcTulintu upon
the latter course and the Buffalo Convention
was the result This gave form and efficiency
to nearly all the active, independent anti-sa-
very sentiment Of the country The platform
of political action it agreed upon contained
substantially the creed Of the Liberty party on
the subject of Slavery, only in a form more
precise less liable to msconstruction, and bet
ter adapted to the exigcncies of the times and
in addition, declaration of principles upon
other political questions which must be consid-
cred and acted upon by the People, and for the
just disposition of which every voter must bear
his share of responsibility
In other words, the Liberty party ceased to
be party of one idea In its recognized
form, without sacrificing any principle it had
urged in relation to Slavery, it proclaimed prin-
ciples applicable to all other political questions
IL had ceased TO be Sectional-it was now Ma
tional. Its platform was the Constituencies
scope, commensurate with the objects of the
Constitution.
We see nothing to regret in the whole move
ment Ii was wisely planned well executed
and its results, temporary and permanent have
been all that could reasonably be expected
We did not elect our own candidates, but |
we contributed to, if we did not cause, the de- |
feat Of q candidate, who had made himself |
sngularly obnoxious by his concessions to Sla-
very, and whose success would have promoted |
the accomplishment of all its schemes
We did not poll one-half of the votes of the |
the politicians of the ruling party that they
could not look for success, while trampling un-
der foot every principle Of Democracy.
We did not succeed in obtaining positive
act from Congress prohibiting Slavery in the
Territories but the power of the movement we
represented was such, as to constrain the new
Administration to countenance measures tavora-
bic to our views, such as to weaken the conf
dence of the Shareholders in their own doctrines
respecting the title to their slaves in free terri
tory, such as to impregnnte the tide Of emigra-
ton to California with tho anti-slavery spirit,
thereby inducing the formation Of non-slave-
holding State ON the Pacific, by which our
entire Western seaboard was consecrated to
Freedom.
Among the other results attributable to this
movement directly or indirectly, ara the repeal
Of the Black Laws Of Ohio; the election of from
ten to fifteen members Of the House for two
successive Congresses acting independently of
organizations when controlled by slavery; the
election Of Mcssrs Chase and Summer to the
Senate of the United States the control of
Wisconsin Ohio New York, and Massachu-
sets by coalitions, not to be coerced into sub