Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-01-08
The Corrupting Influences of
Slavery.

The great majority of our people seem strange
ly insensibe to the corruptlng influences which
the Slave system and the means that it becomes
necessary to resort to for sustaining it, are OBJ
viously exercising on all our political affairs. 1t
is now but about two years since the question OF
slavery began to be openly discussed in our
national councils, or even, TO much extent, by
the two great parties of the country; but since
then the subject has been more and more made
the prevailing idea on which, IN Congress and
out, almost every political movement has been
made to turn. And what, in the meantime, has
been its influence on the political virtues Of our
country? The answer, it seems to US, is most
obvious to all who are not absolutely blind to
passing events, that our national politics have
deteroratel more in those two years than in any
twenty of our political existence.
The last session of Congress but one, we saw
the Puplic Treasury pIundered to the tune Of
one or TWO hundred thousand dollars in the Gal
phin case. The South said nothing, because
several Of their leading men were implicated.
and the North we're mute because the deed was
done by Shareholders. The last session, we
again witnessed another successful conspiracy
TO rob the public chest, in the Mexican Gardner
claim; and this must also be smoothed over, by
both North and South, because the perpetrators
were prominent actors in fastening the compfom-
Uses on the country, and the slave interest would
suffer by exposing and disgracing them. Now,
who is there 50 st1pid that he does not know
that these deeds, but for the slavery interest
would have raised one universal outbreak from
Maine to Georgia., and that the perpetrators
would have been hurled from their places and
consigned to lasting iniamy.
Again we have seen, within that period, this
corrupting influence invading even the sanctity
of the highest tribunal of the land, as manifest
ed in nearly all their decisions involving the
slavery interest, such as their limitations Of
the nudity or unconstitutionalty Of the ordinance
of 1887, and their direct decisions for sustain
ing all the monstrous provisions of the slave law
abrdging the established rights and powers Of
1uries, setting aside both law and precedent
when conflicting with their evident purposes o
convlcting, and attempting to prevelt the con
stituton itself to establish the old and despotic
doctrine of constructive treason.
Now these are facts OF tremendous import tc
the character aud destiny OF our country, and
sufficient we should think to arouse every re-
fecting freeman in the whole North to enquire
what is the cause of this state Of things anC
what it will end in?
What has caused il we all know, and may al
MS well acknowledged is Slavery this ac
cursed system of Slavery but what it will end
in, Heaven only knows; but it can require nc
great gift Of prophecy 10 foresee that, ii the
present current Of events is not soon arrested
not many years can elapse without bringing
about and entire change in the character Of our
government, and its conversion to Fedora
Centrasm to which limited monarchy would
be preferable, or a revolution whose first fruits
will be lie abolition of American Slavery