Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1852-07-15
The Vermont Waterman and the
Platform.


II was the editor of the Patriot, we believe,
who once on a time insinuated, that It was rath
or an up-hil business for the editor Of the
Waterman to tell the truth. Whether this inca
pacitv was the result ofmenta infrmity or moral |
obliquity, was not limited, but the better opinion
at that time, seemed to be, that so far as poll
tics are concerned, he was much more knave
than fool.
This opnion is somewhat shaken by his re-
cent comments on the Wing Platform, ana VIII
doubtless he still further weakened as inc cam
parn goes on. A perusal OF these comments
viii render if extremely difficult TO determine
which weakness predominates We say weak.
nesses. for mendacity and stupidity are both
weak nosses, though differing somewhat in kind
Huntington Sent
SAKE of the Sentinel we have been accustom-
ed to regard as a gentleman and wit Why
does he now exhibit himself BLACKBOARD
and an ass (? That is the problem to be solved
and not a difficult one. The NewYork Tribune
denounced the Platform Of the Wing National
Convention as a very bad thng-.a thing to be
rejected and spit upon; therein, we think, doing
great injustice to the Platform, and playing
straight into the hands of the enemy. We
therefore veniurod to combat the opinions Of the
Tribune, and to say
l. That the Platform surrendered the absurd
dogma of the "finalityn men, Jy .f.diy oonoeding
The right 10 legisiotc upon, modify and amend the
flgiiiue slare lar, so as 10 remedy defects and
prevent abuses. Inasmuch as this concession
fully covered and adopted the doctrine which the
Wings Of Vermont declared last year, and
which the Waterman has ever sanctioned, we
thought it a great point gained, and thing to
b. commended.
?. That the Platform was not a one-sidcd,
slab-sided affair, giving to Slavery the plank, and
/ Freedom only the bark We claimed, and now
claim, that it binds both, the North and the South
the first, to cn,rcnch upon none ofthe rights Of
the South, and the last to cntrench upon none of
the rights Of the North In word, the North
is to let Slavery alone, in the States ichcre II is
doctrine as old as the anti-slavery Societies
and the South IL not to attempt to put slavery
ichcre Il IS not And this we ventured to set down
as grand point gained TO freedom. The Wings
of Vermont have, in years past thought it worth
while to set up their Ebenezer" pretty stflly
against the extension Of Slavery, by .1nneration
or in any other mode and now, when the South
ern Wings voluntarily bind Themselves against
slavery agitation, and by consequence against
sarery ertension and annexation, our notion is
that Vermonters had not better abuse them, nor
"spit upon the act that binds them to course
20 much in harmony with that Of the Wings off
Vermont We are most decidedly in favor of
letting them go just as far as they please in the
right direction
3. We hold, and now hold, that the Platform
Is good advance in the doctrines Of Protection
to american industry JysPecifc duties, and of IN
tcnai Improvements Of a national character.
And, finally, we oxhorted the Wings to receive
these advances fvoraby, and thus to test the sin
ceri,y of those who have made them.
Such is the pith and marrow of the Watch
mans article on the Platform; and now, tri,ai is
Il hat troubles The Sentinel? All it is an out and
out dough faced fnaty" organ Discussion Of,
and much more, prospective legislation upon, the
| fugitive slave law, gives It's amiabe editor the
nightmare. lie is doubtless Mortified at the
thought that the dc ttcis of that law may possibly
be obviated, and that the outrageous abuses of it
may possibly be corrected and most especially
Mortified at the prospect that the 'oicked Uhigs-
aye, even Southern Whigs-willb by and by perpe-
tate such horrid thing, such an awfully IN
democratic act, as to amend The fugitive Stare lac
So Mr.. SAKE sinks the gentleman and snaps at the
Waterman in very unamiable style. That, we
undertake tSsuess, is the secret OF the trouble of
the Sentinel man and, as if to put us exactly
upon the right scent, the Sentinel itselfe lets slip
this
Respect these laws until time and expert
ence," &c Fine talk this for man who iinme-
diately after the passage ofthese laws he profess
es TO respect, exerted all his influence to procure
the enactment of a State law directly in conflict
with them. Until time and experience, &c"
How long time elapsed between the passage of
! the Compromise Measures and the Habeas Cor
DUs .ict. and how much experience, had we IN
thus State as to the workings of that law at that
time."- burlington Sentinel
The "IIabeas Corpus act" of Vermont" di-
ectly in conflict with" the fugitive slave law
all the Watchman's influence 10 procure the
enactment of that So says the Sentinel and,
so saying, the Sentinel coniesses that It's wrath
is kinded because the plank of the Wing Plat
form, in the Waichnan's view is not Just as the
Sentinel wishes to have it, Well, we are not
sorry to say that the Sentinel can get no relief
from the Watchman Yea, the Waterman is
Just as firm for the modification of the fugitive
slave law, as it ever has been; and lust
as firm for the HabedS Corpus net, as it ever
has been-not, as the Sentinel incorrectly says,
as a law in conflict with the act of Congress,
but as very proper state regulation for the pro-
lection Of It's own free inhabitants. And what
is more, Mr.. Sentinel, we shall insist that the
fugitive slave law and Habeas Corpus, both
come within most excellent doctrine promul-
gated by Gen. WINFIELD ScoTT, and also by
the late Wing State Convention of Vermont, to
wit:
"TnE Laws OF THE LAND TO be faithfully |
erecuied ia Obedience 10 he erecHiue and iuficiai
departments, EACH WITHIN ITS CoNsTITUroNAL
SPHERE"
The Habeas Corpus net stands for adiudca-
ton; and, if its opponents are correct, that act
also brings into adjudication the Fugitive Slave
Law. We say then, let il stand; let us have
the action of the "iudicial department - LET us