Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-01-06
Side Issues.

One Of the chief obstacles to more rapid
advance of the cause of Freedom, has hitherto
been found to consist in the difficulty of over
coming, in its advocates, torcasr party prediec
tons, and Of preventing differences OF opinion,
80 arising, as we'll as on other questions OF the
day, from being so prominently obtruded as to
create jealousy and discord in their ranks-to
ALLEVIATE and distract them. and to p,raIyzs and
weaken their common effort to promue the great
object which they profess to make paramount to
all Others These diff :uIties, however, have
fortunately been SO fir surmodnted that we now
find ourselves an army of over 10000 strong
all tried in battle and found true, well organized,
and if we do not relax in our vigilance and res
olution, or suffer ourselves to he diverted from
the purpose OF our organization, by the side is
sues that may arise to tempt us, prepared to do
battle again with the prospect of redoubled num-
bers and proportlonate efficiency. Blu, should
not our experience in the past, in this resp ct,
ahe our monitor for the future? Should not our
knowledge of the many difficulties Of this char
acter we hive had to encounter, and the greai
mutual fIrbearance we have had to exercise IN
overcoming them, anl in bringing oul party to
its present suspicious harmony, suggest to US the
wisdom of avoiding to esp0use, as a party, all
those local, temporary, or side issues, on which
it is evident we cannot all agree-of avoiding;
in short, to make any thing paramount save the
one great object before us! And is not that Oh.
iect important enough-high enough and gor-
Gus enough, to engage all our attention aud EN-
ploy all our energies? Are not the principles it
involves as broad as our Nations Chart of Lib
erty and Rights, aEd as necessary to be preser
we'd? And can we pursue that object with eff
feet, or preserve our organization so as to make
our power felt among our opponents, It we suffer
ourselves to be nlxra up, and arrayed against
each other on the different issues of social or
moral reform. which may, for time, arise to
engross public attention We fear not; and
we canbut view the attempt to make the issues
we have named, or any issue other than the one
on which our organization is based. matt of
party action, as one of the dangers against
which, at this jurcturc, we should be on our
guard.
As citizens, we may, and indeed should ex
anime thoroughly. and discuss freely. and as
freely and fearlessly exercise our right Of suff-
rage, on all such important questions as that
which, at this time, is generally agitated in this
State. This right aud privilege we wish and
claim for oursef; and shall feel grati6ed to
find our political associates acting with as, as a
majority of them probably will, but we do not
feel it incumbent ouus to call on them as a party
to do SO nor can we feel like condenning those
who, in the exercise of the same right and priyi-
lege, may be found acting ona different side of
the question. What we ask fer ourset, we freely
accord to others. And as we propose to do rs
an individual, SO would we have every other
man do: weigh well, and then act as Judgment
and conscience shall dictate.
Such course we can pursue without arrayng
ourselves against each other, or endangerng the
harmony Of our party; and such course we
would kindly and respectfully suggest to all our
political associates who may be tempted to as,
sumo the attitude of hostility towards each other
on different sides of question of reform on
which they disagree. probably, rather on the
mode than the principle. And to our worthy
brethren of the press, whom we have recently
been panied to see assuming this attitude sgains
each other, would we especially say, hold, bro
Tiers, hold! II we we not enough to do to fight
the two old parties, who are combining to crush
us, without quacrelIng among ourselves? Let
US, at least, get out OF their cross fire where we
can return them gun for gun, before we suffer
ourselves to introduce new tests OF party action,
wrangle, split up, and lose orr power, if not our
identity, for the great and eternal cause of Free.
dom, in the temporary side issues of the day.