Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-06-22
Tic Laval. Courier.

The Lowell Courier of Tuesday, prints the
Free Soil platform, which was lately adopted
at Boston, and makes some comments on it.
The Courier approves of the first seven resell
utions of that platform, but does not approve
of the Sth, 9th, and 10th, which are as fol-
lows:
18Th. Every man has a right to himself, and
noman can own another man. 8. The Fugitive
Slave bill is to be forever repealed. TO- Mass
achusetts has the constitutional right, and it
is her imperative duty to enact laws which
shall deprive che Fugitive Slave act Of all force
in that State"
The Courier objects to the Sth, because, he
says, ait is mere distractions" the 9th, he
says, " involves an extreme position and the
10th, is liable to the same objection as the
9th.
Now, we have all along supposed and be-
lieved, that the Sth resolution was a simple
paraphrase of the preamble to the Declaration
Of Independence That instrument declares
that every man is born free and equal in his
rights, to every other man. Amongst the
inalienable rights of man are those to life, lib
erty, and the pursuit Of happiness. If the
8th resolution of the Free Soil platform, there
fore, is "a mere abstraction, the Declaration
of Independence is mere abstraction, and
the republic Of the United States is a mere alb
straction also.
Certain Southern legislators have boldly
stated in Congress, that the preamble to the
Declaration of Independence was nothing but
one of Mr.. Jederson's peculiar idiosyncraces.
We apprehend the Courier does not coincide
with this opinion; though It's proposition, that
mans right to himself g is mese abstrac-
tion,'' looks somewhat as if it did. 1t does
seem as if the truisms of seventy-six were
getting to be very generally regarded as alb
stractions, in some quarters.
But the objections of the Courier to the
9th and 10th resolutions, seem to US to be even
weaker than its objection to the Sth. Every
position which has been taken in the progress
of art, civilization, aud politics, has been an
extreme position. The apostles Of all princi-
pies, ideas, and activities, have gone far ahead
of the general position Of the world, and have
been regarded as very extreme people indeed.
But in the course Of time, the multitude have
come up with them and they ceased to be ex-
IRENE. The position taken by the Pilgrim
Fathers, was considered a very extreme one at
the time; SO was that assumed by the fathers
Of the Revolution Perhaps the Courier is of
opinion now, that they went to extrenle5--un-
justifable extremes, for mere distractions.
But, if the Garter, and other Wing pres
ses cannot stand upon the Free Soil platform,
will they be pleased to let us see what they
can stand upon. They seem to be very tender
in the soles of their feet, and they do not seem
to have much confidence in the steadiness of
their heads. We are anxious therefore, to
see where, and upon what, they think them
selves able to stand. If, however, they repu-
date that old fashioned abstraction" of the
Revolution, that man has a right to himself;
and if they do not recognize the "exueme
opinion" that every state has the right to pro-
teet its own citizens, we do not expect much
vitality in their platform, nor much vgor in
their action, whatever they may be.