Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-11-29
IS THE DUTY OF THE OLD ANTI
SLAVERY MENs

There can be no doubt that a very large pro-
portion Of the old Anti-Slavery men in this, and
probably other free States, have been, for some
time, debating in their own minds the question,
how far, in justice to themselves and their long
cherished principles, they should rely on the
recently formed Republican party for carrying
out those inciples-how far they should per-
NIT themselves to lose their identity in that new
party, and how far they should reserve to them
selves the privilege and power of rallying again
on their old basis of action, in order to be pre-
pared to renew their distinctive warfare against
Slavery in case the fusion movement should fail
to meet the expectations that induced them to
join in it, or should content itself to dsband on
attaining the single object of restoring the Mis-
souri, Compromise, or, in other words, in putting
things back where they stood two years ago.
Could the old Anti-Slavery pioneers feel assured
that the Republican party would prove in real
ity, as well as in profession, true Anti.Slayery
party, and not stop with the accomplishment Of
the single object of making Kansas free State,
but persevere in the war against the Slave Pow
er, by striving for the complete divorce of our
Government from Slavery in all its departments,
legislative, judicial and executive, and by put
ting it, with all its powers, wholly and perpet-
ually on the side of Freedom, till the bench
should be purged, none but truly national in
terests be entertained in Congress, no man be
placed in the Presidential Chair who would not
he the President of the whole people-till the
wicked and dsgraceful commerce in human flesh
be interdicted among the States, and, finally,
till the black institution itself be 80 curtailed,
hamrered and weakened, as it could be under
the unquestionable powers of the Constitution,
that it would anguish and die without the aid
of any other entaIities-could the old
Anti-Slavery pioneers feel assured that the Re.
publican party would go on insisting on all this,
who of them all should, or would, hesitate to
merge themselves irrecoyerably in that party,
and implicitly trust their long-cherished cause
to its keeping! Not one; for that would in
volve all the Anti-Savery issues of the organi-
zation which they dropped to join the great anti
Nebraska movement of 1858 under the assurance
that their cause could best be advanced in that
manner.
But will Republicanism do all this3 Docs it
even propose to do this, or half of this, Does
it, indeed, when narrowed down to measures on
which anything like the united action of this
Heterogeneous party can be secured, propose
anything more than keeping Slavery south of
the old Missouri Compromise line! What do
we gather from the professed Republican presses,
except those that were formerly dstinctively
Anti. Slavery, which warrants us in relying on
Republicanism to do any more than this to COM
plete its missionl What says Horace Greeley,
who, more than any other man, is entitled to
the claim Of being the father and founder Of
the Republican movement, and who should know
Of course, the extent of its objec's-what doe
he say' This is what he says in late number
of the Tribune, and the more significantly, per-
haps, because said since the occurrence Of the
New York, and Massachusetts, elections, and
since the springing up of increased probabilities
Of Kansas coming in as free State.
but We had intended to say that the vari-
GUS and beligcrent parties which agree in depre
eating the Republican movement as sectional
and perilous, have now an opportunity just be,
fore them for divesting it Of power, if not of
existence. To do this. they have simply to unite
in bringing Kansas forthwith into the Union az
o free State. That contamination will allno st
certainly divest the Republican Samson Of his
strength, and enable the Know Nothngs and
Democrats to gat at each other without impedi-
ment or interruption"
Now do the Wing portion of the Republican
party endorse the idea 80 clearly involved in this
paragraph from the pen Of their old leaderl If
SO, might they not all as well proclaim at once
that the object Of Repubicanism embraced
only the admission of Kansas as free State,
and that being so admitted, that the war agains.
Slavery is over, national parties, ignoring tho
Slavery question, again the order of the day,
and that Institution, to he left to work its in
sidious way through the national judiciary, d.
j plomatic appointm en- ts, and political strategy