Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-06-29
Remarks.

Remarks.
l. Mr. Barrett is not careful in his figures.
The remarks which he objects to, were not
made on sir, but on fire citizens of Vermont,
whose names we gave The difference is
important.
=. We gave no prominence to his name,
neither directly nor by implication. If any
prominence attaches to it in this matter, he
makes it himself
3. We rcpel his charge of ga wanton, gra-
tutous and most abusive attempt to destroy
the reputation of six men for five men, or any
man at home, or any where elsc--on this
occasion, or on any other. There is not the
shadow of reason for his making it.
4. What Mr.. Barrett asserts dcfnHclY,
as to his own votes or the votes Of others in
the convention, we put down as fact, on ms
assertion and very glad arc we to learn from
so reliable a source that any Vermont dele
gate was free from blame where we had rca-
son to imputc it when we wrote. We say |
goOd reason, even, for we made use of such |
statements as were sent abroad and left before
| the public, without any specific denial. Mr.
/ barrett \ uclllil 10 bIlc lIob bIlc Nuliu We
have seen worthy Of the least regard. The
| general accuracy of the Tribuncs reports
| is admitted by members of the convention.
lra hundred and fifty or two hundred per-
sons, sent as delegates by their constituents,
who reckon themselves by hundreds Of thou
sands, come together to act on matters of
national concern, and if,-instcad of meeting
in open session, as Americans arc wont to
do and as it becomes free men to do, they
lock themselves up day after day for week
or more, and allow no report Of their doings,
except of some Of their conclusions, they must
take the natural consequences Of their own
consummato folly. If through some Of the
leaky kcyholes, imperfect, or even faulty
statements of what is said and done, get
abroad, they have no right to blame those
who argue as well as they can from the inior-
nation they are furnished with. 70 scrutin-
ize severely the conduct ofall who act i'll u
public capacity, be it under government
authority, uf that oE popular assemblies, "
of organizations Of any sort, is the r,ght OF
every one in our country, and to remark
upon their conduct IN decisive terms, provided
only that it is done fairly, is the duty of jour
naliSts. That is Just what we did--just
= what it would have been Mr.. Barrett S
duty to do towards us, had we been in his
, place and he in ours.
5. Mr.. Barrett, in the body of his letter
e makes no aluson to the protest which Mr..
r johnson of Penn. himself, and few Others
sent to the convention, after the minority
platform was made by the seceders. Yet
that protest furnished the basis of our remarks.
lie "nud"s to it in his postscript, and
leaves us to infer that he Is quito s..;oGo 4
y with that document, as every way consistent
r with the tone and position of the minority
= platform, which has the signatures of all the
Vermont delegates, and which we as we'll as
. the northern people generally, commended SO
. highly.
Our view Of that protest remains unchanged
, We think, AS others do, that those who had
% concurred in the northern platform, great,
iccakencd thar position by signing the protest
c We now suppose, however, that the Yer
C monters who signed it, did SO without much
: considerations not realizing fully what il
- said, and how it must look when placed beside
the other. lfthut was the case, it is a pal
"a liation. 1t is not complete excuse how
c ever for men who take it upon them to &C
C in such circumstances, are bound to hav,
It their eyes wide open. Perhaps however, Mr.
&c Barrett will hardly thank fJr that suppo
e sition, and we may be wrong in making it.
:, We make it with no disraraging intent
>, Mr.. Barrett seems little inclined to un
# dcrtakc the defence of Gov. johnson Of Penn
&c sylvana. lie is welcome to do 80 if he plenses
- The Northern man who refused to sign tina
&c Northern platform under circumstances sucl
y as attended its formation-to say nothing 0
" the authorship Of a shilly shnlly - prot es
=" against the introduction OF any question con
- nectcd with Slavery into the " platform o
to principles" of the party he is connected with
ed will find it difficult to remove the affix o
o. - doughfuce" from his name, whether he ha
ey been heretofore known rs II - Seward Wing
&C. or not.
'h 6. We have a general remark or two t,
" make, not confined in its bearing to Mr.
Barrett s letter We commended and com
,ir mend now, the minority platform, though W
We see no new doctrine in it, and we give prais
be to those who seeded from the majority an
us made 1t. Yet we do not see any reason 70
~ claiming for them, us many do, the credit G
excessive boldness and decision for their doin
so The right path was plain before them =
For Vermonters it was the easy path too
They would have been bold men indeed,
they had gone with the majority, or withhel
tba;r ho rnsitiva daalnru r
the minority address in favor of freedom. -
st. True, the convention at Philadelphia wa
- the first national one in which it was foun
to that there is n North in the sense i
er which the phrase is now used, but it wa
wv because there has been no nat onal CONVEX
" ton since the Kanzas- Nebraska bill wa
Us passed. "The North" had been found b
ire the people of tho free states, long before tina
ia convention was thought of, and that tn
northern delegates knew right we'll.
he The marvellous thing Of the day, IN gu
gu view, is that SO many in the free states VIII
ell really meant to move steadily towards " ii
rs north, - under u strange hallucinution turne
VI, aside from the straight and plain path, AN
oetook themselves to an organization who's
he first principles, Just 50 lar as they prevail
of undermine the ground work of all civil an
ro- religious liberty, and which az i politics
the party could have but one effect in the fro
zen states, viz. to divide them, and thus mab
tee them fall easier victims, to the un,tt
y" power, which the slave states are sure to pl
~ forth.
arm We believe that the dcusion is aread
ery gone from most minds, and most hapT
re shall We be u find that there is nothiI