Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-05-16

Mr. Forests letter, which appears in anoth-
er column, furnishes an occasion for few
remarks lie thinks we did him and his as
socates injustice in remark of ours on a
call for a National Convention by those who
call themselves radical abolihonists. If so,
We did not intend it. We said: The call is
long, and almost entirely occupied with de-
nunciations Of the Republican party for not
demanding the immediate abolition Of Slavery
in the Slave States Perhaps the word de-
nunciation carries with it different meaning
to some minds from what we meant to convey
Conformation or apprehension, would have
been better a word, we think. Certainly, n
large part of that call is occupied with what
its authors consider positive faults or short
comings of the Republicans at the Pittsburg
Convention, though they do it in courte-
GUS and candid way. They consider the Re-
publican party as falling very far short of
what they say they must aim at. They admit
that "the comparatively little good, ," as they
term it, for which the Republican party goes,
they 60 for too But they must go a great
deal farther, and nominate men "who will
WELD their official powers for the deliverance
of every American Slave, for the deliverance
of every American Stakeholder, and for the
salvation of the whole country" Whether
few or many will 60 with them, ought to be,
say they, no inordinatc concern of theirs
We cannot take up, now, the question,
Nyl pt is via hot,
and man, for one to hold another as a slave
under any circumstances, or whether It is the
duty of every government where slavery ex-
lists, to destroy it instantly or gradually
Neither can we go into an argument on the
meaning and force of the [. S. Constitution
That field is too broad for us to enter upon
here. 1t is enough to say, in passing, that
even an acknowledged wrong doing by one
man or by one government, does not of course
carry with it the right Of another man OF
government to NEEDLE authoritatively for it's
correction That right must depend on circum-
stances An overwhelming majority of the
people Of the United States believe that Slave
ry in any one State cannot be meddled with
under the acknowledged relations of those
several governments to each other. The rad
ical abolitionists think differently, and there
we must leave that matter. There is now n
practical issue before the country of surpass-
ing consequence, so far as the personal duty
OF every voter goes-One which is to be acted
Oh without delay. When the city is on fire.
the first duty is to rally all the help possible
to stop the spread of the flames Leaving
that direct work, to discuss the best way of
built, SO that fire cannot touch them, is but
to expose the entire city to sure destruction
That is exactly the condition of things in
the nation al this time. Like n whitening,
consuming fire, Slavery has been at work in
large part Of our country for long time;
and now through the dishonesty of wicked
men, an attempt is made not only to give it
free course where its progress was supposed
to be forever barred. but an immense force is
at work to spread the flames faster than ever.
A united effort by all who see and own the
extent of the danger, can stop ITS progress;
and at least can coniine its rayagcs to the re-
gon already overrun by it. Without that
union of effort its spread is inevitable, and
God only can loresee when or how it can be
brought under control. The practical ques-
ton now is, shall this united effort be made
or shall strength be wasted in disputes
about the nature of the evil, and what has
been done and not been done by those gone