Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-02-07
War with Great Britain.

Every sensible man has secuted the idea that
we were to be involved in u war with Great
Britain, on account of supposed claim of Great
Britain to a tract of territory, overrun by sava-
ges--with climate of extreme torrid heat, far
south Of our boundary, and which as much be-
longs to her, or the Mexicans, or IIaytiens as to
US. But the destiny laid out by the pro Slavery
Power is, that after Walker has obtained a firm
foothold at Central Amcrica-thcn Mexico,
whose Government is lettering, and she nearly
ready to fall into the lap of Slavery-will call
to US for protection from her own internal enc
mics, then will Spain be compelled to relinquish
her claim upon Cuba-Great Britain her claim
to Jamaica. But this is not the only result Of
war with Great Britain, which Senators have
been so loud in proclaiming and for which by our
foreign advices, it will be seen that she is pre-
pared, having disposed of Russia. The South
ern border Of the Union will be the one to suffer
most from our enemies-Slavery will receive u
shock from which she will not soon recover
Cuba and Mexico are not the only territories
to be annexed. Although the Southern mental,
Mr.. Pierce, is brewing the whirlwind, and ex-
poets to ride upon it, he cannot direct the storm.
Canada, whose interests are with us, and whose
hospital shores have already given shelter to
| fifty thousand doomed to Slavery in our own
country, will, with her territory already extend
ing farther South than Vermont, and on q par,
allel with Massachusetts along the great'lakes
take precedence in the enlightened and en-
terprising minds of the Northern States.
However much we defend and establish our
claim to Central America, for the benefit OF
Slavery, we shall ten times as plainly establish
the fact of possession of II country, already
inhabited by enterprise and civilization.
sit has seemed to US, until very lately, that
our differences with Great Britain would not
lead to any very serious result" says the Even
ing Post, {" but, if the temper OF Congress is
to be inferred from present indications, the dan
ger is much greater than we had imagined
Yesterday, Mr.. Cass made war speech in the
Senate. We should infer nothing from this,
for Mr.. Cass is always making war speeches,
and we should say, as we have said in other in
stances, that he meant nothing by it, were it
not that other Senators, less given to the dis
play Of warlike propenslties, zealously support
him, and even 60 beyond him.
mo blow has ever been struck at Slavery in
the United States, or ever will be- so formidable
SO fatal, as declaration of war with Great
Britain would be at this moment. 1t would
crush the mighty plans of the Southern politi-
clans in their mid progress, and visit the region
they inhabit with poverty and distress.
1T may be that in the inscrutable plans Of
Providence, there is no way provided to check
that growing evil, the predominance of Slavery
but quarrel with a formidable naval power
1t may be that there is no other way of curing
that chronic, congcnital malady, which has
hitherto gained strength as the country grew
stronger, and extended itself with the enlarge
ment Of our domain, short of the calamity Of
war, Graduating II permanent by temporary
mischief
8 If our readers were compelled to choose be-
tween war and that guilty predominance o
Slavery which barbarizes our population, de-
bauches the public mind, corrupts our politics
scizes upon one region after another to fill it ur
with roce of bondmen, and restraints our coun
try, with its glorious institutions, from fulfill
ing its proper destiny, that of giving the worlC
an example of the purest liberty and the mos
peaceful order, associated with the highest pros
perty-which alternative would they take =
Which Of the two evils is the least!
Is For our part, if there is no other remedy
than the one presented to us in the threatened
war, we are prepared to submit 1t may b.
that Providence, in its plans of benevolence
has placed at the head of the nation, a maj
whose imbecility is associated, as often happens
with rashness, for the very purpose of conduct
ing us through a great calamity to CREATE
good. Franklin Pierce may stand in the his
tory Of out country, as the unconscious instru
ment, in the hands of the Supreme Wisdom
by which blow was struck that broke the pow
er of Slavery into atoms"