Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-11-18

cot Vi siaVefy-RegatN6, compromising anu
Nelliating IN regartl to everything else. 1t
boasts its soye OF equality, and wastes Its
strength and even its life in certifying the only
arstocraey known in the land. 1t processes
fraternity, and, 50 often us slavery requires, al
lies itself with prescription. 1t magnihes it
self for conquests in foreign lands, But.i sends
the national eagle forth always with chains and
not the olive branch in his fangs
This dark record shows you, fellow citizens,
what | was unwilling to announce at an earlier
stage OF this argument-that Of the whole ne
lar0us schedule OF saveholding designs which
have submitted to you, the Democratic party
has left only one yet to be consummated, the
abrogation of the law which forbids the AT
rican slave trade.
Now | know very well that the Democratic
party has, at every stage of the proceedings,
disavowed the motive and the policy of forti-
flying and extending slavery, and has excused
them on entirely different and more plausible
grounds But tho Inconsistency and trlvolity
of these pleas prove still more conclusively the
guilt charge upon that party. 1t must in
deed necessarily excuse such guilt before man
kind and even to the consciences of its own adj
herents There is an instructive abhorance of
slavery, an Unborn an adhering love of freedom,
in the human heart, which render paliation OF
such gross misconduct indispensable 1t dis
franchised the free African on the ground of
fear that if left to enjoy the right of suffrage
he might seduce the free white citizen into
amalgamation with his wrongand despsed race.
The Democratic party condemned and deposed
John Quincy Adams because he expended twelve
millions IA year, while it .justfes his favored
successor in spending seventy millions, eighty
millions, and even an hundred millions year.
1t denies emancipation in the District of Column
bia, even with compensation to masters and the
consent of the people, on the ground of an i'm
piled constitutional inhibition, although the
Constitution expressly confers upon Congress
sovereign Legislative power in that district, and
although the Democratic party is tenacious of
the principle of strictconstruction. 1t violated
the express provisions of the Constitution in
suppressing petition and debate on the subject
of slavery through fear of disturbance of the
public harmony, although it claims that the
electors have n right to instruct their Represen-
tatives, and even demand their resignation in
case of contumacy. 1t extended slavery over
Texas and connived at the attempt to spread
it across the Mexican Territories, even to the
shores of the Pacific Ocean, under a plea of
charging the area of freedom. 1t abrogated
the Mexican slave law and the Missouri Com
promise prohibition of slavery in Kansas, not
to open the new Territories to slavery, but to
try therein the new and fascinating theories of
non-intervention and Popular Sovereignty and,
finally it overthrow both these new and elegant
systems by the English Lccompton bill and the
bred Scott decision, on the ground that the free
States ought not to enter the Union without II
mn, LOFT oil to tho nt,tiv I,siu IF
one member of Congress, although slave States
might come in without inspection as to their
numbers.
Will any member of the Democratic party
now here claim that the authorities chosen by
the sufrages Of the party transcribed
their partisan platform, and SO misrep-
resented the party in the varioue tran
sactions have recited Then | ask him to
name one Democratic statesman or legislator,
from Van Buren, to Walker, who either tmidly
or cautiously, like them, or boldly or defantly
like Douglass ever refused to execute a behest
of the Shareholders, and was not therefore, and
for no other cause, Immediately denounced, and
deposed from his trust and repudiated by the
Democratic party for that contumacy.
[ think fellow-citizens, that have shown
you that it is high time for the friends of free
dom to rush to the rescue of the Constitution
and that their very first duty is to dismiss the
Democratic party from the administration Of
the government. Why shall it not be done
All agree that it ought to be done. What
then shall prevent its being done Nothing
but timldlty or DIVISION of the opponents of the
Democratic party. Some of these opponent,
start one objection and some another. Let US
notice these objections briefly. One class say
that they cannot trust the Republican party
that it has not ayowed its hostility to slavery
boldly enough, or its affection for freedom
earnestly enough.
ask, nreply, is there any other party which
Can be more safely trusted ? Every one knows
that it is the Republican party or none thai
shall displace the Democratic party. But an
swer, further, that the character and fdeiitg o.
aag party are determined, necessarily, not6y ii
pledyeS programmes and platforms but By TN
pubhc eaigencies ami the temper Of the peop1
,ohen they cali into activity Subservieney tx
slavery, is a law written. not only on the fore
head of the Democratic party, but also in it
very soul. SO resistance to slavery and devo
ton to freedom, the popular elements now ac
lively working for the Republican party becaus
it has not sufficiently exposed its platform ant
determined what it will do and what twill no
do, when triumphant. 1t may prove too pro
gresslye for some and too conservative for 9th
ers. AS if any party ever foresaw so clearly
the course of future events as to plan unyer-
sal scheme for future action, adopted to all pos
sible emergencies. Who would ever have joine,
even the Wing party of the Revolution if it hat
been obliged to answer, in l775, whether i
would declare for Independence in l776, anC
for this noble Federal Constitution of ours il
1887, and not year earlier or later ? PHI
people Of the United States will be as wis
next year, and the year afterwards, and evet
ten years hence, as we are now. They will
oblige the Republican party to act as the publ
welfare and interests Of justice and humanit
shall require, through all the stages of its ca
reer, whether of trial or triumph.
Others will not venture an effort becaus
they fear that the Union would not endure til
change. Will such directors tell me how lon
IL Constitution can bear strain directly alon
the fibres of which it is composed This is
Constitution of freedom. 1t is being converted
into IL Constitution of slavery. 1t is a repub
lican Constitution. 1t is being made an aris
tocratic one. Others may wish to wait unit
some collateral questions concerning temperanc
properly settled. Let me ask such perso
whether time enough has not been wasted o
these points already, without gaining any othe
than this single advantage, namely the dis
covery that only one thing can be efectual
done at one time, and that one thing whic
must and will be done at any other time is jus
that thing which is most urgent and will n
longer admit of postponement or delay Fina
ly, we are told by flint-hearted men that the
despond the Democratic party, they say,
eonquerable, and the dominion of slavery
consequently inevitable. i reply to them ths
the complete and universal dominion of SLAYER
would be intolerable enough when it shout
have come after the last possible effort at escar
should have been made. There would in thu
case he left to us the consoling reflection of I
deity to duty.
But l reply further, that -know--few.
;,lr hntt tbny + H.