Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-08-12
Warning to Republicans.

The New York EUening Past utters some
words of warning to Republicans of Now York,
which shows similar state of affairs in that
region as exists hereabouts. 1t says:
The recent attempts of one or two popular
Republican presses to let down tho Republican
party to the level of Fillmoreism, and to substi-
tute the Opposition record in Congress last win
ter, for the Philadelphia platform, is beginning
to produce its natural results. 1t is breeding
discentent among the more earnest anti-slavery
MN, which already begins to find public ex-
preston. The meeting at Peterboro' the other
day, of which a report will be found in our col
umns, looked at from this point of view, is sug-
gestive. Though few in numbers, and consis-
ting of men who never belong to large parties
long, itrepresents a feeling which it is not diff
fcult to cultivate and spread widely through the
North. We have only to deny the right of
Congress to exclude slavery from tho terrific
ries let the Crittenden amendment define the
limits of congressional power over slavery and
there will not be Republican State north of
the Potomac by 1860. Meetings like this at
Peterboro will spring up in every hamlet, and
it is now time for those who are so anxious to
obtain recruits on any terms, to decide whether
1t is worth while to lose New York and all New
England, for the sake of securing one chance
in ten, perhaps, not more, of carrying Kentucky
Whatever strength the Republican party poss-
esses it has derived from its principles, not from
men. When it declines, if it ever does, it will
be in consequence of parting with its princ-
Piles, and not with any of its members. There
IS quite too much of "a disposition among our
leading statesmen to make corporation with us
easy to men with whom we have scarcely doc
trine in common. No good can come of a par
ty organized upon such basis. 1t carries with
in itself the seeds of dissolution. The moment
| it gets into power it is divided and ruined.
The freesoil party of lS4S persisted in that way.
Let men who think together act together, and
those who think differently act with those who
think with them. Then public questions are
likely to receive thorough and fair discussion
and in the end the right will prevail
Nothing can be gained, we are satisfied, by
inviting into the Republican organization any
who deny the power of Congress to legislate
about slavery in the territories
We cordially adopt the language of the 81.
Laurence Republican upon this subject, and be-
leve the feeling it expresses is shared by the
great body of the Republican party.
1t is possible that in some quarters the idea
may exist that the Republican party can be in
duced to modify its principles, or relax the
irmness of its constitutional resistance to slave
propagandism but this cannot be desired by
those who participated in the establishment Of
the party nor expected by those who consider
the existence of this last sentiment in all the
states, and its strength and nearly universal
diffusion among the people of the free states.
For ourselves we are content to adhere to the
principles of the Republican party-to acknowl
edge its name, and to act in accordance with
that spirit of harmony and good will which is
best calculated to unite in action those who
agree in principle, and to give efficiency to all
honorable efforts for the success of the good
cause. There can be no good reason why men
who desire the same good object should not
agree and unite in action to accomplish it,"