Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-01-18

! .sil,a5 Of il, SavOs Of artillery, from forts al
! sLfnn;rg Ia The harbor. saluted its flag. Prize
and nriGcs-ses and merchants paid II homage, al
all the people blessed il as hirbinger Of hope
fer their own ultimate freedom. l imagine now
the sane noble vessel again entering the same ha
ven. The Asg Of thirty-three stars and thirteen
stripes has been hauled down, and in its place a
signal l. run up which faunts the device Of lone
star or pllmetto tree. Men ask, "W ho ia the
: rlnger that thus steals into our waters" The
answer oontemptuously given IA ''She comes from
one Of the obscure republics OF North America. -
Let her pass on
What then is the occasion fr the demand
that the political blessings we enjoy-mar
yellous to the whole world beside,-should
be thrown away, and such evils should be
| encountered for time to come?
The occasion il the election of Pres dent Of
the United States, who is unacceptable to poT-
ton of the people. I state the case accurately.
! The,e vas no movement of disunion before the
ballots which expressed the choice were cast Dis
uni On began o. soon as the result was announced
TIE justification it assigned was that Abraham
Lincoln had been elected, bile the ess Of Ell
the- one Of three other candidates would have been
| acquiescei in.
Was the eleotion illegal? No; it is uriupeach-
! abe. Is the candidate personally offensive No;
! he s a man of unblemished virtue and amiable
manners. Is an election Of President an uDffe
guent OF cxtraordiaary Transaction No; We never
I had Chief Magistrate otherwise designated than
/ by sucn election, and that form Of choice Is
| nev.cd every four years Docs any enc even pro
! pose to change the mode Of appointing the Chief
| Magistrate? No; election by universal suffrage
As u LIED 10y the constitution, Is the crown
lag franchise If the American people. To save ii
/ thew would defy the world. Is it apprehended
Al.
No: while be IS OF all men the most unambitious,
! be Is by tie partial success Of those who opposed
! his election, subjected to such restraints that he
cannot, without their consent, appoint a minister
OF even police agent, negotiate treaty, or pro-
| cure the passage Of 4 law, and can hardly draw
-Dusk,t from the public arseunls to defend his own
! person
What. then 5 the ground Of discomfort 1t i
that the disuui ni.ts did rot accept conclusive
| the arguments which were urged in behalf of the
successful can iidate in the canvass. This IS all
! v ere their arguments against him more sal
! i,iactOry t. his supporters Vi course they were
not; they could not be. Does the constitution, in
| letter or pirit, require q imply that the argC
ments Of one party shall be satisfactory TO the
| other NJ; that is impossible. What is the con-
stitutional remedy for this inevitable dissatsfac-
ton Renew "a debate aud ultimate rehearing in
a subsequent election. Have the now successful
majority perverted power TO purposes Of oppres-
sion No; they have never before held power.
The dis1niouists consciously unable to stand on
/ their mere disappointment in the recent election,
have attempted 10 enlarge their grouLd. More
| than thirty years there has existed Considerable
/ though not heretofore iUrmiJablo-mass OF
citizens in certain states situate near Or around
the delta Of the Mississippi who believe that the
Union Is less conducive to the welfare and great
ncss If those states tLan smaller cOulederacy,
| embracing only slave states would be. This class
| has awaited itself Of the disconteuts resulting
from the election 10 put into operation the ma
| chiucry Of dissolution long ago prepared and
waiting only :or occasion.
Ia other states there Is a soren IS because Of
the want of sympathy il the free ; ates with the
efforts Of slaV sholdcrs for ia rccLpture OF iugl
tives from service. In all the slave States there
IS restiveress resulting from the resist nee
| which has been 50 determinedly made within tt
last few year., in the free Stles to the extension
Of slavery in The common territories If the United
| states. The Republican party, which cast its
votes tor the successful Preside tial candidate on
the ground OF that Obey, has bceI allowed, prac-
ticIlly, Representation, 10 utterance by speech
OF through tho press in the slave States; while
Its policy, principles or sentiments, ana even Its
temper, have been So misreprcsented as to excite
appreheu9ious tina, it denies importsnt coustitu-
tioual obi cations and aims even al Interference
| with Slyery and it. overthrow by State authoIl-
| ties, or Intervention OF the Federal Government.
Considerable masses even il the free states, in
terested in tie Of these
/ as means of partisan strategy, have lent their
! sympathy 10 the party claiming & be aggrieved.
While the result OF the election bring the keTuD-
lican party necessarily into the foreground in
sistng disuuiou, the prtjudices against them
which l have described have deprived them Of tie
coop Grafton If many good aud patriotic citizens
Ga a complex issue between the Republican party
and the disuri0ni,ts althou gh il involves the dir
est national csamities, tie r. suit nigh. be doubt
! iul; for the L publican party n weak IN large
part Of the aion. But a direct issue, with
| ali who cherish the I niou enc side, and all
who desire it, dssolu tiou the other, the verdict
! would be prompt and almost unanimous. desl G
thus to simplify the issue and for that purpose 10
separate from it all collateral questions, and
| relieve il o; all partisan passions and PrfJu-
diccs
I consider he idea Of the withdrawal Of the
| Gulf states AID their permanent reorganization
with OF without Others IN distinct coniederacy
as a meaus Of advantage to themselves, SO Ger
taiulY uuwise a-d 80 obviously impossible Of exc
! cuton. when tie purpose Il understood, that
dismiss it wiz tue discussion have already incl
deutliiy bestowed uponit.
Believing that any desirable political good
can be obtained through the peaceful forms
.fgoyernment, and without resort to revo-
lutionary action, MIR. Seward says il others
invoke that folm Of action they shall not
have the excuse, SO far as it depends on him
that he cost nately lof, himself to be msur-
derstood
In such lse caa AFFORD to meet prejudice
with conciliatiop, eXacton with concession which
surrenders no principle, aud violence with the
night hand Of peace
Therefore. ST. 50 far es tae abstract question
whether, By the constitution Of the United State ,
the bondsman who is made such by be laws Of a
state, Is still or only property, | answer
that within that state its laws on that beet are
supreme; that when he has escaped from that
state into another, the constitution regards him
a bondsnan who may not, by any law or regula-
ton Of that state, be discharged from his service,
but shall be delivered up, on claim, t. the party
to whom his service is due
While prudence AID justice would mbine in
persuading You to modify the acts Of Congress On
that subject not to 0blice private persons to
assist in their execution, and TO protect freemen
from being, by abuse OF the laws, carried into
slavery, | agree that all laws OF the states wheth-
free states OF slave states which relate t. this
class Of persons or any others recently coming
from or resident IN other state aud which laws
contravene the constitution Of the United States
OF any law Of Congress passed in conformity there
to, ought to be repealed.
Secondly. Experience in public Affairs has
confirmed my opinion, that domestic slavery, ex-
listing in any state, is wisely left 10y the c,nstitu
ton OF the Uuited States exclusively to the care
m3uag cement and disposition of that state; aud If
it were in my power l would not alter the c,nsti
tuition in that respect. II misarprchen,i3n of my
position needs 50 strong remedy, | ain willing
to vote Tor an amendment If tie titutiun, de
clariuS that i; shall not, by any future amend
mcnt be 30 altered AZ to confer on Congress a
power to abolish interfere with slavery ia any
state.
Thirdly. While l think that Congress has ox-
elusive aud sovereign authority to le5isate on all
subjects whatever, in the common territories Of
the | nited states; and while | certainly shall
never, directly or indirectly, give my vote TO es-
tabllsh OF sanction slavery in such territories or
anywhere else in the world, yet the question what
constitutional laws shall at any time be passed in
regard 10 the territories is like every other quos
tion, to be determined practical grounds.
voted for enabling acts in the eases Of Oregon |
Minnesota, and Kansas, without being able 10
secdfe in them such provisions | would have !
preferred; and yet votei vi ely.
So now, | aln well satisfied that, under exist |
ing circumstance, happy and satisfactory solu- |
ton Of the difficulties in tie remaining territories |