The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-03-17
A CHAPTER FROM THE OLD POLL
TICS OF THE STATE.

| Lincoln administration, contributes an
interesting account to the New York In
dependent of the origin of the Free Soil
party in Vermont, the name being struck
eff for it in one of the intellectual flashes
of the late Charles X. Field. 1t was the
first collecting of the embryonic moral
elements that afterwards wrought such
great results in our history.
Mr.. Chittenden's memory seems to be
defective in some parts of the story, but
it is still in the main an interesting his
tory. The anti-slavery sentiment was
indigeous and all-powerful in Vermont.
The third or Liberty" party had cast
1000 votes for Birney for president in
1874, and 1000 for Lawrence Barnard for
governor in 1S47. The rank and file of
the voters of all parties were anti-slavery
in their views, however they might disa-
gree in the practical application of their
principles, and it was not only the lead
ers of the Democracy who made the fed
eral officers the great object of politics,
that were inclined to truckle to the
slavecCracy, but it was this trucking
what brought about the breaking of the
state Democracy that had for more than
a generation either had control of the
state, Except for the anti-Masonry wave,
or been able to make sharp contest at
each election.
Mr.. Chittenden begins his narrative by
outlining the situation in the National
politics in the spring of 1913, when the
Montpelier Patriot as the state organ OF
the party announced that a platform
would be adopted embodying the south.
ern claims and branding the Wilmont
proviso doctrine as violation of the
Federal constitution. "The more ex
amined the authorities the clearer the
question seemed until l arrived at the
condition of mind where l regarded thi:
new demand as piece of cool impudencC
on the pal of the pro-slavery Democracy
81 found that other delegates to the
convention were of the same temper
One of them was Charles d. Kasson, {
lawyer of Burlington, and an elder
brother of John A. Kasson, afterward Of
Iowa. The elder Kasson was as solid
reliableand generous citizen and frienC
as ever existed. He was removed by
death only few years later, loss fell
not only by the circle of his persona
friends, but by the community.
"With Kasson promptly decided tina
if the convention committed itself il
favor of SCATTER sovereignty, and agains
the Wilmot prOviso, we would leave it
and raise the standard of free soil. W.
correspondent with other delegates anC
invited them to join us in the revolt
Many of the younger Democrats wert
like ourselves, indignant at the new die
tatien. But when it came to the ques
ton of leaving the party they(nearly
''all with one consent began to make ex
cuse." We found only four who were
willing to unite in heroic measures
These were Edward D. Barber of Middle
bury, Charles l. Walker and Charles X
Field of Windham, and A. J. Rowell Of
Orleans county. Barber was a grea
hearted man, full of fun and frolic. bu
with soul stirred to its depths by any
story of cruelty or oppression. He was &
born anti-slavery man. Walker was al
able lawyer, Who shortly after removed
to Detroit, where he soon became the
leader of the bar. Field was lawyer OF
great natural ability, full of grim hu
NOR and with tongue as sharp and
caustic as that of John Randolph
Rowell was like Zaccheus, little of stat
ure, but great in push and energy.
''We agreed to go into the convention
after we had notified the state committee
of our purpose to withdraw if the design
of adding the new planks to the plat
form were persisted in. Possibly be,
cause was the youngest, to me was as
signed the duty of delivering our vale.
dictory, and leading revolt.
"We called rpon the state committee
in the morning, and were treated with
contempt. At 10 o'clock the convention
was called to order. From the tempory
and permanent organization and the
committee on resolutions we were as we
had anticipated, excluded. The last
named committee met in a corner of the
hall, the resolutions which had been
prepared by authority were Immediately
reported to the convention. They wore
anti-proviso, and pro-squatter sovereign
ty, in their most repulsive form.
81 arose to make my first, my last and
my only speech in a Democratic conven-
ton. l began with the statement that
| the resolutions made the Democratic
party of Vermont say that our free re-
public had not the power to maintain its
own freedom; that if it was a violation
of the constitution to preserve freedom
of the territory acquired from Mexico
it was an equal violation of that instru-
ment to exclude slavery from tho north
west territory. That would not ven.
ture to question the conclusions of the
great constitutional lswyers of the com
mittee on resolutions, but would read
a section or two from a law book of
some authority which was dramatically
opposed to the conclusions of the com