To The Friends Of Liberty In Michigan: For The Signal Of Lib...

Uearfncnds andfellow laborers in the [cqmmon cause of liberty:- We percei ve with much gralificalion that sooie of the true and active friends of liberty in different sections of the State are already beginning to move forward in the right dilection, (independent liberty notninations) ultimately to accomplish their grcat and glorious object-the liberation ofiheenslaved millions in our, land and the redemption of our beloved country Oom the justly cntailed curse of itsgreat and grievous and ITeaven-offending oppressions.i ermit us theretore as the central comJ mittee of the liberty party in this state respectfully and earnestlyto reüommend lo you toproceed immediately to cali counly and diswict convcnlions for ihe purpose of placing Jiberty candidates before the people for their suffrages for the state legislature at the ensuing fall elcclion, and also for euch other offices as muy be vacated in your respective coimiies or districts. No time should be lost. Where there are no county, dislrict, or senatorial central commilteess appointed, whose special business and duty it s to issue calis for con ventions, let a few true and active friends of liberty at once issue calis for such conventions and lake all proper measures to give general publicity to tho calis and they will generally fiad a greater number attend the conven:ion3 than they had anticipated. Uut whether there should be many or few, it might be well "not to d.èspi.se tho day of small thjngs." At these Conventiuna efficiënt central conimilteesconsisting usually of from three to five, should in all cases be nppointed for the ensumg year, whose duty it should awaya be, not only to culi meetings of the frienda of liberty asoften as may be useful, but to take a general supervisión of the cause over the counties or districis for which they were appointod, by way of-adopüng meatis and measures from (ime to time best calculated most rapidly to dvance the great euterprize which 'they are thus laboring to consúmate. If you have men enosijh for candidales, place them at once be'bre tlie people, uui' tedly aud cordially support them vourselves not only, but also pre.sent all the slrong arguments and facts to your fcllowcitizens, your fnends and neiyhbors, which you eau cotninand, why they too should support them fulr "humanity and thcir coantry's sake." For thiá end we wouid recommend not cnly mtich kind and respectful personal interview with such as have conceived ungrounded projudlccs against our enterprize. and all ihn Ar,Ki;lecturing you can Cümmand frorn any who shall bc able to present the whole subject in its slrong and clear light. We deom it of indispensable importance too íhat Anti-Slavery jourrmla should be widely circulated among the people, especially the only organ fur Anti-Slavery intelligence which ve have n our own state, the Signal of Liberty." Among olher means to advance the interests of our cause at thi3 crises the central committee think the friends of liberty should make no delay to circuíate widely the able and important address to the people frorn the late national liberty convention which nominated James G. Birney for President of the U. S. and Thomas Morris for Vice President. They regard this document from the able pen of Wm. Goodell of too greaf valué to lie uncirculaled for the want of a little time, means and effbrts. The committee feel confident that from the{ medíate and extcnsive circulation of this address, immense goocl might bc done with comparatively little means. In niuking your norninations the commiüoe would say, if you have not men enough fuliy and openly committed to the principies of the liberty party, to make ou entire ticket?, show to the world that yo are acting on your principies by nomina ting and voting for such men as you have leaving the balance of your tickets blank To vote exclusively upon your principie as a liberty party man, when you and th world know that you profess to have vas and high interesls at stake, for the poo slave, yourself, your children and you country, is no more than you have often done wliile atlached to other parues, anc aiming at the accomplishment of other ob jects comparatively unimportant. In thus doing you acted in good fuilh, and weje commended for your politicp.l integri y and fídelity. Why Uien should it be hought strange for you now, in all cases, o vote upon your important principies, when the world knows you profess to beieve that in them are such immense inerests invulved fo,r the milliona of your enslavcd follow men, and for the redempion of the liberlies of your country, subvertexl as they are by the overruling politcal ascendency of the slave power, unustly and oppressivcly voting as it does or its 3,000,000 of human challéis. It isluin (hut shoulcl the friends of liberty not arry out their ptnciples in the electioti of jublic meu in every department of the ommunity, they would not act as wisely oí liberty as pro-slavery men act for slaery - for ihey do all this systemalicaüy nd effoctualiy, well understnnding thul 'rom tho most subordínate efforts ofien rise influential politiciuns who wil] exert 11 their iniluence on one side or the other f these great antagonist principies. The tale and ridiculous charge upon the friends f liberiy, who have long been devoting ïeir time and meana to promote this pl.innlhropic cause, that they are mere ofs ce seektr.s to say tho least, comes with n ill grace l'rom the lips of distinguished nd long standing pro slavery office holders. Ourelernal motto shou'.d be "principies" not men, nor office scekers nor office holders.Liisten nota moment, we entretityou, to ihe old syren song that "leads to bewilder and dazzles to blind," that before you vote for the shtve and your country you shuuld vote at least once more for your old pnrty to effect somo fuvorite fiuancial, or other party ohjects. "Procrastination s the thief of time." Local and party matters vvill nerer cease to come up. Ñay, they will continue to multiply like the gathsring of locusts, to arrcsi and divert yourattention trom acting and voting for true liberly and ihe ultímate highest and leu interest ofyour country, j ist now. Had it not been lor the thousand local and mínor interest?, and the divisions and sub-divisions amoiig tlie peple of ihe statës called freeand independent (ihougli conquered bytheslave power,) they wou ld long ere tbis have ■turned their attention to.that great and overwhelming interest in this nation - the sluve interest, which has so long, throuyh one pro-siavery party or the olher, suljugated to ils irön sway every other national interest. The slnvehnlders hopea, iheir suctesses, their triumphe, heir rejoicings over the smothered und suppressed spirit of trne liberty in this country have cónsisted in their uni'on andour divisiong. 1 o effect (his, in order to keep the slave power in theascendent, hos always boen the rand pulicy of the slnvchuldtirs and tiioir abei'.ors. 'J'lie leadiog pfeases, and ihe leading nlluencea iii churcli and state, norlh and south, have long been n the insiduous, deep-rooted and far spreading slnve interest, and have eithcr willingly or unwillingly btudiously contributed tuiis mainleoance and perpetuity, however cruel, tu the uoor slavp.anrfdestructive to every thing dear to a peuplc called frce. How long wijl ihe pcople of the north continue thoir copartnersbip in Ihe vilest eyslem of villainy, robbery and opprcssion under the suii? But if philanthropic considerations cnnnot move them, how long will ihey continuo to hold "pennies so near their eyesthat they can not behold guineas witinn their reach?"- ííow long will they exhaust thcir energies in their fruitless effjrta to purify so mnny northern, politica!, pecuniary and commercial streams while their great, corrupt tuuniain at the Sou'h is incessantly overru ling their ill directed efforts, by constantly pouring its exhaustless source of pollution and desolation over them? Indeed how can we, how ought we to look for lun prosperity and stability in our financia 1 in stiunions. wiiile they are ulternately buik MP and desrroyed by Ihat great tyrannical and corrupt power that riotsupon the body politie, nay, owes its very existence to the entire prostration of all human rights. Whu has not s-een, with a little inielli genceand observation, that the 250 000 slaveholders.votingasthey do for their mil lionsofchattelized human beings- leaued as they nre with a few norlhern abe'ttors - constnuting as ihey do an overwhelmin political monopoly, have long made commorí cause agumst the righls and liberties' ot the great inass of the American people. öuppose these slaveholding monopolists ana iheir leagucd abeüors do consent that the people for a time, may havo a Uniied State's Bank and branches or a Sub Trea sury, what then? You know they will always, upon the slaveholding principie that might gives right" haughtily claim he exclusive privilege of keeping u,e eys. In this they only carry out the odi us doctrines o}' the slaveholding gowriui ng power of this nation, that one set of men are born to govern and another to , obey. Your public servants have turned arbiirary ruiers. Your peütions have been gagged down for the last four years? and are stil!, by this same haughly, Ilegitímate power. The policy of one of the proslavery partios is arbitrarily to reject petitions forever. That of the other,if not thusto reject them - todo what is still worse - receive them in form only, make a proslavery report upon them and thus (themselves being witnesses) kill abolition dead, alias, the last lingering spirit of true liberty in the nation and by one masterly feat of political chicanery put a quietus (prever upon the vexed quéstion. Dear friends and fellow countrymen what say you? Shall we not resort without de!ay fur an effectual and speedy redress ofour Jong borne grievances thiough the only alternative left us, the ballot box. by inde pendent aclion against that great Moloch, which is crushing us even now under its Juggernaut wheels and which we are and shall be forbidden to touch through the recepiion, and due cousidera tion ofour humble petitions. Friends of true freedom with the soul of your fathers, shall the rising spirit of liberty, the last lope of hurnanity and your country be tyrannically suppressed in one quarter, and not indignantly break out in anoiher. We fondly trust your prompt reply, by yourprecepts, your prayers, and your votes, wil] bey never, no never. The slavehold era are right when they boldly hold forth that the greal masa of the laboring popu htion of this and other countries raust be cessarily rapidly aadimululed to one com uion condition. VVhat sayou, ye hard handed and hard toiling yeomnnry of the north, are you far thless, or slow of heart to believe this his orical as wel! as common sense dectrine. Or, ifyouarenot incredulous, what shall lis common condition or common level be, ne of liberty and independence, or one of egradation, vassalage and slavery? Shall ve not all henceforth see well to if, that ur hands are unstained with the bloud of ppression by doing all we can in the most onsistent way to.deliver ihe poor bondman 'rom his heavy bondage, and our beloved ountry from its fearfully enlailed destruc on ? Utider the Almighty disponer of men nd of nations, to whom siiall we look for id if not to ourselves? From the princi )al leader of eiiher of the proslavery par ies, it woqld be the height oí folly for us o look for the least ray of hope. Whatev r individuáis in these parlies pnce in au ge may dare to half do for our cause, theoíd pames ns parties are under the slave power - hostile to our whole enierprise, and bóM ordeceitful n their cager rivalry íbr soulhern favor, costwhat it may of nor thern riglits and northern liberties. VVby should all ijjis be thonght marvel ouswhen the melancholly record of ihe past is but an unbroken chain ofevidence, liiat every people one after another have in (heirturn lost their libertiea by an over whelming confidence in their politica] or eclesiastical leaders? Miy it not then well be said. that the price of liberty is eternal vigilence? And may not the ear nest exhortalton with propriety be maíle to him who is desirous to rctain his liberty that when he thus prays- Hercuienn like he should put hisshoulder to the wheel? Your fellow laborers in thc causo of liberty and our country. '