Objects Of The Liberty Party

Wo uitend to enumérate briefly the legislativo objects proposed to bc aceomplised by the formation and success of the .Liberty party, so far ns we understand Ithem. They have notyet been settled by a National Convention, hut it is presumed there is little diversity of sentiment in reference to them. However, in presenting these views, we commit only ourselves. First, rhen, we ask tbe extensión of a jury trial to all our cilizens. The measure ia just, cxpedient, humane, constitu tional. By a recent decisión oflheSupreme Court, Congresa has (he exclusive jurisdictie in al! oatoc ï'ocpocting porenni claimed as fugiu've slnves. Theg have power toestablish a jury trial for persona ofthÍ8 class, and the? will ikjit. 2. The extensión of the electivo franchise lo citizens of coior. Why should complexion rnake a difference in the posq 8essiün of politica! rihls? Can any good reason bo assigncd? 3. We claim a right to be heard in our naüonal councils ut Washington. On soine subjects, our Southern tnasiers forbid us even to petition ; and when wc remonstrate againsl such injustice, our remonatrances are denied a receution, or kicked under ihetable without being iooked at! Boih vhe leading purties concur in ihis thing. Buth joinlly established the rule, and boili maintaiu it. Such is lbo etate. of things in "the freeeet country on earth." It is obvioua thut the Representatives from this 6tate cannot freely set forth our wishes wheu they are obliged to -sil stil' in their seals, or speuk only on such euhjccts, us the slavcbreeders may choose to dictuie. Shall we supinely submit to such un indignity year ufier year, down to the end oftirne? Every fetling of manhood cries outagainst il! 4. The abolilion of slaveholding and the slave truflic in the Federal District. Women and children are sold there at auction, just aa the farmers sel] their cattle and swine. Children, bom as free as General Washington, are enslavcd there every day. Do you ask, who does these things? We answer, tho State of Michigan doe3 thern. She enslaves those who are bom frce, and authorizes their sale it auction. True, she is a partner with 25 others in this business of mansiealing; but can she shift off her responsibility by re'counting the number of partners in her -crimes? She cannot. Michigan by her Xegislature, or by her Congressional delegalion, has never yet spi-ken the first word to her partners about discontinuing tho business, but on the contrary has held oo to it frora year to year, without shaine -and without remorsé. Do you ask wby ahe has not spoken? 0?""O, it would ruin our party!"Q Such parties ought to have been ruined long since. Let the day of their downfall be hastened! 5. Florida 3 a part of our national domain, bought wilh the nation's treasure, and it ought to be a freo land. The free StaUw with tïieir slave-breeding partners,immediately took measurea to enslave a portion of tlie freo populaüon as fust us they should be born, and havo continued theaystem since; and m ndditioa to that, they have maintained a standing army to capture and eubdue thoso who might altempt (o elude or resist thcir oppression. G. Lnws havo been enacled by Congress legulizing a home piracy, when carried on in vessels eailing with cargoes of slaves from Stale to State. These laws niake us elaveholdors as a nation. Recently, soms of our cilizens have asked Congress for their rcpeil, but whigs and democruts jointly voted ihat they could nol be received. So tuut we are compclled to stand tip before the civilized world oe u nation holding propeity in immortal being?, and vet not nll.nved to protest agains( il? Can our masters kick us down any lovver? 7. We would repeal the nctof Cungre of 1793, providing for the surrender of fugitive slaves. Reasons: II is unjusl - recognizes human beings as property and does not securo any legal righid to the ulledgcd fugitivo. Why should all the judges, juslices. and constables in the freu States, follow the business of slave-catching? Is t so honorable und praiseworty an employment limt freemen need aspire aficr it? But, say you, have we not agreed lo ddiver up their prey to the human hyena.s? Is il not "wntton in the bond"? Well then, 8. We go for an alteration of the bond. The article provides for ts own amendment. It is not, lilte the laws of the Medes and Per8ians, unchangable. Itcan be altered at any time, by two thirda ot'the partners in ihe firrru Why should not tte free States propose an alteraüon as well us the othere? Must Henry Clay, and his fellow slavebréeders, have ihe exclusive monopoly of altering the Cunstitution, and iho free Gtutcs be mei e instrunsenta 10 assent to their propositious? Delivering up a fellow being to servitude for life is a business revobing lo the feelinga of every noble-minded man. - Such an act U worse ihan robbcry. We had rather bo robbed Ihan enslaved. Why ihen commit such an outrage on human beings? lf our partners will have a greal 'prison house of woe' for part of thcir pop ulation, Iet hem be their own j'iilors. Shall we continue to 6tand as senliiea over thtir imprisoned wretches, frora one generation to another, till the world shall come 10 an end? 9. We are for an alteration of the threefifth representation in Cungress, unless our Southern pnrtncrs will grant us the right of repreeectation for our horses, bank stock, farms, or some other kind of property. equal in amount to that enjoyed by the elavebreeders for their human catile. Why should Southern properiy havo 25 repeeentativca iti Congress, and rorthern property none? Can any one teil us? - ís there any reason for it, except that thosc whoraise that kind of properiy wish to have it so. Besides, the surplus reveenuo ia distributed according to ii, and thereby the free States lose a pnrt of their jusi proportion of the dividend. Why then continue an unju9l monopoly of power aud property? Shali freemen aiways submjt toii? 10. We ask a release from that pvovis' on of ihe Consiitution by which the freo partners in our national firrn Bgree te raise armies and rcplenish the national treasury for the sole purpose of enabling their slaveraising partners to pursue with impunity ihoir detestable occupation. So much of thut instrument as binds us to per11 our lives and property in putting down an insurrection of slaves - in helping to re-imbrute those who nobly contend fur thiiir righl?, aud do the very things we should do, were we in their places - thus making us slave-makers and slavecatchers, for those who have not manhood enough to withstand the consequences of their injusticc, ought lo be forever erased from our fundamental laws. Look at it in anotht r point of view. In a firm of 26 members, would it be good policy for the majorily to authorizo their most nidolent, lazy, quarrelsome, and contentious partners to engnge in as many quarrela and fights as they mightplease, and ihey themselvee, who furnished most of the capital and attondod closely to business, agree to help ihem do all their fihting, und pay all the costs and damages out of the common treasury? Should ilie company funds go lo eustain tho individual injuslice and iusolence of onej partner, beeause he was a buily, and being too lazy to npply himself to work, clioso ruihcr to live by cheating, robbery, quarrcling, und oppression? Ought uol llio finn to put a stop to draughts upon the treasury made onlv for such o purpo ? 11. The adrowsiqu ofelaveholding partners to the finn should cea6e. Seveu of this clasa have been added lo the original num ber, and it is proposed by many, al the Nonh and the Suuth, to add Florida t0 the list, nd IVxaa, which will make thirty-two states more, as large as Massaehuselts. Every addition of a slave Btate, in creases the dangerofforeign invasión, ond domoslic insurreclion,and thereby weakens the nation. 12. The interestsof free lubor nsed the national pruiection. Our foreign ministers nbroad, as well ae oar Executivo departiiientsat home, are governed by the slave power, and while no legislative or diplomatic means are epared to procure a foreign norket for Cotlon, Tobacco, and Rice, nothing is achieved, nttempted, or even thought of for the surplus agricullural produce oí the free State?. We ask the reader whut there is exceplionable in any of these o! jocts? Would not our wholc country be more powerful, peaceful, prosnerous, and happy, were these propositions ca r ried out to day ? Do uot the everlasting disputes and quarrels in Congress origínate chiefly from slavery ; and will they uol continue to exist - yea, to increase until the causo shall be removcil? We have proposed but threo amendmenis 10 me Consrfcruiroa - the nr.n? miniber that Ilunry C!ay h.TE oiTcred - and these we intend lo obtain, (un!es3 slavery shall be previously aboli.shed,) by the method laid dovvn ir. that instrument. Observe, wö do not nsk Congress to abolish slavery in the States. We hold that it is strictly a State iustitution, Rnd we wish it to bo confined to he Siates - the mere etricly the belter. We ask our natiunal Government to have nolhing to da witli tlaverv, hy negotiations, hiws, or oiherwise; but let those who love the hideou8 monster and rc deterrnined to embrace it, have the full benefivs it can bestow, without dispensing any part oí theri to ilieir neighbors, who abhor and exécrate ihe detestable institution.