Mr. Birney And The Whigs

A short time since, Mr. Birney spent a few days in Detroit, on which occasion he participated in the discussions of the Liberty Association, lectured twice, and held a discussion in the City Hall with Mr. Platt, late Whig Attorney General. A candid notice of these several meetings will be found in the communication of a correspondent in another column. As Mr. Birney's remarles before the Association on the 8th and 9th of July have been the theme of unjust comment and misrepresentation in the Advertiser, we subjoin the following brief sketch of them, reported by a gentleman who was present:MR. BIRNEY'S REMARKS. Mr. Platt, as representative of the Whígs, admitted the truth and goodness of the Liberty principies, but contended that their mode of accomplishment was wrong. At first he asserted the efficiency of mere moral action, but subsequently admitled that political action was necessnry. He then, however, claimed that the Whigs were an anti-slavery party, fully efficiënt both in will and deed for all the objects of the Liberty party; that the organization of the latter, but weakened the former, - and that every true abolitionist ought to leave the Liberty party and ünite with the Whigs. He especially urged, as a reason for this change, the Texas question, and alledged that it was inducing Liberty men to join the Whigs. That he had lately heard of one, a Mr. Burchard in the State of New York: that he expected soonto hearof Gerrit Smith's secession, and when informeel of Mr. Birney's arrival in Detroit, he had hoped to hear of his conversión. He pressed upon the Liberty men present the example of Mr. Burchard - called upon them to imítate that example, and then read (though exceeding the limited time) a long letter of Mr. Burchard's, containing his sentiments.After a strong appeal of ihis nature, Mr. Birney's turn came. He knew Mr. Burchard, though but slightly, but this was his first knowledge that he had ever been a member of the Liberty party. - (Here it appeared that Mr. Birney was in error respecting the individual.) - Then, Mr. President, said Mr. B., 1 know even less oí this Mr. Burchard, than of the gentleman I had supposed: for Ido not at all know the Mr. Burchard in question. Alvan Stewart I know - Gerrit Smith I know, butl may say, Mr. Burchard, who are you. Mr. B. then alledged that as so much stress was laid upon this conversión, its valué depended on facts. Many reasons might have operated beyond conscientious conviction - interest, allurements, &c. might possibly have had their weight. The letter was suspicious - it was very long - was evidently an electioneering document designed fpr making cc nverts - contained greatly more than needful forself vindication, and was published at a considerable distance from home, where alone self vindication would be especially called for, and in a leading whig paper. (Mr. Burchard lives in Madison county - the letter was published in the Albany Evening Journal.) Mr. B. then proceeded to examine the positions advanced by Mr. Platt. He first took up that part which called on the Liberty men to abandon their atid unite with the Whigs, on the' ground that the latter embraced all the sentiments, &c. of the former. Was this the fact? Mr. Clay was the prominent candidate of the Whig party. He was, as ofteiï said? by the pressesr the embodiment of the Whig principies. Mr. Clay 's public conduct and public sentiments were then the fair test of the party. Mr. B. thought that these were matters ín which Mr. Clay and the great body of the people had no sympathy. One was - that of labor. Mr. C. was bom in a slave country - had lived there all his life, and still did so, holding slaves. He was accustomed to see labor performed only by a degraded class, and labor itself thus became unavoiddbly associated with degradation. As an iïistance, Mr. Leigh of Virginia had asserted sentiments to this effect. This opinión of Mr, Clay had been manifested in various ways. The circumstancesaround Mr. Clay very naturally induced it and much palliated it: still it existed, and was not in consonance with that of the great bulk of the people. Another matter, in which Mr. Cl'ay had not the sympathies of the people, was on the subject of duelling. Mr. Clay was known to have been a duel list. All his duels sprang out of his public life - from words spoken , in debate by adversary. The constitution guaranfeed to every one that he should not be held to account for language spoken ir Congress, Mr. C. disregarded this - and held men responsible, not however tothe laws of rhis country, but to the code of Honor, - a code not known to law, in violation of it and not sanetioned by great snass of the people, There was much palliation for Mr. Glay in the circumstance of h-is life - also in the provocation he at times receiyed; still if he could not control his passions into obedience to the law white in his countryrs service in Congress, Mr. Birney did not regard him as a safe person, to beenlrusted with the government. - Mr. JB. next adverted to Mr. Platt'sserfion that Ihe Whigs Were the real and efficiënt antl'slavery party of the couQtry: also to Mr. P's. cali on Liberty men to unite with the Whigs. ThO Whigs, ns a party, had done nothing mor than the Dernocrats for liberty.. Jn their Harrison Congress of 1841-2 they had l renewed the gag- had made the usual " ministerial and foreign appointments from the south- and had in fact pursued tto identlcal course their opponents had for manyyears. But they went further in their conduct to Adams and Giddings. A VVhig, Mr. Marshall of Kentucky, WM the author of the celebrated resolutionsof censure on Mr. Giddings. Thea measures were in avowed hostility to abolition: that against Mr. Adams, faüed after many weeks, because of his me. morable resistance, that against Mr. Giddings succeeded, because he was not allowed to be heard- and all thistime the whigs had an efficiënt majority. The above is the faithful scope ani purport of Mr. Birney's remarks. The' Advertiserofthe llth contained a long article by A Whig,' [which is attribated to our Whig Representative in Con gress,] containing a caricature of hisr marks, and nccusing hiin of base and' delibérate calumny"- of "adding cowardice to falsehood-of "shameless and1 venomous falsehood"- of using low scandals," and "glaring perversions-of' truth"- 'fand his whole speech was a íwsue of rancorous personal abuse, sly unmanly inuendo, and harsh and brutal cl umny."This letter in the Advertiser was accompanied with an intimation that MrBirney, or his friends, if aggrieved by such a foul publication, might 'make corrections & explanations' through thesamo paper that had published the anonymou libel. To which Mr. Birney returned the following appropriate reply.: To the Edjtors ol the Dntroit D.tily Advertir: Gentlemen - Duly acknowledging the offer which you have authorized to be made to me, to open your columns for any answer that I might choose to make to an article signed"A Whig," which appeared in the Advertiser of this morning,I have only to say, that every consideration of the respect that isdue bothto myselfand 10 the public, forbids my taking any further notice of the article in question, aboundingasit does, in false and reckless assertions, and violating as it does, in the language in which these assertions nre made, the acknowledged courtesy of newspaper discussion. Yours, &c. JAMES G. BIRNEY.Detroit, July 11, 1844. The subsequent discussion between Mr. Birney and Mr. Platt, in the City Hall, is referred to by our correspondent. We were in Detroit a day or two after, and were grntified to find that men of all par. ties and conditions, from Senators, Judges and Statesmen, down to the class that hold political discussions in the grocery, were unanitnous in the opinión that Mr. Birney's vinoficntion of the principies and policy of the Liberty party, against the charges so ably preférred by Mr. Platt, was full, satisfactoryr completa, and tri umphanf.