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Which Do You Prefer, Polk Or Clay?

Which Do You Prefer, Polk Or Clay? image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
July
Year
1844
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

l This questioh is frcquently proposed to Liber S ty men They answer, very properly, that ihe _. pr for neirher- that they arts bothimproper men and botïi represent proslavery pnriies. But ih objector replies that even f you dislike them boih so lone as it iö' probable that one or the otlicr wi] i be the nest President, i is impossiblc not to hav .- a bias in faVor öf ihè one. and ogainst the other t Allowing théelection ofeithor to be an evil. il i still contended thatüiiccvil will be less thnn th other. Thia does not follow of neeessity. The nd : minstration of Clay or Polk mny be of stich o charaeier tha tho sum of evil be inflicted upoi t he country, tlioush diölrent in kind, mny be the sime in amotnii. Bui have Liberty men any reason for wishing ' for the success of tho one rather than the other. en far as thetr own party otj'cts Bre concernedí Let U3 examine thisqucstion a moment Liberty men propose that Congress and the President shail exen nll their power for the exunction of Slavery ond the Slave Trnde in the nntional domains. Mr. Clay 'e posüions o( hostility to aky movement of the kind we need not repeat. How etnnds Mr. Polk? Read the following extract from his nnnunl messuge o the Legislature of Tennossee in 1839: uTo disturb it [slavcry] in the District of Columbia would bcA palpable violatiox or pub lic faith. na well os of the clear ineaiiiii and ■bviou8 intention of ibe framers of the Constitution. They placed it bevond tho constitutional power of the Geiieral Government. The a ttempts to introduce abolilion inro the Federal '..fBi'sluture. for niscDsstoN. huve heen MET IN THE PROPER SPIRIT by thi Southern Reprcsenlntires. and by a larsre portion of the Northern deJcgation in Congress." There is no difference between Clay and Polk n thia respect: both arepledged against all antislavery natiorml fögiSlative acuon. Ab to the Vice Presidents, the poeition of inghuysena8 a strenuou anti-abolitionist is well nown and admittcd. How is it with Dallas? n a letter to J. Willis, Aug. 29, 1841, he ( aid: ;'It should be recoliecten1 tbat the nnrthern a%c centrnl Demócrata have mmntained 'J'H R KIGH1 ) AG ISST ABO1.ITION for yenrs." "Fui j my own pnrt," I am ready fr unkkmitting ase UNCOMPROMISIN& VV A R aga'mst a principie. [ Ab' nlitionj whose me-c ufmciation in this count sovmls a my tara LIKE A TOCShV TO RE BELLION. ANP-1 REA SON TO THE CON STJTÜT1ON-." The carididates are of eadi party are as fully comniitted Cor the niaintfnance of slavery as they can be. What snperlative foliy to try 10 prove ihat either oí tliem are wonhy of the slifirages of Liberty men! But th objector replies to nis, thát aímitting what we cluim, that both parties are bent on m(,i Uaining SaVéry. theréis onother diflerenct which we overlook: that one party is also beni on cxtmlÜig and perpiñtiíing the pov.'er of Slave ry, whiie the poshiun of the oiheT i&conservaiive . - s for maintaining t in its presenf condítion. - Mere is a great nntional curse: ooght not that party wliich would exrend and perpetúate it to receive stronger reprobation and oppositon from Abolitionists than that wliicli opposcsall such ex tensión? We reply, that if thc premise9 wcre estribüslied, we niiglit admit the conclusión. Thai the Democratie party intend to annex Texas, chicfly to buüd up the slave-interest, we believe; and it is a detestable object. But are we cértain thai the Whig party w 11 surety oppósè tlys'scheme under alf circumstances? Has Mr. Clay ever anid or intimated that he would oppose futíire Annexation by his ofRcinl influence? He h is not. Has Mr. Frelir.ghuysen said that he would? Uc ha6 not. Did ihe National Whig Conveniion take any action agair.st Annexationt They did not. Are a considerable portion of ttio part)r known tobe in favor o4 it!'J They are. These simple inquines are eirougli to set aaide the prelensionsof the Whigs that they are aa atui-annexation party. Thai a majority of the parij' ;rj a: heart agninst Annexation, we ad'tnit. Bus this is fur frora making it a party mensure. Thc minority of the nafion have long governed tht aiajority. ïn case of Mr. Clay'a'election, Ehe disaffected portion of the Whigs can unite wiih ihe Democra'ic party, and the requidite act ib) the Annexaiion of Texas, can as easily be passeiJtfhrough Congress, as tfère the Gag laws, when ilie Whigg had a large rhajority in tliat body - Xothing can aftorwards arrest t but M . Clay's veto, and what evidence, satisfactory to 'iny sensible man, has ever been produced, thai t'mt wou ld be ïnterposed Tlius one party is pldged for future Annex..ation, and the ölber 13 not comniittêd for or against it, but we have good reasons for believing that it moy tnke placfe, wli chever party may succeed. What interest, then have Liberty men on Üiis account, n favoring one party more than tlie oiher? Nor do we apprehend that the success of either will maie ially afftct tlie onrárd course of the Liberiy principies. Shou!d the Democratie party succeed, there caTi bc no doubt that ihey will ecome. literally and emphatically, the Slavery Party, bayond the hrpe of refoimition o: ïhange. It will do whatsoever it pleases, and will rule the nation, and especially the fr3e States With a rod of iron. The slaveholders will be supreme. The inevitable consequence of such a Jomination ot orgnnized tyranny will be au organhed resisLancc, conceiurating iij its ranks the ')cst and noblest spirits of the naiiofi. This organization will not be content' wnh a mere detense of Freedon, but will aim at thVoverthrow of Slavery. And thua the battle between these ijreat contending principies will be comnienced. ;ind will not cease till one or the other stioll be ul!y triurnprwnt. Shoulíí Mn Polk be elected in J844, in 1848 we shiil ace but two parties, divided on this momentous issue. On the other hand. should Mr. Clay be elécted, there will be a very strong Damocrailc niinority. uilly organized,and siriving for'poVfrer. Tlirough ihis niinority, the Slaveholdèis wilf niake strenuous eflbrts for the Arniexationrof Telas. A uutional Bank will -alstf be'a pre-minent'iopic ol liscussion, al'.hough probubly none will be es ab.ished; and the present confused systentof party warfare will be' (Ontinued through anoiher term ;of four yearo; The whírlc péfíüfcaf Raid' will pre ent the-appeáarfce ofa generrfl melee 'of vanous conflicting bodres. ahernntely uniting an contending with eaeh other in sudden and disorderly movemtnt, as their opposing interesis may reli'ire. Uut amidthifl -War of elementa, theLibirty princijtles will nofreniainf' dofmarit.' The íeniu8oí Freedoin will mingle in the strife of'the aser elements, and will make her voicehe'ard in he tumult, and her band feit in ' the tronfüct. The nature of hef training is such that she can , ightsinglc hánded, or ín battle array, with the ighiest arm8 she tan keep up 'a harrassing and lestructivé Cossack warare; or slje can wield leavy & ponderous blows which need no eecond troko. In case of the election of Mr; Polk, we hink ehs will bc culled on lo marshal her ïorcoaCorone greai and deciaive campnigh: in case Mr. Clny sliall bo elcctcd.we anwcipate a war.faro of o dificrent nature, though not Iess destructivo 10 ilie Slav Power, and uliiinately as ac.'v mtageous for the canse oí human fieedom. Such is the view that we tnke oí the influenec óf the pending eleciion on the prospecta of the Uberty party; and in this aspect of it, we would not turn over oiir hnnd to secure the election of orte h'oslüq candidate mther than the other. Tluy are b'oth the choscn reprcsentaiives of tlio Slave Power: they are both tlic enemits of .the Libeiiy party, and would crush tin its infnncy il they cotild: wiiri both p'arilca' we must wage au ur.compi-oinisi g warfare; and the nature of the contest will makc liitle difference to us. po lonp na we know üiat we ehall be íinally und fully tritili)[ih(iiit.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News