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Union Of Antislavery Men

Union Of Antislavery Men image
Parent Issue
Day
12
Month
December
Year
1846
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Two weeks sinco we published an t licle showing that under existing circumstances, the peaceful abolition of ' ry can be rationallv looked for only by ' such an union of the majority of the ' ■pie of the Free States as sJiall secure a ' Rrpeal of the Nalional Laics siislaining l Slavery, and the exclusión of Slaveholders from all National Offices. Last week we considered the kind and degree of antislavery Progress already made in our country ; and we found that while millionsof our fellow countrymen and women were becoming more anri more anlislavery in feeling, discourse and action, thero was a vastdiversity in their relaiive position. While some had already renounced all connection with Slaveholders in Churchand State, multitudes more had but just begun lo move in the cause. Antislavery feeling in some of iis forms, we found to exisi among great numbers of all poliiical opinions and parlies : and lhe grand desiderátum now needed was a mode by which lliis great and accumulating mass of antislavery feeling may be brought to bear in efficiënt, aggressive action against Slavery. lt was a maxim of Bonaparte and one by which he gained most of his brilliant victorieSjthatthe s?cret of military success lay in assembling the grealest number of armedmen upon a given point. In political struggles, it is also truethaf thattv will succeed which can assemble the grealest number of voters at the polls. - The necessity of concenlraling the whole antislavery strength of the country has been seen by some from the beginning of ihe Liberty party. Threeor foui years since, Rev. Kiah Bailey, a veteran aboliiionist of Vermom, in a letter toa Boston Convention, e.xpressed his regret that we were e.xcluded from all cooperalion with antislavery men in other parties, and wished that some plan might be devised by which all the real friends of the slave might cordially act together. His advice, however, received no responso from the meeting. Subsequently to this we believe that Elihu Burritf, the - Learned Blacksmith," expressed similar sentiments, but we have not his articlea before us. But the first actual concert of action of the Liberty party with others took place in New Hampshire, by a co-operation of the Independent Democrats with Whigs and Liberty men, by which Colby, n Wliig, waselected Governor, Cilley a Liberty man, was elected U. S: SenatorTor the present session and John P. Hale, in Independent Demoerat, wís elecled ü. S. Senator for six ycars. The particulars of the politica! campaign we have alrendy registered inlheSignal. Since Lhnt time, a propositior. has been made for a formal unión of the Independent Democrntswith the Liberty men. Al a large meeting of the adherenis of both these parties, held at New Market, N. Hampshire, sornetime sinee, and cnlled for this express purpose, a unión wns completed. The Bangor Gazette says : . "The Convent ion was altended by the leading men in both parties, Col. Cilley, Chairman. Some sterling men wer.fi there, such as John G. VVhittier, Henry B. Stanton, Esq. and others. The speeches of Messrs. Hale and Stanton are said to have been very eloquent. But what is of most iroportance, the ground of union was that of the Liberty pariy fully. The extinchon (not restriction') of slavery unemborrassed by other queslions, is the one grand object, and no voling for slaveholders, their poli tical supporters and associates in any case. - The speeches were of the same high character. Mr. Tuck, of Exeter, an able demoerat and particular friend of Mr. Hulí-, wrote the resolutions." The following are some of the resolutions unanimously adopted : Resolved, That we believe opposition to the instiiution of slavery should be made paramount to all other political questions, and should be held up before the public mind, unincumbered by other issues until the whole people give their decisión upon it, and until it becomes the dividing point in our national and state politice. Resolved,. That slavery has beenonstitutionally adopted by our government, ns one of the great national inlerests to be extended and perpeluated by the nfluence of ('ongress and the arm of the executive power. Politicians hnve been taught to believe that honor and office, could be bestowed onlv upon those who npologise for the sin ofslavery, or who openly advocate it as a patriarchal, beneftcial and necessary institution. Our governmeni has generally been representedat foreign courts by slaveholders and men who defended the institulion of slavery - Representativos from the free states have bowed before the exactions of Southern slaveholders - have uphelcl the sum of all wrongs by their voles and their legislation - have added to our country, foreign slave territory - have denied a hearing to the pelitions of the people - and have a'.tempted to proscribe every independent and fearless advocate of the inalienable rights of man, until the governmeni founded by Washington, Jeflferson and Jay, has betn dishonored in the eyes of the whole world, has merited the jusl judgment of Heaven, nnd calleó upon her patrioüc sons to rescue her from everlasting dishonor and perdition.Resolved, That having seen the ions of inierr.al improvements - a . ional bank - strict construction of the , :onstitulion, the tariff, and other quesions of national policy made nstrument in securing co-operation in favor of Invery and the slave powerywe do heneeforth refuse to alloxo ourselves lo be diviled in our political action by any diffcrnee of opinión on these subjects, and vhile we invite all to unile with us on he great question of human'ity and liberly which" agilates our Country, we eave each one lo indulge his own opinons on matiers of minor consequence. Whereas, the National Executive has repeatedly and most humiliatingly prostiuted its power and influence to aid the encroachments and to tnaintain the exstence of human oppression - thereforc, Resolved, That we deern it incumbent upon us on all future occasions, to bestow our sujfrages upon tlwse only for Ihc Presidency and Vice Prcsidency of the United States, and all other offices, who are the open and uncompromising opponents to the extensión and conünuance of slavery under the authorily of the National Governm'ent. Resoved, That we present to the people of the United States with feeling.s of pride and pleasure, the nnme of John P. Hale, ascandidate for the Presidency in 1848. Resolved, That we heartily approve of the nomiitation of the Hon. Nathaniel S. Berry, for Governor and that we pledge to him our undivided support. Resolved, That we should be gratified by a unión of the Granite Freeman and Independent Democrat, as soon as the proprietors can agree upon satisfactory terms. Voted, That ft ia expedient for the Liberty party and Independent Democrats to go inlo Convention on some future day, for the purpose of nominating a candidate lo be supporter] for meinber of Congress, in the lst Congressional District. The Boston Chronotype has the following notice of the meeting :"Joining Teams. - A friend who was present informs ds that the Independen! Democrats nnd Liberty men held a Union Convention at Newmarket, New [-Inmpshire, last Saturday. It was a fu!l turn out. Mr. Hale was present and spoke with his usual earnestness andability. Col. Joseph Cilley, the Liberty Sen.11 or presided. The object was to see whether the two parties could hereafter acttogether,ind they seem to have ngreed that they could. lt was resolved unanimously at no distant dy to cali another Union Convention to nomínate a candidate for Congrtss. Amos Tuck, Esq. (an Independent Democrat) brought forward a number of resolutions which were adopted, and which lay down the foliowingas the governing principies of the combined party. The overthrow of slaverv is to be paramount to all other political considfirations. There is lo be no voting forslaveholders, and no voling for any man in polilical fellowship with slaveholders, in any circumstances. We like to see parties coalescing on these principies. W hy not coalesce upon them at once - that is to say, all who do nof, like some of the Dependent Democrats, stand in perishing need of offices from Mr. Polk?" There are now three parties in the State - the Democratie, the Whig and the Antiflavery . The Wh igs, as far as State Legislation enn go, have shown themselves disposed to tct asantislavery men: but there is no doubt the whole body of the party in that State would support Mt. Slaveholder Clay for President in '48 as readily as they did in '44. The Antislavery voters, however, through the majority system of voting, if true to their principies can bring them tothe adoption of their own ground - no voting for Slaveholders. There bas been great rejoicing among Aboütionistsat the " redemption" of New Hampshire, and many wishes have been expressed that other States might also be "New Hampshireized." We regard its renovation se begun} but .notad. While the Governor, legislators, nd principal officers ot the State are vowed advocates for the election of 51aveholders for national officers,we canlot regard the State as redeemed from iroslavery dornination ; nor would such a 'ictoryas that, if ochievedhere in Michgn, be at all satisfnctory to us. True, ew Hampshire Ins been under the rule f the worst kind of proslavery Demo;rats for twenty years : their ascendency ïas been exchanged for that of Whis, iroslavery in a leís degree, perhaps : and ne more revolution is wanïing which ihall establish the principie that no supporter of Slaveholders can be elected to office through the votes of the people of New Hampshire. Whcn ibis resultshall have been fully attnined, we too shall unite in rejoicingat the " redemption " of New Hampshire. Wo have assurance, in the zeal and earncstness manifested by antislavery men in that Siate ihua far, that whatever error they may fall nlo, they will prosecute their undertaking to a successful lerrnination. The Bangnr Gazette, the leadingf Liberty paper of Maine, hns been forward in laboring to New Hampshireize Maine; while the Liberty Standard, the othertislavery paper, has been much less dis[osed to seek for a political unión wilh others. The Kennebeck Journal, a leading Whig paper, has proposed a unión wiih Liberty men on the basis of No Further Extensión of Slavery, involving practically, a toleration, f not a support of it, where it now exists. This offer seems to have been treated with the contempt it deserved. John P. Hale lectured in Maine previously to the election, and several hundred votes were cast in that State by Independent Democrats. The Mnssachusetts Liberty papers seem to be favorably inclined for a unión with other parties vvhenever right terms can be agreed upon. In New York, the Albany Patriot has been opposed to any operations of the kind, as it is in favor of making the Liberty party into a permanent one on the basis proposed by Messrs. Goodell and Birney. The Utica Liberty Press goes altogether the other way. nnd we supposc bas been forsome lime looking for strong anlislavery developmente from the Sew ard faction of the Whigs. From presen appearances, however, we judge that li tle eflcctual antslavery aid will be hac from that quarter till the Whigs 'have once more tried to place a Slaveholder in the seat of the President or Vice President of the United States. Next week we will consider the proposals for union made by the Whigs and Liberty men of the West.