Liberty And Its Advocates

Every individual in society ehould be secured by law in his person and property.- He has a right to the uninterrupted enj'ymeot of his Jife, limbs, body, health, nnd reputation. He bas a right to change his Bituation, and remove his person to whatsoever place he may please, without imprisonment or restraint. He has a right to all the products of his labor, and to thcjenjoyment of it in any manner he may think best for hia own happiness, exceptiog so much thereof as may be required to defray the necessary expenses of the government under wliicb he lives. These righls belong to every individual in thecoramuuity,and also the necessary means of preserving them, among wljich are the right ofrepresentation - of jury trial - of petitioning- and of bearing arras. The rights above mentioned are universally recognized among us as the rights of all men, and are taught in every law office in this State, as the foundation principies of all legal proceed jngs. Yet the democrats and whigs of Michi gan deprive many thousands of their countrymen of nearly all these rights: they do it openly continually, uablushmgly, and expeet to do it in all future time, ïf they shall think it advantageoua for their interests to do so. They acknowiedge their rights, and yet to viólate them. They have o excuse or reason to render for their oppression, except it is for ihe interest of the. oppressors and they will do it. They have the power to oppress, and they intend to o:ercise it. An amiable character it may be fiaid: and yet this is bqt a part of it. The leading politicians of both parties add to injustice and inconsistency, hypocrisy. We know this is a strong expression, and we appeal to the reader whether it is not the very one that ehould be used. Observe, we do not say that the mass of these parlies is bypocrttical; they may bo inconsistent, through the power of their prejudices, and yet we believe they are at heart honcst lovers ofiliberty. Should a professed frieod of temperance Jecture in favor of that cause, exhibitiog the horrors of the rum trafile, in all their length and breadth, and should he at the same time, for purposes oigain, keep a grog shop - you would have no hesitation in pronouncing him a hypocrite. Should you hear a minister of the Gospel use profane language in preaching the great truths of Chnstianity, and at tho'same moment admit that the pro-, fanity he' used was expressly condemned in the Bible frorr which he preached - and should he further declare thnt he practised profanity only for the purpose of increasing the-extenf of his parish - the rfumber of his hearers, and his own palary - what would you think of such anambassador of Heaven? Does not that politician show equal hypocney, who travels through the counlry vo ciferating in favor of equal rights, and líber- ty, and exact justice, and yet with the same breath supporting injustice, and robbery ana plavery, solely because by laking such a course, the party to wbicb he belongs will bave more influence, a greater number of adherents, and more offices to bestow? If, however, the two poliücal parties will come out with a frank and manly avowal of the course they pursue, and which they intend to pursue, we will withdraw the charges of inconsistency and hypocrisy, and will confine ourselves heieafter to the injustice and, tyranny of their proeeedings. "Kot knowing but they will be disposed to comply with this propositions, wo havo drawn up the following1DECLARATÍON OF SENTIMENTS of the Whigs and Demócrata of Michigan, which it is believed exactly describes their course of policy. We respectfully request their candid attention to it, and should they be able to point out any inaccuracies in its represen tations, we sha 11 be rilling to stand correcled by them. "We believe in the natural righïPor all men: that all men are cntitled to life, liberty, the product of tbeir own industry, and the choice of their own road to peace and happiness, and that to secure these rights to all men, governments are inatituted, deriving all their just powers from the consent of the governed. "We belieye that theeo rights, thusbelonging to all men, should be aecured to all our white population b the most jealous care and watchfulness; but we also believe that the best interests of our parties required Vhat all the black population ia ourtry Bhould be deprived of some or all of these Iiberties, as the peculiar circumstances of our parties mayTrom time to time re quire. -Wc belicve, that 4, G94 persons heidas slaves in the District of Columbia, by the United St-ites, and the 25,549 hld in Florida by the saine auth-ority, ought to be deprived of their persons, vvives, chÜdren, homes, and the avails of their ndustry, and to hold their lives, limba, bodies, health, characters, and means of intellcctual miprovement, entirely at the vil! of such hite men as wil) buy them and keep them in subjection by physical force. They oiight to live in a state of continual imprisonment, with the white mast era for jnilcrs, and their pursuit of happmoss should been' tircly according to their will. They onght nol to !e allowcd to e'xcrcise the right of representation in legislative bodies - of a jjry trial - of petitiouing for a redress of grievances - or of hearing arms for self defence. We also belicve they ought to contluue Blaves for lifo, and not be emancipa - ted at all, either immediately or gradually, unless it can be done without irjuring the interests of our parties. "We believe, tbat thcre ought tobe a national slave market in Washington licensed by the national government, where slaves of both sexes and all ages may be marched through the streets, chained together by the neck. "We believe that the government ought (o perrnït the èlavé trade bcttveen the Stutes, by which thousands of families are anuually separated fcr life. "We believe, that the colored population of this State should bo deprived of a jury trij ai, and of all voice in the selectioo of their rulers, eud thaf, while unrepresented, they should be compelled to pay as heavy taxes as the white people may choose to nnpose, and foY such objects as they may desígnale. "We believe, that it ia for the interest of our porties to continue thus to oppress a portion of our popula lion, all of :.vhose rights we thus acknowledge,in order to please the slaveholders of the South, and that it will bo unsafe and injudic.ous for us to advocate the restoration of these rights to lbo oppreesed, until it shall be in accordance vvith the wishes of the slaveholdcrs." We present this declara tion for the assent of our whig or democratie friends. We hope that none will start back, exclatining "I believe no such things as are here brought to view." I detest slavery and thenccursud traiKc in human flesh, and I hope ihey wil' be blotted from the carth!" Sofily, friend, vvhom did you vote for at (he last ele?tioDÏ For Woodbridge, Porter, and Howard? - They areail iú favor of the continuance of these atrocities. You cannot deny it. They see them passing before their eyes daily in Washington, and yet sit perfoctiy silent in their seats without expressing one word of disapprobation; They have a right to be heard on these topics. Why then are they dumb but because they choose to be? Besides, you knevv whea you voted for them they would continue to sanction these abominations, and should they come out boldly against them as Adams and Giddings have done, and thereby injure your party, you would be one of the first to blame them for interfering with that troublesome subject. - So, Mr. Whig, you and your representatives must be judged by your works, and your .vorks show your approval of slayery. Is it not so? But some will say, tLI nevcr voted for these men. I am not responsiblo for their doings." True, but whom did you vote for? John Norvell and Crary and Lyon, aud such kind of advocates of tqual rights? Men who go with the South against the rights of their own while fellow citizeus? Such an apology carries its owu condemnation with it.What we vviah is, that our follow cit:zens of both párties woiild look at the nature nnd mportance of those fundamental principies on which they profees to hase thcir political efforls, and also at the shameful inconsistencies which go often appear between profcseion and practice in the aclion of the political )arties, to -wiiich they are so mnuh attached ind which they so readily and persevprjngly support.