Communications: To The Friends Of Liberty In Oakland County

At a covention of the friends of liberty, held at Pontiac, Sept. 7th 1342, the undersigñed werp appointëd a committee to address you on behalf of the Convention, in view of the approachh'g election. We are a ware that, with corrupt rrien, ah election, though it involve the most sacred intereets of a political community, is anticipated as a trial of the strength of parties for the "spirit of victory"; - not so with th'e real patriot. He remembers that he is a man - that he has rights, and that all others of the same communil.y too havo rights to be preserved that in the mar ch of republican liberty, the identity oflhose rights has been demonstrated -that their preservation is an object at once ennobling and immeasurably hieh abovè the low peculant operations and mercenary ambition, tvhich forgets principie to combat for power - that the obligations imposed by considerations of patriotism philantiiropy, chris tianity, and even consanguimtj-, to widely diffuse and transmit to posterity the blessings of political, civil and religious liberty are impera" tive - and that a right use of the elective franchise by which the great object must ultimately be accomplished, tells upon human destin, not only in this, but in a coming world. We invite you to reflect most 6eriously upon the propositions herein presented for your consideratión. We lay down the proposition that ours was originally intended to be essentially a democratie government. The questious arises, What is democracy? We go back to 1770 forour definition- to the great Magna Charta, adopted by an illustrious Congress as embracing all the foundation principies of all subsequent constitutions and forms of legitímate Government. The the rights to "LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS'are recognized as "INALIENABLE" with reference to "ALL men;" and as being I "self-evident truths,"Dr. Franklin, in carrying these principies out in detail, advances the common sense doctrine that true liberty cannot be enjoyed without the privilege to vote, by the exercise of which men become participators jn the government. Then, and then only, are thcy in a condition peaceably to defehd their inalienable rights with which their Creator has endowed them . We remark that principies which are antagonist to these are dangerous to liberty They are necessarily at war the one with the other. Henee aristocrntic or despotic institutions. in a country which embraces free institutions, must mevitably destroy them, or be destroyed by them. Is this great Commonwealth- the United States of America- of which the county of Oakland is a part, and small as it is compared to the whole, is afieced by all the influences that pervade, elévate, depress, or disgraco tho Commonwealth - s this C ommonwealth free from aristocracy? - nay, shcer despotism?That Government in which the icill of the governor is the law of the governed is a rank despotism. We need not labor to convince you thal the L50,000 slave communities in our ountry areso inany despotisms, comprehendng persons of all shades of color-many as white as he who pens,and those who read Ihis item- all "chattels personal," bought and sold as are mere cattle, robbed of their personal rights, even that of self-defence against wbito aggressorsj both in law and in fact, for it is a truth too palpable to be denied. Are then the free institutions of the country safe wlnlc these dcpolisms cx'isllWe have said that despotism and democracy cannot ahvays subsist together in the same government, for the reasoirtliat their relations to each other are necessarily belligerent, and the finaJ extermination of one is a necessary consequence. Admit this position and you have a cíue to the secret overthrotv of former republics. They began with the elements of destruction in their system, théy fostered slavery, slavery engendered a 'spirit of despotic sway, oppression, idleness, luxury, dissipalion, and a general corruption ofmaonera. They flung their banners to tho breeze, beautiful, because of the republican features of their emblazoning; and after a period of exulta li. on, oppression, and 6trife, they continued, or rather languished for a season, and disappesred - despotism prevailed, and they are no more.If slavery be an element of destruction in a republic why has it not destroyed ours? We answcr, the destructive process is progressing, and the catastrophe is certain, unless the curse of slavery - the volcanic matter of republics - be purged away. Unless this cancerous cxcrescence, vvhich extends its ten thousand fibres through all parts of the sys'.cm, can be removed from the body politie, it will ere long give up the ghost, and dash the cup of joyous expectancy from the lips of a fevered and thirsting world.When the federal constitution was formeel, the original states weienot only permitled by it to continue slavcry within their several jurisdictions without giving any pledge or guaranty for its future abolition, except whot was mplied n the Declaration of their Independonco, but wero specially permitted tocontinue the foreign slave trade through the long leriod öf twenty years from that tiráe. Dere s the date of tbat egregious not to say fatal error, which has lost us our national prosperly, and tornished our honor in the view of civilized nations, and ought to bring the blush of shame upon the cheek of every lover of his country in these states. Here is a sanction afTonled by the government, in the ou'set, to the most unjnst, cruel and oppressive tyranny against anunoffendng portion of the human family, in violation of the code of human rights which it had just adoptec!, setting forth that all men were endowcd by their Creator ivith the right of liberty, of which it now robbed them by force of municipal law; From that time slavery has been gradually encroaching upon the rights of the free, ünül he U. S . Senate and House of Represontatives are gagged upon the subjects of human rights, the U. S. mail habitually desecrated, and the pecple's money voted out oftheir )ockets into the hands of a dissipated slavocracy for m other conceivable reason than that they tyrannize over and oppress their fellow men. The ingolence of the slavocracy is becomng proverbial. She not only monopolizes the greater share of the important offices of the government, but claims as constitutional, the right to prosecute the domestic slavo .rade, om, of her junsdiction, upon the l'igh seas, in vessels of the United States; lo in crease the navy until it shall be half as large as that of Greal Britain, for the expiess pur)ose of protecting her iniquitöus system, ahe ïas altempted to make war upon a neighborng monarchy for aSordin? an asylum to a 'ew self-emancipated victims of her cupidity. Jay, more: she hns actually waged a seven years war against the aboriginies of the everjlades of Florida to catch a few runaway slaves, and break up that poor retreat for the oppressed African, at an expense of perhaps forty millions of dollars, some four-fifths ofwliicli has been or is to bc drawn from northern pockets. She has declared his intontion to extend the law of slavery all over th? land, and prcdictcd that in a qudrtcr of a century, northcrn laborera will be vassals to their rich neighbors, nnd that then they will be as happy as the slaves of the south. The slavocracy has got up a United States Bonk, and destroyed it- a protective tariff, and compromised it to death on the altar of nullification - threatencd, for some 20 yeora past, to dissolve the unión, and attempted to censure J. Q. Adams, and to fix on him the odium of treason, for presenting a petition to Congress for the same thing, at the same time knowing himto be opposed to the measure with bowie knives in hand has menaced the lives of northern members in fheir seat?, if they refused to succumb to her dictation - chokcd down and passod a vote of censure unon J. R. Giddings, for discussing his own and his constituents' sentiments, in his place, and within the rules of the House, inducedthe passage of state Iaws for the toleraüon of slavery, from three to nine months in the year in norihern sta les- instigated and led on rnobs for the destruction of private property; of public edifices dedicated to freo discussion; of a free press, taking the life of the proprietor- and finally, when indignant freemen murmured at these ou tragos, she most unceremoniously threatenod, iu true overseer sty]e,that if they caraeto south she "would hang them "p like dogs." Thus southern despotism ha& broken down the barriers of the constitution and pushed her successea against liberty until the tide of victory is turned in her favor. - The danger is apparent. Her vascillaling policy is ever prostrating the north, crippling our energics, and despoiling us of our hard earned wealth to support her profligacy, and to rctain in herovvn hands the balance of power.But what is the remcdy? It is the abolition of slavcry. How is slavery to be abolishcd? It is to be róted doum. Gen. Washington prescribed this remedy many years since; lic said that slavery was establiahed by law, and "can and ought to be abolished by law, and so far as my èufiïage will go it shall never be wanting." Then he was not afraid of the remcdy. If you adopt a ineasure of a public nature you do it by voting. ]f you-rejectit you do it through iho ballot box. Remember that to vote ivith a party, the langtiage of whose operatious is, 'let slavery alone," that ís, lei it continue, ís to vote for its continuance, with all its relentless oppressions, and its cníroachments upon and final victory over your own liberty - and to neglect tri vote sgainst it is lo give over the contest by wilhdrawiiig your resistance to its progress, and to siibmit the great mterests of liberty and posterity to ils progress, and to its "tender mercies," which are as the scourgings of demons in priíons of vvoe. Cease, then, to vote for the man who is net pledged to en eternal war with slavery; and vote for, and ouly for the pledged friends of cqua! liberty and ex'act. justce lo all men. We present you with a list of candidatos whom we believe to be such men. to be supported at the nppronehing elcction. For Senator. JAMES G. BIRNEY, of Sagina.For Represrntalives, JESSE TENNEY, of Highland, WLLTAM G. PAGE, of Ponliac, HENRY'WALDON, of Avon, JOSÍAH DEWEY, of Oakland, JOHN TH AYER, of Farminglorti Wm. G. STONE, oj Troy. For Sheriff, TflORN DEUEL, oftorhmercë. County Clerlc, CHARLES HOVVARD, of Troy. Register, ALONZO P. FROST, of Pontiac. Treasvrer, JOSEPH MORRISON. of Pmitiac. Corotiers, JOSEPH G. FARR, ofCommercef URI ADAMS, of Avon. Snrveyorj JOÍIN SOUTHARP, of Pontiác. li the enemies of cqual liberty laugh antj point at iho anti-'slavery enterprise with the ñnger of scorn, heed it not. We trust thot the grcat mnjority of them will ere long emerge from tlieir pio-.?lavcry thraldom,arid rally arotind the standard of tlieir country. The enterprise is onward. Our numbers are incrensing. Be kind, patiënt, united, vigilant, uncompromising, active, energetic, and under Gdd, the people's cause will ultimately be victorious.