William Goodell's Address

Thö last nuniber of the Albnny Patriot contains the Address of Mr. Gobdel), which was rfnd (o tlie Slnie Liberty Convention it Pori Byron. A motion fr its postponoïnent jrevniled by a very larire mnjnrity. Il filis more ihai)tfT) solid columna of tlmt paper. As Mr. Goodeíl is one of the oldeft nnd nblcst if ouranti slüvery wrilcrs, ond as lus prop ositions are of great importance in themsálv-CF, and are presenied to the Liborty partv for rrjectton or adoption, we presume otir readers would like to know thcir substancc and beari.The firöt part of tbc athlress is cbiefly cmposcd of quota'.jons from the doings of Na tional and Staie Liberty Conven'.ions, show ing ihat thcy have snnctioned the idea tbnt tlie Ltberlyparty was inlended to protoct the rights of all men, ond "10 carry out the principies of eqnal rights inlo all their practical consequtnceá and applications." This position ve tliink lie fully cstubhslics. The second part definos the principies and objects of the Liberty party, ibus; The principlks of the Liberty party as already deveioped, inay be happily expresscd in tho Iuminoue language of Thomas JefFurson: "The riorhtfnl potorr nf all legisla! ion is to declare and enforce only our natural rigiits and dutiks, nnd lakt vune oj them Jrom vs. No man hus n natural right lo commit agfrresshns on the rqual rights of nnolher, nnd this is all from which ihe law ought to restrain him. Every mnn is under a natural duty ot' contribnting to the necessttied of society, and this is all !he law shoiild enfurce upon him. When the laws have declareJ and enforced all this, Muy have fulfilled their functions." - "The idea is quite iinfonnded thaton BOteriog into society, tve gtvé vj any nuluralThe same principies are cxpressed n ihc Declaration of the American Indcpondence: - "All men nre crented equal, and are cndowed by their Crealor with ceiain inalienable rights, among which are Ufe, libcrty, and t lie pursnit of happiness." "To secure these n'gkls, GovKRNMErJTS are instituted among men." - "To e6tahlish justicb - and secure the blessings of liberty' is the avowcd and the prand object of the CohstitutioD of the United StatesAnd this agrees wilh the Scripdires, whicli every whero desígnate the business of civil government to be - "to execute judrmcnt [i. e. justice] between a rnan aml his neighbor," as wel! as to "proclaim i-ikkrty throiiglioiU the land, to all the inhnbitanls thcreof.' The third part shows how these principies would requiro the Liberlj party to act ir refcrence to all quesüons of public pó'iry novv pending.The Conslü ution would be regaried aa an antislavery instrument, whore grcat and paratnount oljcct is "to establisli jüstice, and secure the biessings of libeiity." Henee, all ?nen would bc treated alike, U tilavehulding be ounished by nationnl autliority, as a crime. The Electjve Franchise would not be limited by color or country. The Libei ty party would regard ihe Annexation of Texas, f consumtnaled, asbringing the slaves of tliat country undcr the authority of our antislavery Conslitution, which knows no slaves, nnd thcy would be treated by national authority as free, and the ajjreement to maintain Slavery in Texas would be regarded as a nullity. As the Constitution is antislavery, and, if it were not, conld be made so, a Dissolution of the Umop would beenlirely t:nnrcessnry. The Liberty party would Vake gronnd against al! Monopolies and CIqfs Legisiation. It would legislate, not for mnnnfacturers, nor farmers, nor capitalista, nor laborers, but for men, and for all men alikc.A ProtccriveToriffwould of conrse reco.ve no countenaneo froin tho Liberty party. A Tarifi" for Revenue would also be abolished, Custom Housc úaúca ultimalely done away, and Direct Taxation adopied. Retrenchmenis would be in vogue in all departmcnts of Government - Ihe President be reduced to $10,000 or 815,000, and Congressmen to gs5,00 a day. The Military School .at West Point would beabolishcd, and t!ie Army and Navy, aíter a timp, become obsolete, while Foreign Ministers wou!d be rarely needed. Tli3 Execirivo Patronage would be reduced by the election of most of the Naiionnl Officers, inciudÍDg the Poötmaster?. The President and Vice Presdent vvould be ctiosen by the peoplc, without electora. The Executive power to be diminished in a similar mnuncr in each State. An cffectual Judiciary Reform lo be made, so that the Law may secure redress to the poor, the oppressed, the defrauded and the wronged. The binding power of iiominnting Conven tions would be entircly discarded by the Liberty party. The Pui'.c Lands wonld be distributed gratis to tempérale, indus-trious settlers. National disputes wouM bc settled by negotintion or arbitraiion, without o resort to arms. The addrees concludes with an orgnment on the policy of srioptinnr these os the principies of llie Liberty, thereby nnnying it against bol li Soiithcri] Slavery aml Nortliern Afistocrscy, om! in favor of Aboütiuu and Genuine Domocmcy. Now, ín reference to this formal crewd presenled for the adopiion of the Liborty parly we Imve tovcral things to say. We sny nolhinij agtinst tlie inlrodvclxm of theso toiicF, allhoogli the posilions taken, ii sevornl arlicuiar!r, do nol meet our views. - Bul vn regard the Liberty party oe a permanent ui)'1; nud tlierefure it must delibérate nd net on all these qnesüons., wJieiiever tlie} m'iy remo tip before it for decisión. If we are to take charge of the aflhirs of tho nation we musí, asa party, be preparcd to do whatsof.-ver be'ongs to civil government to do. - ilcnce, we deern the discussion of these subjcctF, in a!l theirextent,in all our papers andcotiventione, to be in order; and they siiould be introduced jtist ns soon ns thcre ore individuáis lo be foiind sofficienily inlereated in ihem to bring tliem in for discussion. ( B'it, in the very outs(!t, wc do object totbe ( iniroduction of this or ony other plan as a crkfd, which mus' be subscrihed by evpry npplicant for odtiiiesion to the l-iberiy pirly as a i-nembe-. Wc bold (o Ue grpat 'One fdca' wiih which wc commenccd - ihe Abolition ofSluvery - nnd whoeoever will vote nnd nel right in reference tq thot question, is to be recpived and recogniwd as a Liberly man, whatevcr mny be nis fnith on Hanks, Tnriffs, or ny thingr else This miifit stil] re main the pwamovnl (Tea - the central posi lion, to which all olhrrr subjects nniát be subnnhnnte. We would not treat the "o' her intorests' as moltprs of no importance, nor wotild we permit ihem to ocenpy tlie snpreme place in our nindf. Every interest slioultl be treated accordii g to ile real valué. We would havo all the matters supgested by Mr. Gnodell dif= cussed ia every Convent ion where the members may may be diiposerl to discuss them. - We would hare the Convent ion, if' iliey choose, expresa tlieir opimotis apon them, by formal resolution., or otherwise; and tliPFeopinions .-houil be rpLjarded as the voice of a m.ijority of thnt body which expres?ed them. The optqiona of all these Convenlion?, thus expresf-cd, uould exlnbit the mind of a mnjnrity of trie party on theee qtiestions; and this milit bo furt lipr confirmod, from tune to time, by tosolulions of the Natioiml Conventiona. We, thereforc, would aU all our fellow citizens, whatever rnipht be their polilical faith, to nnite with ns for efficiënt aciion on the que&tiou of Slavcry - a ques'ion which John Quincy Adams. Gov. Seward, aml others of our wisest statcfinpn. have declared to be paramount in importance to all olhers. So we would regard it, and so we wou'd labor accordinwiy for the overthrow of the institution. The olher interests, on uliich our citziTis diner, shall receive that consideraron to which the mnjority muy deern them entitlcd, afler full diicussion in every section of the Liberty party. ín this way, w hile we all labored for the euccess of the "One Idea" of Abnlition, we shon!d agree to differ on the minor questions till the titne should arrive for finul action upon them.But we have another objection to the adop- tion of Mr. Goodell's creed, as absolutely obligntory upon lis for the future. The condition of a coun'ry is perpetually chnnging.- The political questions bcforc it change 'requen'.ly from yenr to year. For instance, jow suddenly did John Tyler spring the Texas question on the nnlion! Afier t was once ntroduced into the Serate, ond wns espoused y the Execiilive, it became a national qtiesion, on which parties were obliged to ake ground. The question ofincorporating California, or Canada, or Mexico, may come tip as siuldenly, through the maoness of a party espousing such a project, and olher parties truist take ground iipon it. In like marmer, the old cFiirs may breóme obsolete in a single year. Wlio now would think of movinj? to recharter the old U. S. Bank? The principies and practice of a party shonld keep pace with tho progress of enlighlened public opinión in the people. That opinión is subject to material ond important changes. Heneo a party, if wise, shoti id uccnmmodate iuelf to the actual condition of the country; and the decisions of iis local and nationul Conventions should correspond with ts ever-varying circumstances. Each National Convention would, therefure, be considered as determining Lhe policy of the party, on subordínate questions, on!y till otherwise determined by tssuc cessors.