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Signs Of Progress

Signs Of Progress image
Parent Issue
Day
20
Month
February
Year
1847
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

I f wo look aproad through the Free Siatesv u-e shaVl find in most of t'iem very encowagingsigns ofnntislavery progress. We invite the reader lo go with us through a brief su rvey of some of them. In Maine, va find 10,000 Liberty men. The balance of power will evidently herenfier be in their hands, and we shall bo iiiuch mistaken if they do not shortlyuse it jvith great eiTect. In New Hnmpshire, we beiiold the elementa of Liberly at work tbrough all the parties. The Legislaiure have responded to tlio Message of the Governor, adopting resoluiions on the subject of Slavery, referring parlicularly to the elforts of the friends of iliat institution to proMirute the powers of the National Government to i:s éynjorfc These resoluiions nere transmit led to all the Stitos: and weperceive by the papers thnl South Carolina and Virginia, regarding their dignity as thereby insulted, have rolurned the res-lutioiiá to the Granite State. This, no doubt, the " Chivalry" consider as " very terrible !" The Liberty men of Vermont have just held the largest Liberty Convention ever assembled in the State. Some 700 or 800 were present. The Liberty vote of Vermont, last fall, increased just 999. In Massachusetts, a large State Convention has just been held, and efficiënt moasures adopted for organization. In Rhode Island, a Liberty paper is jutt comrnenced, with a full Liberty State Ticket nominated. The Advocate says : "The Rhode Island House of Representatives passed a bilí this week, by a vote of 40 to 5. proviuing that all slaves coming into this State as runaways?, from nothing but Slavery, should be unmolested by any Ssate oificer. lt leavesthe Nitional Government which fathers the slave sysiern,to send it own officers afier them. The Sentite laid tho bill on the table. There is au influence at work some where." In New York, the following resolutior.s passed the Senate by a vote of 23 to 3. Resolved, That ifnny territory shali hereafter be acquired by the Uniied SM or annexed thereto, the act by which such terrltorv is acquired or annexed whatever í-uch act may bc, should contain an unalteruble, fundamental article or provisión whereby slavery or involuntary servilude, except as a punishment for crime, snaíl be forever nxcluded from the territory ocquired or asnexed. "Resolved, That the Sen.ttors in Congress from this State be instructed, and the Representatives in Congiessbe requesfed, to use their best efforts to carry into effect the foregoing resolutions." In Pennsylvania, the House of Representalives unanimously adopted the following : "Whereas the existing war with Mexico may result in the acquisition of Territory: And Whereas Measuresare now pending in Congress having in view the appropriation of money and the conferring authority, upon the treaty making power to this end : "Therefore, Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representativos of the Commonwealih of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, That our Senators in Congress be instructed, and our Representatives requested to vote against any measure whatever by which territory will accrue to the Union, unless, as a part of the fundamental law upon which any compact or treaty for this purpose is passed, slavery or invnluntary servitude shall be forever prohibited - except for crime." The resolutions passed the Senute with only 3 dissenling votes. It is but a few years since Mr. Buchanan, of this State, declared in the United States Senate, that ; the Democracy of the North wcre the national allies of the South." In Ohio, the House passed the, following, yeas 43, nays 12. "Resolved. By the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, that the Senators and Representatives from this State in the Congress of 5he U. S. be, and they are hereby requested to procure the passage of measures in the National Legislature, providing for the exclusión of slavery from the Territory of Oregon and also from any other Territory that now W or may hcreafler be annexed to the United States. "Resolved, That the ■ Governor be requested to transmit, ccc." What would have been the fate of such resolutions only a year ogo 1 In Indiana, "a Committec of the Legislature to whom was referred the Anti-Slavery resolutions of New Hampshire.have made a report recemmending the adoption of the foliowing. "Resolved, by the Señale and House of Represeniativcs of the Slate of Indiana, That we are utterly opposed to any further extensión of Slave Territory. That weareuxcoMPROMisiNGLY opposed to the admission of any more Slave States into this Union, under any circumstances whalevcr. Resolved, That his Excellency, the Governor, be requested to furnish a copy of the foregoing resolutions to the Legislature of the severril States, and to each of our Senators and Representatives to Congress." In Kentucky, the bill authorizing the cali of a Convention to amend the Constilution,has fin.illy passed both branches of the State Legislature. Last year it was lost by one vote. It will now have to be submitted to the peopleattwo sovcral elections, and if they approve it,the Convention n be Inion, the wholo quostion of Slavery can be brought up, discus-od and ncted upon. And whnt are the signs of the An'islavery cause in Michigan ? In the Senate, Mr Laihrnpoflered the fbllowing : "Resolved, That ir tbe o-f this lpgislature n-eiiher slavery or involuntnry servifjde, unless in punishmcnt of crime, of which the party shill have bren duly convicted, ought to be permitied to exist iñ any territory ocquired in ihe prosecution of rir; and th"at our Senators in Congrrss lie instructei, finó our Represeíiíative.s requested, to oppose by their votes and influence, nny nnd all mensuren 5ceking to nuthorizp, e-tnblish or continue slavery or nvoíuntary servitude therein." The foïlowing was the negativo vote : ftTAHen, Balr.h, Bush, Cook, Dan-,Lo (t?5 forth, Eldrcdge, Fenton, Lq tt?5" gerald, Kibbee,Maynard, Thur-. Off ber- 11. ■ q How will these gentlemen meet their constituents? There are symptomsthnt they already feel asliamed of their vote. - One of tho number, Mr. Fenton, has felt obliged lo come out inapology in his own party paper, the Pontiac Jacksonian. - And what is thatapology? Why, that McReynold'á resolutions did not look to words the acquisition of new territory, nnd thorefore the amenHment, he gravely assurea us, was voted against " entirely on the ground oCirrelcvancy." Ah, indeed! How happened it that this was nol discovered before tho vote wns taken ? - Mr. Fenton says to the Jacksonian, - " I never before troubled a public journalist on my own account, and d now only because I abhor the opithet of PROSLAVERY.1' Well, Mr. Fenton, if you don't wish to be called " Proslavery," you must do nntislavery works. There is no better way of proving your sentiments. Thefirst on this Hst is Senator Allen of this place, one of the leaders of the "Reform (?J Democrats" of Michigan. What a beauliful instance of " Reform Domocracy " was this vote substant all v for the extensión of Slavery over a free country.' In whatlight it ís viewed by his constituents and personal friends, Mr. Allen canjudge by the communication from one of them published in anoiher column. They are wailing to hear his defence, if he can make any. The Michigan Argus tries to apologize for the Proslavery Senators because the arnendment was qjfcred ly a Whig ! ! - Therefore, it seemsto follow. in the mind of l!ie Editor, as a matter of course, that every Democrat must vote ngainst it ! - What miserable, paltry party shufllingis this! The House of Representatives,by their unanimous vote in fuvor of the principio of the resolution, have most eflectually rebuked the majority of the Senaie, und expressed the views of the great mass of the people of the State of all parties. A word more, and we have done. - The Proslavery Old Hunkers who have so long ruled this State at their will, have had the example of New Hampshire before them, and they ma y profit by it. - That State having been under the control of sham Democracy for 21 years,has coíríe out for free principies and free action. - The Old Hunkers had become insolent and fooi hardy by long success ; and in pressing too much proslavery upon the penple, they roused a general combination of the belter influences of society which resulted in the great overthrow of the rulers. What has been done in New Hampshirp, may be done as suddenly in Michigan. The permanent ascendency of the Democratie party in this State can only be secured for the future by an antislavery course of action. A very few of the leaders are now beginning to open their eyes to this fact : but we apprehend that the mass of the party will not perceive t till it be too late to retrieve their error.

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News