Proslavery Papers

We carefully avoidjersojmconlroversies with our neighbors of tlio quill : but we deern it udvisablc often to cali them out on imjjorlant principies where they may be disposed to be non-committnl or ambiguous. Henee wc have called on several of our Whlg neighbors, whó make strong professions of antislavery, to say whether they were ibr perpetuating the Slave Power of this nation by electing Slaveholders for its rulers. Tlie Ypsilanti Sentinel has come out in a long answer, which says in effect, Yes} and asks us to publish it, as it had inserled our article on proslavery papers. We have no kind of objection except the want of room ; and wc are willing to waive Ihat, seeing the editor is disposed to auswer in any dégree like a man. So here is his a:iswer. Fiomthe Ypsilaot: Sentinel. "But it concerns us now to examine these grave charges : First, we are called proslnvery because we will not say ihat by vote or influence, we will never support a slaveholder for any office, and thereforc, our paper is unworthy a circulation in a free community. But Mr. tiignal, you called us proslavery before you knew that we wouid not do or say thus and so ; and supposing we were avowedly proslavery, would it not show more intelligence & candor in the community to judfije our sentiments by our own representations than by yours ? Or, would you as the slaveholders do, apply lynch law to all publications except your own 1 Yet look at your own course, and teil us, if you can, wherein the princple difTers from that of the slave despots. - They wish not to discuss, they would silence. With them an antislavery paper is unfit to circuíate. They fear light, and so does your hypocritical abolitionism." Again, says the íSignal, we sustcun the Slavc Power of this nation in continuing the curse of slavery. This we only stop to say is utterly falsa. But the proof, it continúes, ís found in the fact that we stand ready to support slaveliolders for President and Vicc President, if such should be the nominees of the Whig party, nnd that we would fillothc offices of the government with slaveliolders. If this is all your proof, learn how fallacious your confidence is : We stand rcady for no such purpose. It would be very convenient we know for the Signal to teil the whole story itself, but wc must, where we are so much concerned, have something to say for ourselves. We say then we stand rcady, as soon os wc see proper, to support, to the utmost of our ability, the nominations of Northern men, in residence and principie, for President and Vice President ; we claim this as a matter of right on other grounds than that of slavery. The north has been, in consequence of its own doughfacedness, treated with shameful contumely, in the distribution of patronage, and appropriations ; its rights have been invaded and its liberties violated, by tho repeated addition of territory, with few inhabitants, but having an equal represenlation in the Senate, in violation of the Constitution which was expressly framed, with such anomalous compromises, for the then existing states, and such others as might be formed out of the unsettled lands belonging to the then States. For sixteen years only since the era of the nation have northern Presidenta been electcd ; eight years have they administered the government to the common interest of the Union : for tour yenrs one basely sold himself to support Southern principies ; and dcalh bereaved us of the patriot Harrison in one short monlh after hc had entered upon the duties of his office. During much the greatcr part of our rcmainingcxisicnce as a nation, our destinies have been sliapcd and moulde.l by a narrow southern sectional policy, which has more than once bcggared our nnnnces,prostrated our industry,compromiscd our national character, and plunged us into expensive and dishonorable warsIn view of all this, and more which we might mention, it is ouv just right, it is due to our deep injuries, and destroyed confidence, as well as our preponderating importante to assert and maintain our right to furnish the incumbents of the next Administration, and this we " stand ready " to do. Nor have southern W higs objected lo this ; in our humble opinión, they will not. Be this as it ma)-, not until the nomiuations are made, and all their attending circumstances fully seen, are we " ready " to gtve our vote and influencc. " But, granting that after the nomina-" tions are made, we sec on the one side a candidateandhis party pledged to con-' tinne and promote thissa'me policy, nominaled for the very purpose of perpetuating slavery by the unconstitutional annexatiou of slavc territory at the expense of the blood and treasure of the nalion ; a candidateof that faction so rapacious in its demands, that the free labor of the nation must be redueed to a levcl with its own servile toil ; that the whole immense intcrnnl conmierce of the north and mighty west must be sacrificcd to maintain its servile wars ; - the broad domain of tho nation, must be knockod off under the auctioncer's hammor, to speculators instead of being equuli y distributed to the States and graduated in price so asto come' with in the rcach of the poorest citizen ; when, we say, we sec such a candidate on the one hand, mul on the' other a candidate and party ü nul y opposing all this, and striving might and main, to preserve the Constitutional landniarks of our country, and to heclgé in slavevy, 'as we do noxious weeds, that it mav not spread bevond our control ; when, in fim we see i James K. Polk," and thó factious Baltimoré Com'éntion on the one hand, and a Ileiiry Clay, with the mmnimous acclaination of tho wise and patriotic on the other, our choice is already made andwe dure avow it. Nor will thé fenr o being callee! proslavery, induce us to forbear any opposition to slavery, except the senscless abstraction of voting for a nonslaveholder. " If the continuous extensión of slavery and the domination of the perpetualist's faction at the south can only be checkec by the e'evation of a palriotic southern man, though lie be a liolJer of slaves, We shallvolefor kim, in preferencc to thrpwing vote away and vermitfíng the cvils wc deprécale. Is this proslavery 1 Do we vote thus because we Iove slavery 1 No sir, there is not a patriot at the south among all her distinguished citizens, Henry ('lay not excepted, whorri we should not Iove with the grenter rtrdor, and support with greater alacrity, wcre they but olear of this cvil. t; But to come nearer home, and to the more important nominationa, so far as immediatcaction-xm slavery is concerned, of Members of Congress. Of course no slaveholdcr can be nominated here, and we are sure we shall be very far from withholdingour support from men, noininated as our candidates will be5 under solemn pledgcs to plant themselves as rocks, and stand if necessary to the deuth, agaipstany further invasión of the Constitution, or another violation oftheconfederated faith of the States which were parties to the original compact, and who moreovor think with ourselves, on other important questions besides that of slavery, for the purposes of supporting those whose only recommendation is, abolitionism, so blind in its zeal, or so hypocritical in its professions, that it lifts not its hand where it may be efiectual, against the unlimited extensión of the institution it so much pretends to deiest. u It is fnlse that we aro pledged to support any slaveholder the Whig party may You are sufficiently acquainted with the whig party to know that it ricver could be rallied on a nomination mide as, for an instance, was that of James K. Polk." We have thus ancrwcrcd your test, not by a plain yes or no, because it does not ncírnit ofsuch an snswer. You ca] it simple and jvst ; here again your fondne&s for falsehond appears, inasmuch as it is exoeedingly intricate and sophistical ; embracing in one direct proposition, whr.t must be decided by a consideration of many conditions and qualifications. - " We dare do any thing tlmt man may do ;" " Who dares do more is none ;" but we have long since learned not be swerved into a course we did not approve, by the challenges of an opponent who sought to make us do as he would have us, by daring us. " With regard to our sincerity, we are willing it should be tested as you are not : we are perfectly willing our paper shoulc go weekly into the hands of Lihertv men, who perhaps are as capable of judgingoi our professions ns the " Signa!." On the contrary that journnl would " discourage the circulation" cf what it pleases to cali pro-slavery papers lest the sincerity and juslice of their sentiments should confute ifs own false assertions. " Is there anything " underhanded," or "shuflling, "in this ? Will the Signal have the comoion justice to copy this reply, except the transcription of its own article, which we do not ask, as its readers have it already, into its columns, or would this be encouraging the circulation of pro-slavery sentirnenls VJ, We have no need to mulüply words on this. To ascertnin whether the Seulinel was rculhj on antislavery paper, wc asked that paper to answer, yea or nay, to this simple statement :" a slavcholder le vominatcd Inj the lVti:r party as tiicir next candidale for President or Vicc President, we shall on that account, wilhhold from the Electoral ticket our role pcrsonally and the injiuence of our paper in ite support.'' Iïow is the question answered 1 The Sentinel, in certain cases, will vote for " the elevation of d patriotic Southern manr THOUGH HE BE A HOLDER OF SLAVES." Of coursc -the Sontinel would go for filling otlitfr national appointments with slaveholding W higs. So mucb lor its antislftvery ! Those abolitionisís who wish to see a Whig slavcholder elected President, who " re.toicks that neithcr of the great parlies of the country has any design or airri at Abolítion," may profitably takc the Sontincl. The reader will observe that the Sentinel has not the slightest notion of rooting up the " noxious weed" of Slavery ; but it is meroly apprehensivo' of its spretul and " continuous etáétision?1 Said We not rightly it was proslavery '? What does it proposo to do aggressivkly against Slavery? Notiiinu ! ! It pro poses to gtve Hcnry Clay, the ablest of slaveholders, the votes of every northern antislave'ry man for President ! Said we not rightly, the Sehtinel is Proslavery iXi&crftf fien I So it is with the other Whig papers of Michigan. Notwithstanding- all their' profesión.1?, when öbliged ío defino ' their position, they do noj propose tlic least aggressive action against Sltivcry, while they manifest a fietermitiatioivto sustain the existing Slavc Power, if it can only be' wieldedi by Wiiio hands ! llemembér this distinction botVeen a Whig and a Liberty man : Whigs will vote for Slavcholders. Lín'EUTY Mr,x will Nox'vote for Slavoholders fur any office. " Let no maní deceive you. By their fruitsyeshull know themi"