This digitization project was supported by Regional Bibliographic Databases and Interlibrary Resources Sharing Program funds, awarded by the New York State Library.
This digitized edition is part of Syracuse University Library's Gerrit Smith Broadside and Pamphlet Collection. It has been OCRed using OmniPage Pro, version 11 by Scansoft® and proofed using WordPerfect version 9. The following layout changes have been made:
- Page breaks are indicated by a full-width horizontal rule
- Column breaks are noted in brackets, e.g. [p. 2, col. 2]
- Indentation in lines has not been preserved
- Changes in font size have not been not been preserved
- Hyphenated words occuring in line breaks have been joined
- Original grammar and spelling has been preserved
- Text unreadable in the original document is noted in brackets as [unreadable]
- Running titles have been preserved
- Strikethrough's within the text of the original document are included and any handwritten changes are noted in brackets
- Handwitten comments or other notations found in the margins or on title pages are not included
Peter D. Verheyen, Project Manager
Debra G. Olson, Digital Project Assistant
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Library
© 2003 This work is the property of the Syracuse University Library. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text.
You are disheartened. You look upon the political strife; and you feel, that there is no political party, which cares for you. Cheer up, brothers! There is one political party which is, emphatically, the poor man's party. The Liberty party is that party. It was organized for the sole purpose of restoring their rights to the poorest of the poor. The fact, that the great political parties of the country had taken away, and were still keeping away, these rights, was the very fact, that called the Liberty party into being. Can you not, then, trust your interests in the hands of this party? How unnatural, that you should pass by this party to give your votes to proslavery parties! How vain for you to hope, that parties, which hold the poor black man in slavery, will be true to the poor white man! How vain for you to hope, that parties, which choose for civil rulers men, who buy and sell the black poor, will be faithful to the rights of the white poor!
The proslavery Whig and Democratic parties of this State have just made a Constitution, which they ask you to adopt. Read it, that you may know, how deeply it insults and wrongs honest poverty. They were entreated to make it such a Constitution, as should withhold from no poor man his vote, and as should secure to every poor man his home. Read it - and you will see, that if the colored man be poor, he shall not count among those who are to be represented in the Legislature. He shall count if he have property. But, if he be poor, his poverty shall disqualify him, and shall stamp him "NO MAN." Was ever a grosser insult offered to poverty? Read it - and you will see, that the colored man, if he have land, may vote: but, that if he be poor, he may not vote. How strange, that poor men can brook such an insult to their poverty! Read it - and you will see, that it provides no security for the poor man's home. He and his wife and their little ones may be dragged from it, at the will of a merciless creditor.
How unlike these proslavery parties is the Liberty party! The true hearted members of that Party would be crucified rather than consent to cast their votes for men, who beat, and bind, and buy and sell, God's poor. The true hearted members of that Party pity not only the enslaved poor and the colored poor, but all the poor. The following is one of the Resolutions passed by the Liberty Party of your own County at Morrisville, a few days ago. It was also passed yesterday - and unanimously too - at a Liberty party meeting in Cazenovia.
"Resolved, That Liberty men should never cease, no not for a day, to strive for a New Constitution for the State of New York, so long as its existing Constitution fails to recognize the right of a man to his vote, whatever may be the color of his skin, or the right of a man to his honestly obtained home, whatever the debts he may owe."
Poor men! cast in your lot with the Liberty party. Find your home there. Poor men of Madison County, elect the Madison County Liberty ticket, this Fall. It is in your power to do it. Why not do it? Be true to yourselves. Be true to all the poor: - and God will bless you, and give you victory.
PETERBORO, October 17, 1846.
P.S. Poor men of Madison County! come to the Peterboro Meeting next Wednesday.
|
|
|