Washington Sentinel

At a whig meeting held in Boston on the 3d instant, all the speakers protested against the projected fusion of the whig and freesoil parties, and they all gave the same reason for opposing it. One speaker, however, spoke more plainly and intelligibly than the rest. He said: "The whigs have every thing to lose and nothing to gain by such a course." He asked: "What should the whig party gain by becoming freesoil? He would aver that no party had ever proved itself more truly and unchangeably the friends of liberty than the whig party?"

The meaning of this declaration is plain. It is this: If the whigs of Massachusetts hold free soil principles, and are as hostile as they can be to slavery, they can do more to beguile, deceive, and cheat the whigs of the south by retaining the name of whigs, than they would by assuming the odious name of freesoilers. There is much in a name, and the whigs of Massachusetts know it. The only difference between them and the freesoilers is in their name. They are the same in convictions, principles, and sympathies. The abolitionist who honestly and boldly avows himself an abolitionist, is far more entitled to respect than the abolitionist who seeks to hide his pernicious principles under a false name. The one proclaims himself a pirate, by boldly raising his black flag, and thus gives timely warning. The other hypocritically hangs out false signals, to enable him the more completely to deceive.