Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-07-10
POLITICS.

CAT OF W NJ. B. SALuotN.
The double game OF. ~duplicity which Gen. HARRISON
and his managers have been playing, North ana south,
upon the subject of abolition, and the disreputabie and
sliuttiing part performed BY William B. Calhoun, one
of the Massachusetts delegation, in this deception, was
pretty fully Developed in this paper OF June 24lh. SnD,
scqnent disclosures have placed this movement III SUI
stronger light.
Mr.. Calhoun has again appeared in the Natlona! In
llgenccr 1.-THE 2lst, and with consumniate assurance,
charges upon The Editor of the Globe, (as he naa pre-
viously done upon the Post and the Rev. MI. BROWN
'perversions and Misrepresentation but Ike MS pro-
totypes, Messrs. Fletcher and Davis, in asserting false
hood for fact, he has only involved himself deeper IN
sclt.contradIctions The moral people OF Niassachn-
sets must look into this matter, and see what Their he
representatives. are doing.
Mr.. w. b. Calhoun seeks to evade the true issue
Let him be held to it. It's this: whether upon the au-
thority Of secret letter of General Harrison tt . mem.
Der Of Congress, he CMr. Calhoun) did not wi'e a let
Ter, to be used, but not TO be published, by u Wing friend
in Massachusetts, to induce the AbolIton'sts OF that
State 10 support Harrison on the ground that he was
with them IN their views upon slavery:
The facts are these: The Hampden County Abolition
Society, at u meeting held at Springfield (Mr. Cal
houn's town. Jan. "a, passed a resolve not to support
Harrison for President "without gO0d crtdcncc OF a fun
damental change in his views on slavery of which,
says the resolve, 'during his whole political life he has
been the uniform aud faithful supporter.
There was not a syllable in these resolves about har-
rison's conduct while Governor of Indiana, but the de-
ANNEXATION was general, on the ground OF his oPpos''
ton to the peculiar views OF the AbolitIonists VINO
passed the resolve. 1t was not his opinions on slavery
in the abstract, but of "immedidHSm, as the Abo!i-
tionists term il, which called forth this resolve: and Mr..
Calhoun hncm that the effect of this resolve, if not
countcractcd, would be To deprive Gen. HARRISON OF the
votes Of the thorough going Abolitionists in Massachu-
sets, without whose votes he could not receive the
electoral vote of Massachusetts
With this knowledge of the bearing of this matter,
he wrote a letter on the 4lh Of February, leiD, to ms
~ncirhhor, Il prominent Wing, Oliver B. Morris, Judge
Of Probate, .'upon the n inject Of Gen. Harrison 5 OPP.
Mons concerning slavery, enjoining upon Judge Nor.
rs "to make such use of it rs he might think proper,
cJrcpi putting II III the newspapers.
So far there is no dispute. But what was the mOtrr
in sending that letter homc-what were the roHtcnts OF
that letter-what the uSeS made OF lt--and what the au-
M0riiy on which it was written, are now grave ques.
tons, directly involving both Harrison's and MIR. Cal
houn's character for common honesty and veracity.
The motive and object of Mr.. Calhoun are obvious,
viz: that Judge Morris should use the letter in order 10
induce the Abolitionists TO retract their resolve OF Janu-
ary -, against Harrison, founded solely on his supposed
opposition TO their views.
Mr.. Calhoun never would have distributed that vote,
unless il had been his aim, as Rev. Mr.. Brown says 1t
was. to convince the AholItIonists they were wrong IN
opposing General Harrison.
If a meeting OF FcderalIsts IN Boston had resolved
not 20 vote for Harrison, because he was opposed to the
alien and scdition acts, would Mr.. Calhoun have forth
"Ith written fODHdfHtiHHy 10 4 Irlcnu 10 communicate
.hc facts that Harrison supported the administration oil
John Adams, and wore the black cockade IN 70:
Mr.. Calhoun, therefore, wrote that letter immediate
" on getting news OF the Abolition resolves, III order
to satisfy the Abolitionists that Harrison was an anti
slavery man, and it was put under the injunction OF
sccresy, because what Mr.. Calhoun communicated
would work for Harrison III massachusetts,, but would
work against him South, ii it were known there.
Such was the policy Of the Wing managers at the
time Mr.. Calhoun wrote this letter. The plan was TO
represent Harrison rs All Abolit'onist Worm, ana an
anti Aholitionist .SJnh, while he was to keep silent, and
his committee answer his letters, rs they did the aboli-
ton inquiry from Oswego. II was then The design 10
rcly solely upon the non slaveholding States and Ken
lucky to carry Harrison, and let the South 20.
But by the 10th Of June, when Mr.. Calhoun wrote
his first letter, the policy had changed. II was found
too doubtful TO depend on New York, Pennsylvania or
Ohio, and the election in Virginia had raised hopes oil
the South. Hence the secret letter to MT. Lyons, OF
Virginia, in which Harrison disclaimed Aboiltionlsm,
but not 10 be pnhiShrd, was written. The virginia
Whirs. however, would not stand this despIcable policy
of concca!ncnt, and Mr.. Lyons published the letter IN
open violation Of Ilarrison's injunction OF sccresy. Al
the same time, the Rev. Mr.. Brown $ unexpected DIS
closure in The Abolition Convention at Boston, came
out and exposed the secret tamrcrlng OF Harrison with
the Northern Abolitionists. 1t was now found that one
of these secret policies must he abandoned, and II was
concluded to cut the Abolitionists, and thus Mr.. Calhoun
was forced by the Southern Wings to back out as well
as he could.
To strengthen this operation, MIR. Webster agreed to
30 to Alexandria, and pledge himself and his colleague,
.Nr. Daris, to the South, against the very doctrines OF
| Abolitionism which they had been tavoring at home
Accordingly that mock ceremony took place on the
llth Of June, and was paraded in all the Wing papers.
1t was a simultaneous movement with the attempt OF
Mr.. Calhoun to ret rid of his unlucky letter 10 his
nci.hbor The Wing managers began 10 have hopes
of VIRGINIA, and concluded 10 change front for the
General, trusting to party discipline 10 carry the North
ern Abolition;>ts, who are almost all Whigs and never
90 against 4 Wing candidate when 1t comes 10 a party
pinch.
In the mean time, before his change in policy, what
uSc had been made of Mr.. Calhoun's letter: The Rev.
Mr.. Brown, an Abolitionist, and one of the An'i-S!a-
very Convention in Springfield, stated in the Boston
Convention the use made of MI. Calhoun letter.
We gave the substance of his remarks in the Post OF
the 9th. We now quote the report OF them IN the
official organ Of the AbolItionists, to show how the
.iboEtioni$is themselves understood this movement OF
Mr.. Calhoun-and here they are the best Judges:
From tic Massachusetts, .~4soiionit Of juno 81
COarrntiOn for independent .AOminationS.-Ou read
crs arc aware that 4 Convention OF the friends OF lnGc-
pendent anti Slavery Nominations was held in thls city
on the 9th nit. hat convention, Rev. Abel Brown
of NORTHAMPTON stated, in reference to the sentiments
Of Gen. Harrison on the subject of slavery, that he had
reason to believe that Gen. II. or his friends on his al-
ihor.ty, were sending letters TO the South, with a view
TO secure Southern votes, representing Gen. II. as iully
and heartily with the South, with permission TO use them
UIlNdltIA, u " - PAoi'oi 'hSAt
time they were sending letters of an opposite cha
racter to the North, to be used in the same way, with
view to secure Abolition votes, representing the Gen
cral as being in heart friendly 10 their cause and READY
when once in office, to do all consttutionaNy III ms
power for its promotion--or in more general terms
readyto do alt conid irish. In confirmation OF TINS
Mr.. Brown stated that Mr.. Calhoun, member OF Con
rrcss from District No. ;, Of this State, had written
home such a letter, copies Of which had been taken
and sent Orr all that rcgion, and one of when hr. d
had himself secn-tbat this letter was written IN con,
sequence of a resolution against Gen. HARRISON, passed
at the annual meeting Of the Hampton County ADO,
lition Society in Springfield, a short time beioIe--'na
in il Mr. Calhoun said as Mr.. Brown supposed, on Mt
authority Of Gen. Harrison himself, that he General
Hurrison) was with them, the Abolitionis,s,) ana u
elected, would do all in his power to favor their cause
yc. and at the end of MIR. Calhonn's letter there was
this injunction--"Nlake such use OF this as you INNS
best in private, but do not let it get into the papers.
This shows the impression designed TO be made aho
which was made, upon the Massachusetts, Abolitionisls
BY Mr.. w. B. Calhoun's private letter. IL shows nor
Mr.. Brown and other Abolitionists understood Mr
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