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

adapted to the design of making him the medium OF
propagatingM Mr.. Calhoun letters to his brother Adolf
tionists in Massachusetts,.
The conviction that he had been imposed upon, and
the knowledge ofthe Southern secret Pied es from Har-
rison, led TO The disclosure Mr.. Brown made III the Abo-
lition Convention al Boston. This forced MIR. Calhoun
to come out in his note, where he made the offer OF
showing a coby which Judge Morris had sent him ofhis
letter Of Feb. !. The Editor Of the Globe called Tor I
copy of the copy, but was rcfn>sd, Mr.. Calhoun pre-
tending that he could not publish his own letter, be-
cause 1t eontaIned the substance of a letter from HART
son 10 a member of Congress, "con:aininga strict IN
junction not to allow it 10 be published.
Five members of Congress, Mcssrs. Jameson, Boyd,
Stccnrod, Turney and Bynuin, have published a circular
to their constituents, in the Globe o. June 10, in which
thew say:
s:In the National In,elligenccr Of 18th inst, Mr..
Calhoun made a publication admitting that he had, on
the ith February last, written home one letter on the
topic in question: that this letter was based upon 4 let.
ter from General Harrison himself, which had that
morning been put into his hands for perusal; that Gen.
llarrison's letter contained an injunction not to a!low It
to be published IN the newspapers; that III consequence
OF this injunction, he annexed a similar one 10 his let
ter; but that he had 4 copy which would be submitted
10 the inspection OF any gentleman who had 4 desire 10
see it.
Startled at this development Of the fact, that Gen.
Harrison, while Withholding his opinions from those
who asked them for the use Of the public, had himself
put on foot Il scheme 10 satisfy the Abolitionists, We
thought it incumbent on us to examine the evidence OF
that fact which was stated to be accessible for inspec-
ton. We found it of such an extraordinary character
as to require of US to lay it before you in the most au-
tlientc shape within our power. In consequence of
General liarrisons Injunction, Nj. Calhoun refuses to
let even his own letter be published, or TO give a copy
thereof, 50 that we are obliged 10 rely on memory in
submitting to you It's contents.
Having each Of US carefully pcrIsed ii, and CON-
pared our rrrol!cctions, we are sure that the following
contains the substance, and does not vary materially
from the form and language Of that letter, viz
WAsnISGTox, Feb. 4, 1910.
Sir: ! observed in the doings of the anti-slavcry CON
ycntion at Springfield, a resolution dcn"unciug Gen.
Harrison. think this premature, 10 say the least OF
it. have seen a letter from the General. in which he
pronounccs the story circulating in The press or West;
mot certain whclD that he, while Governor of lndI-
ana, for ten years, done every thing IN his power To
spread slavery, a foul SANDER, and speaks of il with
great Indignation, and says that IT would be impossible
for him 10 10 anything orthe kind, either privately or
publicly, for the reason, lie says, that while only eigh.
teen years OF age, iii Virginia, he joined an abolition
society, and with the other members otthc same plcdg-
ed hlmselito do every thing IN his power to effect the
emancipation OF s~laycS-tlat he was TO inherit a large
property in slaves, and subsequently, not only einancr-
patcd his own, bu, purchased others, for the purpose Of
eInancipating them. THIS is what the Genera! himself
says. write you this for such use as you may think
proper, except putting it in the newspapers.
WM. b. CALHOUN.
The letter of Harrison, herein alluded to, is under
stood to have been addressed to the Hon. Geo. Evans,
a Wing member of the House from the State of Maine
On the appearance otthis version ofhIs letter, Nh. Cal
houn denied that his letter used the words "AbolitIon
Society, and showed a copy TO that effect; and on the
following day, the goth the same gentlemen IN perfect
clndor and fairness, though we believe they have been
deceived BY some conccalment III this matter, left with
the editor of the Globe a correction OF the letter they
had given from memory, emitting the words, san .fbo-
Gtion society," but leaving the obvious meaning the
same.
Upon this variation in words, but not in meaning,
caused by tie refusal of Mr.. Calhoun 10 give up th.
letter, he affects great n dignatlon, and, IN a letter IN
the lntcIligenccr, dated June 2Cti, says
"Ihe editor of the Globe, through the medium Of the
address of the five members Of Congress, cxclaims, in
his paper of last evening, 'Wliat did MIR. Calhoun write
home That Gen Harrison belonged to an Abolition So
cicty for Inern mroie to a h@ma" hang anything IF
the lind. The idea that Gen. Harrison was "a whole
souled Abolitionist, or an Aboltionist of any descriP-
ton, never entered my mind, nor, as | believe, has 1t
ever entered The lnind of any man who is capable ct
reading, or thinking, or Judging
But, says the Globe, IN his letter Mr. Calhoun called
that association an Abolition society
/ dd no SNCh hiRg. IWSci no language approaching
sach an ided. My letter is open 10 the scrutiny OF all
who wish to see It. Let the man stand forth who can
find in these words, or any words Of similar import.
If Mr.. Calhoun 8 copy does not contain these words,
the original TO MIR. Morris does, or Mr.. Calhoun HIM
self is a false witness, for i'll his note to the Globe, ot
June 10, he says:
oThis fact, though it had been spread before the pub
TIC DY ven, IlHEElSDHs as IDi5 hSo 40 'S--1 $50 NOp
unknown 10 ne, as were ut the time, all his opinlons
concerning slavery, RRtI Sdr II Siated IN a letter whtch
ic0s pi0ced IN myhand on the morning OF Feb. 4ti, i9t"'
by Il friend, who sits near me III the House OF repro
scntativcs, TO whom it was addressed. On the same
day wrote the letter in question TO Il neighbor nj home.
What irreconcilablc contradictions. On the lUth OF
June, Mr.. Calhoun ailirnis, that the j"d OF General
liarrison's BELoNGfSG TO 4 CERTAIN SOCIETY - VIZ
GlSE, he saw, for the first time stated, IN u lctter wri-
ten hv Harrison, which was placed IN hs hands fcb.
i, and il was there stated in the same ttrms, as IN tue
address of lS?2. lie also declares that on that day 10
wrote home a letter communicating that fact. lie now
shows n c0pY of that letter, IN which the terms IN
which General Harrison stated this fact are 0mtttcd,
and on The both Of June, he declares that he used no
language in that letter approaching 10 an idea, that
the Society was an Abolition Society, and at the same
time refuses TO give a copy OF his copy, at Washington,
while his ~neighbor, Judge Morris, w~ilhholds the ortg'-
nal, at home.
Mr.. Calhoun would stand utterly discreditrd, as a
witness before a jury, upon such testimony. There Is
no escape, subtertuge or evasion, now, but 10 produce
the oririaal letters, sword for word, letter for letter,
comma FOR comma The public must have harrison "
letter to Mr.. Evans, of Maine, and MIR. Calhoun 5 fTo
letters TO Judge Morris, with the postrnarks. Mr.. Cal
houn's word, we are sorry to be obliged to say, cannot
now be taken as credible testimony on this point.
There must be dishonesty, or why this concealment:
Mr. Calhoun has columns written TO show what the
contents Of Harrison's and his letter were not; why
does he not give the originals, and show what they
IRE? i.
He now says, that "the Interpolation OF these i've
common words, he joined IA 0boiht0a s0ooy, changes
the mhoic character, the rhoie tenor, the whole mc"".
inr Of the letter, and yet he had Just before declared
that he had used in his letter the same terms Harrison
had used in Iea2, which was, 81 became a member Of
mn .lb0iition society,"
ON another point Mr.. Calhoun is selccontradicted
He SAYS Of his letter Of February 4
ssThe letter in question was written with a total lg-
norance Of General llarrisons opinions upon the sub
icct Of slavery, and il took for granted that those ~ho
had expressed Justification at his being nominated, were
as ignorant upon the subject as myself: it was, there
fore, simply caution, and SO expressed, against ""y
premature denunciatOry matter
Here Mr.. Calhoun admits, that he wrote his letter as
a caution to the Abolitionists Of his district, against pre-
mature denunciation of Harrison, on account OF ms
opinions on slavery; and in the version gwen by ,he
five members Of Congress, Of that letter, IRON ineinory'
the first sentence is
al observed, in the doings Of the .2n't-S,"fery Con,
yenlion AZ Soringfeld, a resolution GeHoune'ag General