Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-03-07
COMMUNICATIONS.
JUDGE ABEL 4. UPShUR,
Secretary Of iie .Narp.

| JUDGE ABEL L. uPShUR,
Secretary Of hs .Nary.
SR;-You arc greatly mistaken in supposinc
that your high oifeia, station will enable YOU
| with impuniiy, to treat with disresrect those
who move IN tie humble walk of private life. The
notice your ATE peasod to take Of my Statement,
does no credit TO your head or your heart; ii wac
wholly uncaled lor 10y the occasion, 1t was uniusii.
fed 10y the friendly relations which had subs>tcj
between Us for more than twenty years. and, wossc
than all, it is unwaTran;cd by truth.
| You stand arraisucd before the world on two
grievons charges: I. That you wished and design.
cd 10 dismcmhcr the Union. q. That you have
been guilty OF Misrepresentation aud cquivocation
rs To your political opinions, and the doctrines you
have advocated To those cnarseS you have pleaded
not guly-the issues made up, and the Amc.i-
can people nIe your tryets. With that "prochvi,y
10 error" "a tenn most happily applied II You
! many years since by some, NJ least, of the most
elegant gSaGsme,, cf i,icer rrginia, kioirn 10 "a,
6o'h) which has marked your whole lie, you sceL,
To- make cicucd co lateral issue oi character W IN
nc. lhiS - one 81 those awkward straits into
whch conscious guilt is often driven; but this
miserable SubteTtugc shall not avail you, and IL is
my purpose to chnSIiSc you as your unmauy con.
duct merits not with hortewhips aud pistols, but
w'h the lash OF truth, which Is ut all tunes an ia
! iTud6T On those who try to shut it out
| In the FIRST place, YONG statement that am n
volunteer IN the controversy between MIR Bolts and
you, Is wholly unionnded; Tor your friend, MIR 10
! Mayo, hrst requested me {, give statement, M
wiring, OF the conversation; and MIR. Bolts made
The same ioqucs by letter previous Ia the publcN-
ton OF my note in the Wing. | had casually
spoken OF the remark you made, without intending,
| m any manner, 10 connect myself with you or Mr..
Bolts, and never for 4 moment Suppos Il that my
conversation would be reported To oi,her of YOU :
out hndnS THAI Il was used FOX effect, addressed
/ the note to the Editor OF the - hic which WAS
al orwGrds embodied IN Mr. Bots letter. for the
real purpose OF preventing any misunderstanding
OF what had siid. The world will see that
was virtually summoned by both partics-and
las rally believed MIR j.. Mayo inform
ca you oi hiS call ca me, then IS your state
men thatl am volunteer, intentional perry crtion
You seem without dong So, u deny that you had
used the expression which imputed TO YOU. You
might have sad, Judge upshur, that you had no
tSC"lecuono any SUCH remark rrccolltctiag IT, you
| ln'sni nave mnde any explanation YOU thought IN:
but You shall not deny that You slid 10 me I'M the
s'toei oi Norfolk, near Johnsons Hotel IN orahnut
1856, that yoG CLAIMED The credit of being the first
Nnsinnn who had ran mp the flag of Dsunon. That
lu,t 1t NtLt point OF time Captain IN the Navy
VINO came mp, on hcing asked 10y me, what he
thought oi such sentiment, addressing in-sclr to
you, sId, You must not expect him 10 cOncur with
YOU, as lee WAS sworn fight under the flag Of the
Union. Now, sr, have, at the suggestion oi Il
trend IT That Cap,nn, iJrbotne 10 give his ma me
lest yourm1lin feelings should arrest him from your
high placc-bui yOu must beware how you con
tFA,ict this statement; Tor there nrc gentlemen IN
lower Vagina who Will volunteer 40 sust lin truth
ana correct enor, tho The OF 4 commission in the
Navy or m the Customs, or elsewhere should be
the consequence. Your "pr1cyity To error"
makes you, IN another place, say that had chars.
Ell you with ptoraming IA tho streets OF a popu-
| ious town, doctrine and opinion stating to all
VINO hclrd hem. a poor county court Lawyer
ia tho worst OF ciu>cs, should coudc,ccnd To 80
p.ain aud rolpable abuse OF words and truth much
les SeuctlTy Ut the Navy q tie u. States, OF
Judge ~ virginia, or a man who boasts OF his as.
ISOLATION with gentlemen. have charged you wi,h
no such thins. We al know that you do dcclam
very much m conversation, but no man can bs taj
win any propnciy, TO proclaim in conversation:
ana this, al must regard oUe ui those la SC dc
fences VIII ch never fails 10 recon
AS To the issues made up between NJ Bolts and
you, care bat huc how the American pcople
shaI ma 'hem' have no political sympathy with
| elther OF you. But GegurL the political morality
OF our country as an important stake in which every
ct@en Is interested II Mr. Bolts has want0nlv and
| falsely charged you with doctrines and opiniuns
which you never advocated or entertained. he Ger
'ainly ought not To he q member Of Compress. If
on inc contrary, las charges true you ought for
ca erianing such opinions, to lie dismissed from The
Cauncii and, for denying correct charges 10 he lis
ViTginia. ''''
IL Is matter Of entire indifference with me how
'he many questions OF veraclty between MIR Bolts
anu you, and between you and MIR Harlan and
You ara many others, may be settled; care rot ~he.
,hcr You did or dd o. when u were on the Fssex
N"Ssli CAIN 20 be the High Priest oil the Church
oil Cislai"n." care not whether Won did or diI
not say 10 gentleman, South Of James River. That
You never had any confidence in the soundncss ol
me doctrines Of Modification; but that You -lv
pressed them for political effect. care not whether
you admit or deny that you said the election of
Maitin Van Buren, would be the signal for disun ON.
anu care not what limitation may now he nut on
Inc doctrines OF Notification. But would advise
you 10 euaTdyou answers these points with more
thGn ordinary cunning, for you may find your
hidIng place, mo which you have rctreA,ed, bV the
'Ast cause IN Your letter. too uncomfortable to he
endured. Gentlomcn who press doctrines Int pro
mise 10 become fashionable, and claim 10 lie the
paten'ees of political orthodoxy, must not exncr, IN
shuIie out OF them when those doctrines shall 10
turned ag1iGs! them.
heve no other object in addressing Won n, ,b;s
TINE, than TO disaDusc the public mind of the false
impressions you seek to make by preicnIn, TO re-
gard me ns volunteer IN your controversy with
o'hefS-and az the same time TO expose the vanity
ana arrogance with which you to present 10 tho
SehVcmen OF i0"er virginia, question of yernc,;v.
"hlch you care not raise and refer to that ibun1i
81 you thuA 10 10 throw your cnvcnomed shnns
ann lien retreat to the Navy Office, You NAV mn,
your mead, anJ, like the Ostrich, think your body il
s.e; Tut whenever am assli!ed 10y arrogance and
oHeiil ifIuc, winch seek 10 entrcrch tlcmsolyes
nehlhd e'Asons and false insinunlions, will halter
down their Ccltnces md cxaoso them 10 tho ,yo,'J
- Gcrc;ion Is sometimes the better part Of valor.
anu under ITS influence, you may ~. ri no, to ma.
c. thus eIer b. II so-you know the consequence
Of st9nding mute c. Nj. RRAVTGNs
March 4lh, lS42.