The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-10-21
THE iNTELLIGENcER AND THE WING
ABoLITIoNISTS.

In reply 10 the National lnteligencers article Of yes.
terday, charging with having, in paper Of Fri
day last, grossly falsi6ed its position and
TO the recent aboitionist proceedings in Massaehu-
sets, we now undertake
LIST. To prove eonclusiyely that the statements
respecting the Intelligencer made by u.s. in arti-
Gle of Friday last, and copied by the lnlelligencer
were strictly true;
ID. To show that the lnelligencer has, in its ar
tice referred to by Friday last, most grossly
calumI.iate Mr.. Jefferson, and entirely misrepre-
scented his opinions and purposes IN relation to the
abolition Of slavery and
Sd. Having settled these two issues, which the
InielIigeneer has evidently raised TO avoid the main
point in question before US, we mean to return to
ths, point, and present in its true light the Inte
geneer's endorsement and encouragement of the re-
cent aboidonisl proceedings Of the wings Of New
England.
To show that we have not miarepresented the
course and purposes Of the Iniegeneer, as is
charged against us, we copy from our article Of
Friday last the whole passage in which the lnte-
geneer's position and course the matter in ques-
ton defned
"The whig journal at Washington began by
glossiHs over the resolutions adopted by the wing
State convention IN Massachusetts, and giving 10
them substantially its eounlenance and appreciation
Resolved, however, TO guard IL possible against the
odium naturally attaching 10 such abolllionist de-
ra,ions, that journal followed up this, its frat
step, by the assertion that, though the wings Of
New England were now entering de taeiO into full
fellowship snd alliance offensive end defensive, with
the abolitionsts yet all this merely accidental,
because the natural allies OF these fanatics TO
be found In the ranks of tho democracy. In proof
OF this the lntellgencer alleged hrst, that the de-
moeracy Was the party Of anll-rentism; and, sec
onJy, that Thomas Jefferson, the apostle Of the de-
mocracy had shown himself prepared unite in the
nefarious srhemes Of the 'libeuy party even as
they are presented u,-dsy. We noticed briefly, in
passing, The altogether supendous ignorance Of ell
kno~n facts, which alone could induce the ntelli-
eencer. in the face Of the recent nomination OF
John Young, in the State Of New York, at once
by the wing and antI-fent conventions, TO pro-
CLAIM, the connexion between democracy and
sntirsnusIn. AZ the same time challenged the
Inlellgsncer 20 show thai Jefferson had placed
himself 90 the platform Of the liberty men, and
ayowed hts readiness 10 break up slavery by the
action of the federal government in derogaton Of
the exclusive and guaranteed rights OF the States,
and Of course at The imminent peril II not certain
sacri6ee, Of our federal Union. Awaiting itself Of
this confident challenge preiext, the lntelli-
gencer Of this morning devotss nearly three col
count all the more nsidious and da gerous) defence
Of the course recently adopted aud avowed by the
wings OF New England in uniting themselves with
the aboli,onists To give all possible force to this
its defence, the intelligencer alleges that the mod
crate people Of Masssch usetts have been provoked
by the late Illegal and they think, destructive
measures Of annexation and war;
tit alludes TO the liberty mem as being a CON
scientious' II refers to 'denuncatons Of sa-
very and ssveholders,' as coming from men really
Of sound and patriotic purposes but irtsted out Of
their customary prudence, by the sight OF those ia
Cal things, those sggressions upon the constitution
and neishhors,' which, the lntelligencer al
leges, are implied IN the ascendency Of the demo-
cratic party. BY way Of excusing the abolitionIst
violence Of the wings Of the north, 1t charges that
sthe south has acted excessively i'll TO all those
blind and fatal tteps lately taken, subversve Of the
constitution IN that 'as If to widen territory
were not necessarily TO eggravate its own compare
tive weakness the south has turned spgge,hr of
territorial rapne, ant OF policy which either
shver this conftderr TO pieces sink il in debt
turn II into great military empire;' and finally
ifforeseeing the result which the whig aboltionst
agitation, now defended by the lnteliigencer, will,
If successful necessarily lead, that journtl proceeds
to Indicate the policy Of justice and peace, and
commerce, not conquest, towards our neighbours
which will be proper for me south to pursue, epen
after The constitution shall haze been ooerthrocu Hav-
ing promised this much, the lnteigencer proceeds
to complete its defence of the present Of the
aboltionists and of their allies the wings Of New
England by asserting that Jefferson, at the close of
his days, bad not the least scruplc of bringing in the
federal government IA aid Of emancipation Gather
ing holiness rs proceeds, the lntelligencer then
goes to represent Jefferson holding the opin-
ION that the federal power could, Of its direct
authority, emancipate the blacks ,oifhout, in any
manner, consulting the States.'"
Ii will be observed that this passage contains ma.
ny distinct statements. They were drawn with
some care. They all true. Against these state
men,s, the Intelligencer charges that they
"perversion Of its opinions, total and wilful"
as to be substantially equivalent to "a Jo,guy." In
proof Of this sweeping allegation--an allegation in
the highest degree dscreditable either to us or to the
s,ihor Of 1.-THE igencer adduces just the fol-
lowing specifications and no more: M... w.
"Let US now briefly recapitulate the main points
urged In our article thus represented, lest some of
our readers may not have seen or may not distinctly
recoect them:
"Of the 'berty party we spoke only as a dan
gerous body of men, ready to sacrifice every real,
because feasible principle, to impossible idea; but
as, nevertheless, some Of them sincere and consci-
entious' in these their wild notions; of which 1--WE
thought) the very essence is real locofocosm.
"Ofthe moderate party in Massachusetts, we
said that they had become irritated (not without
cause) at the late unconstitutional and mschevous
series Of acts, lamentations and wars protested to
be done for the advantage Of southern institutions;
and that these, not unnaturaly, had kindled among
them Of resentment against slavery; but that
the feeling entirely unjust, inasmuch as the free
States had really more strongly sustained these
crimes than the slavehofdng ones; and that obvious
ly the fault was that osparty--locofocosm and even
Observation-Disclosures much more than that of the
south
..Of the south, we said, however, that II was much
10 blame in aiding to pull down its only sure bulwark,
the constitution, in order to acquire failacious
strength, by momentary widening of slave terrific.
ry, which must soon shrink hack to its old proper
tions and thus magnify, after WHILE instead Of d.
minishng, theexisting inequality against it.
'We avowcd Tin u sequel to the article) our own
determined opposition to all federal or free-Statc
meddIng with thu subject, either in the slave States
or this district. ~
AS TO agitation, we denounced il as only, whe,h-
or on one side the other. the policy of locofoco-
ism, and Of pernicious president-makers and dema-
gogues."
Now in the first place, be |, observed, these spe-