The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-07

have anything 10 do with the gentleman from Mas.
sachusetts. II was impossible that he Mr. ADAMsl
could have greater desire To have nothing TO do
with lolhen Than others desire TO have nothing to
do with him.
Every one understood the adroitness, in matters
Of controversy Of this kind, which the gentleman
possessed. For nine years, while he (Mr. r. had
had the honor Of seat IN this House, he had
avoided all controversies OF this kind with any one
And f he had said anything IN regard 10 the gen
tleman's position, IL was not 10 him personally, but
he had reference TO the gentleman in his public char
actsr and to the position which he had taken before
the country and he was entirely unable to see thai
il vas by any means departure from the course
which every representative ought 10 pursue.
The gentleman said that he, as gentleman and
a Christian, ought TO have retTactsd what hs had
stated erroneously Mr., X. said he had promptly
retraeted what he had said enormously, IN stating
that the gentleman bad voted against the war, bul
he would not retfaeI what he had not believed.
When he asserted that the gentleman was opposed
TO the war, and the gentleman denied il, he (Mr, RI
not being prepared with the grounds upon which
he had been led 10 this conclusion, could only let
II so by, until he was able 10 show the House and
the country the ground which he had made IL,
Now, IN making The statement this morning Of
those grounds, he had not done IL 10 make an ISSUE
with the gentleman, but 10 justify himself before this
House, and 10 show that he would not lightly make
a statement Of this kind about any menlber of this
House without having good reasons therefor; aud
sets himself might have al opportunity of meeting
il, if erroneous, and Of Tebutting il. And be now
stated that, although the gentleman in respects
had rebuued It pretty successfully IN Others he had
not. He did not that the gentleman was correct
when he said that Congress, in asserting 10 The
mediation Of Russia, stood precisely in the same
position he himself occupied; and that II he (Mr.
A was opposed to the war, the Congress Of that
time and the President were equally opposed 10 il.
The Russian mediation had ooihing TO do with the
Hia Aasfra of WINS no kS
which the gentleman had Iaken respecting that ne
COLLATION., or To promote peace, from which be
had drawn the inference that The gentleman OPP
posed TO the war. II that he had asserted to
Count RomsnzoG that "he could see no good result
that was likely to arise from the war TO any one.n
Now, not the inference strong that because the
gentleman had said the war would result In no good
to any one, therefore he was opposed TO IN Be
cause peace desirable, il by no means followed
that the war could produce no good result. II the
motive for peace or negotiation that the war
could produce good result to any one how could
any one be in favor OF It's existence or eontinu-
ancei
With reference To the letter Of the gentleman to
Mr. LeayII Harris, which had been spoken Of, he
(Mr. X, } confessed that he had never seen the
whole Of IT, He had extracts from il. An
extract was all he proposed to read. He reeollec-
ed, when the gentleman was the candidate for the
presidency he saw extracts from il. lie had never
seen the whole letter. But certainly since the gen
Mr.. R. would get it, and read it, and II Il sustain
ed the gentleman, or showed that he (Mr, R. had
not done him full Justice he would take the oppor.
unity to read il fully to the House, that its full
bearing might be understood.
The gentleman, because, from these grounds, he
had inferred that the gentleman opposed TO the
war, said that this was a false charge; and il
would that il any gentleman made
inference from the gentleman's conduct which
he conceived TO be Incorrect it was perfectly
tkafo k.A
false charge. IL the gentleman had said that he
(Mr. r. had made false Inference, IL would have
been well enough. But, after all the gentleman had
said, he MIR. r. } very much doubted whether the
gentlemans heart was in that war, or in reality APP
proved of il. And although the gentlemen says he
was for peace (and the whole country, he believed,
were in favor Of IT, and that he exered himself
bring it about, he (Mr. r. did not think proved
all that the gentleman was in favor Of sustaining
our country in that war. He said, then, that
these were differences. They might all be wrong
in the gentemans estimation, and wrong in fact;
yet il by no means followed, because a gentleman
made an inference which incorrect, that he had
asserted what was false. IL there be good grounds
far an inference, it may be true so far gentle
man is concerned, although in the opin-
ion Of another.
As to the gentleman being in favor of soathern p.
teress in 1919 and 1873 that may be all true Of that
time, and the South repaid him with her confidence.
portion Of the South elevated him to the presi-
iy, the geniemans administration was overthrow
in the contest for the second term it was not orr
account Of any supposed hostility TO the South, but
on general principles. But the gentlemans course
had been such, uniformly, since that time as to leave
no doubt Of his feelings of bitter hostility towards
the South. Could any man, who knew the gen.
temans course for ten years, entertain the idea for
moment that his feeling any other; The gen
tleman himself grert may be his power Of self
deception, would scarcely deny that his course on
a., lad
sion to allthat the gontleman's feelings towards
the South were those of dire, unmtgated enmity
and hostility In charging, therefore, that the gen
teman hostile to the South, he only charged
what facts have justified and appeared to him fully
to Justify.
That the gentleman ought to be somewhat
full when he spoke so warmly agains, gentlemen
drawing differences from his words, which they did
not justify, he had clearly shown by his conduct to-
day. He had openly charged him (Mr. R.) with
duced differences from his words far more strained
than any he had made. The House had witnessed
it, But he did not mean to say that the gentleman
had done what was culpabe. He did not charge
him with dishonor with falsehood; but he did mean
to show, that as he had thought proper to make in
ference from his (Mr. R.'s) language, he (Mr. r.
had but made an inference from the genlemans
language and conduct, far more reasonable, in his
opinion, and far more consistent with truth What
he had done he had done with no disposition to
wound or TO iniure the gentleman from Massachu
sets, but representative discussing great
measures, and the course Of others implicated with
them, ..m
wAsHrNcroE NATIONAL MoNuMENT.
Mr.. HOLMES now rose, as he said, not to min
gle at all in this grave conflict of mind this alter
cation of wits, but to offer resolution which must
now be offered to he available; and which, amidst
oil the strife and confusion in which they in
volsed, would come gratefully over the heart OF
every member of this House He held in his hand
| resolution to authorize a committee of the Wash
ingt5n National Monument Society, in conjunction
with the President Of the United States to fix upon
a site to erect upon the 22d Of February, monu-
ment TO the Father or his Country, II was known
that already, by grateful country, large sum had
been raised for that purpose. They were now
about to carry this project into execution; and he
trusted that, amid all this strife Of party, there would
be one unanimous pulsation of gratitude towards