Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-09-08
RICH MON VA.
Wednesday Morning, September 6, is4s.
MI1IARp FILLMoRE AND THE WING PRESS.

uas dumb as an OYSTER on the subject. Inc
Times does moi admit its genuineness-out OF
OF this there is no doubt as Mr.. Caskle sno~eu
by reading from The Enquirer OF November 1910
The Times intimates that, unless lhe ma"ef -
| explained, the Wings of the South may mol sup
port Fillmore. II says:
"This letter indicates opinions, WHICH, y ,; ~
ennlaned, mus, be deemed very hlshiS u n;one
,;onabe We cannot believe that sucn op -, Nir
.re now M they ever were) enleIialneu .meb
az nn,. INV =. and We look with confidence, LOT su
.,,hen,;c evidence that they are MOI. do WIZ -
ss';.fscrory 10 the Wings oflhe SCUM
rho wbig does mol express a doubt oil Inc
-.;nsnsss OF the letter, nor does it call for an
sssa,snalion, bu, its long article, though it wan
ders from The point and attempts TO convict .ne
democrats of inconsistency, is evidently ln'enaeu
10 keep the Wings from flying of and to JUSTIFY
Them 10 supporting The Abolitionist Fillmore. II is
unnecessary here 10 refue the gross errors oil the
Wing in regard 10 the President, and the North
ern Democratic Senators. But we publish the
whole article OF the Wing 10 show the people OF
Virginia how their leading organ clings 10 Fill
more, in spite of his livery highly Objectionable
and infamous letter:
From the Reimond Wig.
"THE ENQUIRER AND Mr.. FILLMoRs.-The
Enquirer exult. over letter from MIR. Fillmore,
in 1888, in which he avows himself in favor of
abolshing slavery in the District Of Columbia
After The signing by Mr.. Polk of the Oregon
bill, with the Wimot Proviso in it, for the in
PRODUCTION Of which, four years ago, Mr.. Win
throp was denounced as unworthy Of Southern
votes-after the abandonment of the South by
every Locofoco from the Free States but four,
when the question was fairly brought before
Congress safer the repeated votes Of Mr.
Atherton and General Cass's own Immediate re-
presentative-we think il is time for the Euqui-
rer to hold its peace. 1t, and its coadjutors
have, before now, taken abundant pains to prove
that the Natural Allies" thought differently on
this aud kindred subjects from the Northern
Wings. The passage of the Wilmot Proviso
dispelled that illusion. That did all the mis-
chief that has yet been done, and after that po.
sitiue act, we submit that il is rather too late to
arraign the abstract opinions, of Mr.. Fillmore,
who, ten years ago. believed that slavery ought
to be abolished in the District Of Columbia "a
question with regard 10 which he only differs in
point of expediency as to time, with every
Northern Democrat, so far as we can see, who
had a seat in Congress, and with Mr.. Van Buren,,
at the very time the Enquirer was doing all it
| could to make him, a second time, President of
the United States.
| But the Southern Wings must vote for But
| Ter. He is the man who lives in the South and
holds slaves His opinions are not to be qnes-
toned Then why question those Of Gene al
| Taylor? He lives still further South, and holds
still larger number of slaves. And if MIR.
Fillmore is 10 be repudiatcd by Southern
Wings, because he is Northern man, and,
like all Northern men, wishes to see slavery
abolished in the District Of Columbia, why
should Southern Democrats vote for General
| Cass, who is also Northern man, and was,
| eighteen months ago, Wilmot Provso mani
"But, as we have already intima,ed, il is ridi
culous, after the whole Democratic representa-
ton in the North, with the exception Of foaI,
and every Democratic Senator, 10 man, have
voted for the Wilmot Proylso, and Mr.. Polk has
signed it, for the Enquirer TO Talk about any
| mans unsoundness on the subject Of slavcry?-
| Look at the acts of the mau-they speak louder
| than words. Look at the act which the Enqul-
rer denounced in December last, and then say
| what right the friends of Polk and Cass have TO
rebuke any man for his opinions on this subjects
General Cass, no doubt, approves oil Mr. POLK
i
are Mr.. Folks friends. He is every way ,denti
fed with Mr. Polk in this act What has Mil
lard Fillmore done, what can he do more fatal
to the interests Of the South than MIR. Polk has
already done? or than General Cass and bis
friends endorse?'
P. S.-The above was prepared Tor Yesterdays
paper, bu. squeezed out BY The pressure on our
| columns. We have read the city Wing papers
| Of yesterday, and not one OF them has vel pub
ished The Abolition letter OF Fillmore, the plat
f,ru, vi ,,.ll own preferred" Wing candidate
for the Vice Presidency. The Wing publishes
a part of the letter, and gives garbled version
| OF the rest
The Times cools of liule, and does mot be.
lieve that Fillmore now holds the opinions indi.
Gated in This letter" 1t hen attempts 10 show thai
| F. is Zone of the mos, obnoxious statesmen IN
| The North % the Abolionisls," who iran sepa.
rate ticket against him as candidate for Go
vernon, and thus caused the election OF Slas
Wrght"--lhat Giddings had "assaied him most
| bitterly al The Worcester Convention, because he
had, in Congress, acknowledged The right of pro.
perry in slaves, in the case Of certain negroes
captured in vessel al sea"-Qhis humbug we
have already reiuted) that the New York Til
bune bad certified that Fillmore was not an Abo-
i,ionist "Moreover, (says tine Times the uni.
form language OF considerale Northern Wings
has been, that if Mr.. Fillmore is not acceptable
to The South, then no Northern man ever can be.
| With all these evidences in Mr.. Fillmore's favor,
we are convinced that The letter of 1888 does mol
fairly represent his present opinions"
| Now, as an Offset to this "beliet" Of change
OF opinions, we point TO the Abolition votes OF
Fillmore in Congress up 10 lS43-as "faets from
the record" which cannot be explained away
The abolition principles OF his letter were fully
carried out in his votes FIVE years after, and we
believe, and The Wing papers have NO evidence 10
the contrary, that the Letter of 1888 does "fairly
represen, his presenl opinions"
The Wing devoies whole column 10 vague
arguments and speeuiations, to show that Fillmore
does not now en,erlain these "extreme opinions
which were adoped, says the Wing, "under lie
violent stimulus Of party passion" when he was
"goaded by the excitement OF arduous contest
| The Wing farther says that Fillmore has "gven
| evidence that in his calmer moments he deliber-
alely enter,ains Che Wing meant TO say, wesup-
pose, does not entertan) these sentiments" 1t
then refers 10 gentlemen OF intelligence, South.
ern gentlemen" Mallory, Stuart, Crockett and
others, who have served with him in Congress
and have pronounced him upon every point con.
necled with Southern rights, The calmest the
most rational, the safest OF all the public men
who reside north OF Maryland" Now we, on the
other aide, can produce an array OF Southern gen.
| tlemen, al least as Intelligent and as alive 10
Southern interests, who have served with Fill.
more in Congress, and who pronounce him an
aboli,ioniel. We allude TO Andrew Stevenson,
Francis E. Rives, Henry A. Wise, William o.
Goode, Bynum of Louisiana, formerly of North
Cardinal This lmsy argument of the Wing
.laJ rrL