The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-11-03
CITY OF WASHINGTON.
pR,pAY MORNING, NOV. 3, Is4s.
A.. honesl man may take knaye's advice
An 49, nniv may be cozened twice. DRrDEs.

i -, roand our motto TO all who have heretofore
,.,r.5 the lead of The Hon. Truman Smith, the pot
r. ,.,ti6cate manufacturer and document vender of
y. .hiDgon, and modern Janus of whgery His las,
marks are seen on the banks OF the Elizabeth river,
=, A,c;.nt Dominion The Norfolk and Portsmouth
IA Of Monday, the 3oth October, contains article
,bs subject Of the presentation of petitions in the
rsd States Senate on the subject of slavery, the whole
.c Of which is mislead voters, to disguise the truth
IN oppavent chain and TO cast obloquy the princ-
Lac acs and known character OF Gen. Cass. Ii is well
uovn that the wing committee of the city, whom this
..ls If abotionsm acts as the "guide, philosopher,
friend has long been in the habit of preparing two
,e, Of documents, arguments, opinions, and appeals
ono Of which is intended for the South, where General
Gas, is represented the of the slave feature of
R constitution; and the other for the North in which
l.. i depicted as the of the feature This
faced policy has been frequently exposed by the
lonocrahc press, but the article to which we alude
royes that like the blow aimed at the hydra, the demo
ton and loss of one head only to produce two
more and hat il requires the unmitigaed use of the club
o democracy TO insure the victory
The present is covered by thin VEIL that the foot
Mephistophes is but half concealed, and it is clear
hat the certificates which figure in the Herald of the
above date were not originally designed for the press but
sent out for circulation in manuscript among the people
| Of Virginia And what is this new ruse9 garbled
statement OF the action of Gen Cass in his place in the
Senate where he has fearlessy stood up from the first
day of his entry into that body the advocate of high
national principles; and where his opinions and policy
have been national, comprehensive, and as faith
u to the constitution, the subject of slavery as on
those OF war; peace or any other of the great and lead
pg topics of the day
To make an issue, Mr. Smith encases his last trick
hckly with seals and certificates about question which
neither Gen Glass; any OF his friends have tried to
conceal have the remoest wish to conceal but which,
on the contrary places him in the ues and most adyan.
ageous light, the widely and fully II is known
To show the position of Gen. Cass on the present
alton OF petitions respecting slavery in the Senate, we
have turned to the Congressional Globe of the date refer
red to, and find simply the following record:
IN Senate, Friday, January %, 1917.
Several petitions OF citizens and female inhabitants of
Itnnsy vana, praying such amendment of the consu
and laws will abolish slavery throughout the Union
presented by Mesrs Davis Niles, Cas-, Breese and
Greene the motions for the reception Of which were seve-
rally laid on the table
Not word of advocacy or comment Another fact is
important to be borne in mind. 1t is the passage OF the
Aherton resolutions the subject. By turning to the
Journal OF the House of Representatives of the 18th De-
cembe 1885, wide Docs Sd session 25th Congress, page
~ will be that the last clause of the 5th reso-
luton provided "hat every petition, memorial, resolu-
ton or paper touching or relating in any way, any
extent whatever to slavery aforesaid or the abolition
thereof shall, the presentation thereof without any
further action thereon, be laid upon the table without be-
Ing debated, printed Or REFEREED
By the passage of these resolutions after years of vo
lent agitation, and particularly by the clause quoted the
cause OF abolition fanatics was paralyzed peace tenn
IOTaTlly restored to Congress and the country, and
the great conservative principle OF the constitution on
this topic sustained The Senate on full discussion,
acted on the same principle, and, as a fixed rule,
agreed to lay all petitions this subject on the ia
bic Not even the question OF their reception could
be debated. Every senator knew this-every petition
Ell knew this--the whole country knew it-every man,
woman, and child throughout the whole country, had
heard Of this exciting and ongproracted discussion
and knew the result. What then, has Truman Smith
discovered What truth has he found What fact does
he pretend TO show up with all the seals and certificates
oil the Secretary of the Senate, which was not as well
known TO the merest tyro in politics.
But how stands the fact of Gen Casss action on the
Senates journal Even this is most strangely perverted
BY examining the printed journal OF the Senate for the
entire month of January ls47, appears that fy petit
ions on the subject presented during that month"; by
various senators. nearly all of which, with perhaps
single exception, from the Friends (Quakers) of
Pennsylvania who prayed for the action of Congress on
the subject, general principles, and in bgief and re-
specul language and to the general intent that the pro-
posed action of Congress mgh consist with justice and
ne interests Of ALL" OF these petitions five were pre-
'ened on the 18th, tucenty.fomr the 2st, t,ceue
on the 22d, sir on the 25th, and one on the
h Sixteen different senator's, from both political par
les seven OF whom democrats, showed their re-
Pec for the abstract right of petition by handing in
hese petitions. Among the number Mr. Cass performed
an act of comfy TO certain benevolent ladies and leaders
OF the denomination of Friends in Pennsylvania by send
s In TO the Clerks table, the day named three of the
|hiy memorials named He uttered not word beyond
ne iormay of the presentation. The petitioners them
selves expected further action. They knew the de-
Sion OF the Senate the subject of their reception and
hey knew that this body like the House, after mature
elaboration, had decided to recognise the right of ped
on had also decided to lay all such petitions on the
table
we do not affirm that the democratic senators
"ho participated in this duty of nationality and respect to
opinions of respectable portion of their country midi,
nd fairly, each and all as far removed from acqui
Scence IN the practicaby justice of the principles
prayed for by the memoralsts General Cass is known
20 DE, and then as no known 10 be- or as far from