Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1848-10-27
Zachary Taylor,

Is not The OIllCe HOiucI oiiiSS 'SSASA ~ =
dress, but the plain citizen, whose highest good is
in the highest good of his country. First, as to
Zachary Taylor,
AND THE WILMOT PROVfS0.
What is the position of the South on this question!
She has repeatedly. in her state legislatures, ana IN
her state conventions of both parties resolved that
she would support no man for the Presidency not
KNOWN to be hostile to the Wimot provso Is
not this her position! and may she not be believed
The South Is under bonds of
$6OO,OOO,OOO
to defeat the Proviso for look here. The number
of slaves in the south is three millions; their average
value, as stated by Mr.. Clay, $500 each, making
ain aggregate, of twelve hundred millions OF dollars.
Should this immense territory be thrown open TO
slavery, the value of this property, as the past his
tory of slavery extension conclusiyey proves, will
at once rise at least 25 per cent making an increase
of three hundred millions of dollars in the value of
this property. On the other hand, should the go
vernment determine that NOT another inch of slave
territory should be added to the Union, by the en-
actment of the proviso, this property would cores
pondngly deprecate in value, thus giving the south
a direct pecunary interest of SIX HUNDRED
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, in the defeat of the
Wilmot Proviso. May she not then be believed,
when size says she will support no man not known
to be hostile to the proviso. How does the south
stand affected towards Gen. Taylor. In the con-
vention which nominated him the south had los
votes. out of which l05 We're cast for Gen. Taylor
4 II -lx., ~
casion blndly entrust her great interests to man
she did not know. No she did not She took
man who had larger interest than any other man
in her midst, in the success of her policy; man
whose share in the six hundred million dollar bonds,
is fifty two thousand dollars. He OWNS $50 slaves
and by the same calculation which we employed
with reference to the south generally Zachary lay
tor is himself under bonds of
Fifty-tVvO Thousand Dollars,
To veto the Wilmot proviso. VIII this candidate
nominated by the SOUTH represent this vast pecu-
narv interest, betray it? BY what rule of Judging
of human nature, do you come to this conclusion !
1t is madness to entertain the hope. And yet ma
ny do profess to believe it, and that too without
word or syllable from the candidate auhOrslng 1t.
Are not the presumptons from his position, concu-
sive1y against Taylors sanctioning the provso? and
is not therefore positive pledge from him necessa-
ry to dc away the presumption growing out of his
postionl Has he ever given such pledge? He
was appealed to directly the subject, and this
was his answer
" | have laid it down a principle, not to give
my opinion upon nor PREJUDICE in any way, the vari-
ous questions of policy at issue between the 20.
ltical parties of the country, or to promise what
would or would not do were | elected President of
the United States.
Joshua X. Giddiugs says, that he, with several
other members of Congress, had addressed letters to
Gen Taylor the subject of the Proviso. and that
no answers were ever returned. He states also,
that he SAW letter from Mr.. Boone, "a member
af the Mississippi Legislature, WHICH stated that Gen.
Taylor had said to him, Mr.. Boonc) that the south
should n EVER yield her position against the VIII
mot proviso. So that the matter stands thus: Gen.
Taylor was nominated by the south-he is Of the
south-his share of southern interest in the defeat of
the provisO is ffty-two thousand doars-he has
yer uttered syllable in favor of the proviso-a he
has uttered directly the subject, is against it; now
where does he stand?
And in addition to this, we have the proceedings
of a recent democratic meeting held i'll the Mari
boro district, South Carolina at which Taylor and
Butler were nominated, in which proceedings, we
find the following strong assurance with regard to
Tayors position, put forth by the men who nom-
mated him:
eff he is unsound in southern politics,
} Virginia. kentucky and Louisiana have
corrupted him, and he has learned every
thing but the very lessons he has been
taught from his infancy; he is proof against
all the associations by which he has been
constantly surrounded from his birth and
is the announcer to the world of the folly and
crime of all his past life.
1--WE believe in him, therefore, on the vital
question now before the country,-before
which all others sink into comparative nsig-
nifcance."
Daniel Webster says, if he supposed Taylor was
not in favor of the proviso, he would oppose him.
Intelligent and honest wing, what do You think
If YOU think he is not in favor of it, you have the
authority of Daniel Webster that he OUGHT TO
BE OPPOSED.
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