Litchfield enquirer., 1848-03-30
From the Hartford Daily Courant.
HON. GEORGE S. CATLIN
4, AND TEXAS.


utter insufiiciency and inconsistency of Mr..
Catlin'sexplanation OF his two votes on the
Texas question we might confidently leave
the case to the judgment oil the people. We
think verdict could be claimed against him
on sure grounds But the question cannot but
arise in view the lameness of his defence,
is not all this labored excuse an afterlhought2
Is it possible that he was guilty Of the weak
ness of surprising that such defence would AZ
vail, or did he not resort to it in desperation,
from aseasetof the urgent necessity OF saying
something TO palliate his manifest error
The following extracts from an article In
the Norwich Courier seems to US pretty dc>,
cisive on this point. tt
Mi Calm himself will not, and dare moi. de.
ny. that, upto the time when he gave his vote
against the annexation of Texas, he was ayow-
| eddy opposed to that measure Il was in acs
cCrdance with this sentiment of opposition
that he gave his first vote, and it was n II -un-
til the party screws had been applied, that he
gave the lie TO his repeated professions and
declarations. and TO the vote which, under the
solemnities of an oath, had been placed on
the records of Congress. Il was not till he
ndu UGett Iiduc W tSil taSH uI the southern
dyiver that he bowed the neck and knee to
the Southern master. He began by giving an
honest vote--a vote in harmony wi,iiShis- own
conviction Of right and duty. as well as in ac-
cordance with the well known sentiments of
his constituents. He ended by abjuring his
conscience, abandoning his trust, and betray~
ing his constituents "a.
All this isproved by the single fact thai af.
ter he had given his vote in hostility TO the
Texas project and after he had been taken 10
task by certain OF his own constituents for the
vote he had given. he wrote home letters jus.
tifying his course not on the ground that lie
did not approve of the mode by which the an
nexation measure was sought to be accompl's
ed, but on the gr Juno 0ut-lhat the measure it,
self was suicidal to the North-to the Lon-
slavehoding States. In one of those letters he
asks What will you say when Hon. Mr.
| Niles gives his vote on this subject as have.
which he yesterday told me he should On-
" SHIRT time previous 10 his otc forthe adj
mission Of Texas, in letter to certain midi
vidual in this city, he argued strongly and
earnestly against annexation --denouncing il
as measure iraught with evil to the country.
The fact Of his having written such letter
we had upon unquestionable authority. We
at the same time gave publicity 10 the circum-
stance through the columns OF this Jou, nal,
challenging denial Of cur statement, either
by Mr. Catlin himself or by any one on his au,
thority. No such denial vas made, or has been
made down to this day. DdA this took AZ if
Mr. Catln's vote in opposition TO annexation
was based upon the mere form in which the
| measure was urged
But again; has Mr. Catlin forgotten an acct
4 denial interview which he had but a short
lime prior TO the session Of Cong, ess. when the
lsannexaiion question came up-an interview
with citizen ofthe neighboring town Of Lebs
anon, in the course OF which the Lebanon
gentleman asked,-.Well. Mr. Calm. what do
you think of the Texas question p 'Oh d.
Texas-it's all humbug was the emphatic
response. We ask Mr. Calm IL he remembers
this. II he does moi there are those who do
And does this sound as il Mr. Catlin was in
| favor ofannexafion thenl s
Again 0id y6u net, Mr Calm, npan the
Appearance nf a certain lettersof J. +. Hale,
the prescribed democratic Representative in
Congress from New HsmpshiH-a letter in
which the annexaiiop'of Texas WITS denonhr "a
| in ierms the most severe ard scathing-did
| you not, we say, declare. in the hearing Of e
gentleman OF New London County, then ID
Washington, that that letter was one Of the
noblest things you ever read. and that YOU
meant 10 have one or two thousand Of il print
ed in pamphlet form, and scattered all over
New London and Wndham Counties y Does
| this sound az il you looked with favor upon
The annexation OF Texas
| Lastly,-hsve you forgotten the time VII n
the news Of your defeat, by Mr. Rockwell reach.
ed you. and when in the first bitterness Of dis.
appointed hope and ambition YOU exclaimed
Rsfe,ri gas was understood IN he advisers BY
whom you had been led to turn traitor to your
own Declared principles,) so much for LISTEN
ing III pack Of did fools . And vet the man
WIN said and did all this has the effioniery to
turn found now, and. to keep mp a show Of
consistency, pretend that the only reason why
he voted against annexation was that he die.
| approved Of the form in which it was propos-
| edl Away with such hsrafs"od hypocrisy!