The State guard., 1848-09-05
Hon. Francis s. Rives.

HOm. Francis S. Rives. At a meeting of the Democratic Asso- citation, on Thursday evening, called for the purpose of hearing an address from this gentleman, Odd-Fellows' Hall was filled to oyerfowing with an attentive and enthusiastic audience. It had been al,- nounced that Mir. Rievs intended to prove from the record, that billiard Fillmore, the candidate presented by the Wings for the second office in the government, was an Abolitionist. a MT. Rives, before he proceeded to the main topic of his speech, made some for cible remarks, in which he contra sted the qualifications of Lewis Cass and Zachary Taylor for the Presidency. He then stat ed that he had proposed to Col. Boiling, the Whig Elector for the Petersburg dis trict, to select five intelligent gentlemen, three of whom should be Wings and two Democrats, to act as jurymen on tho occa- sion, regularly sworn to bring in just verdict, according 10 the evidence, and be- fore whom he pledged himself to prove, from the journals of the House of Repre- sentatives, that Willard Fillmore was an Abolitionist, as much so as Bond, Sladc, Corwin, Palfry, or any of the crew. Col. B. might discuss the question with him, on behalf of Fillmore, and the five gentle men should decide. If he failed, he was to pay Col. B basket of champaigne; if he susceeded, Col. B. was to agree to abandon his support of Taylor and Fill more. Col. B., he said, would not accept the proposition.
 Mir. Rives then proceeded wn. his speech, in which there were none O. the flowers of:rhetoric and no oratorical flights, but strong and powerful argument, in the course of which he examined the House journals from the lime he himself entered Congress up to very late period, and scrutinized the votes of Willard Fill. more on all occasions where questions in the remotest manner touching the subject of slavery were before the House. MT. Rves piled up evidence, "mountain high. " to convict Mr. Fillmore of being an ABO- LIT1ONlST! If to be found voting on all occasions with Sladc, Adams x Co.,, for the reception and reference of aboli. tion petitions, if to be found voting with the same patriotic "lovers of liberty" upon a petition for the abolition of slavery and tho slave trade in the District of Colum. bia, for a reference of the same to d com. mittee, acith instructions to report bili for that purpose, constitute man an abo- tionist, then is the evidence against Mil lard Fillmore of the most conclusive character.
 We are happy to hear from MT, Rives that he designs engaging actively in ihe canvass until the 7th of November ali though for a long time past he has had ve. ] ry little to do with politics. We wish that every man in Virginia cold have heard the speech delivered by him before the Demo. cratic Association. His speeches, nc doubt, will have most telling effect
 We were still more rejoiced to hear thai pamphlet is in course of preparation, by Mir. Drinkard, editor of the Petersburg Republican, which will contain the num- berless votes of MT. Fillmore, extracted from the House journals, always againsi the shareholder and with the Abolitionists. The very existence of the Union may de. pend upon proper decision of the Prcsi dental question, and such pamphlets generally circulated throughout the South, cahnot fail to have a most important in. fluence, in bring about such a decision.