Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1848-09-07
Ulrginia fref Dress
'THURSDlT M0RNTNo..'


Referring 70 ne last procc.a;n,. - Z, y. =
On me OsssOn BIN. he Petersburg ln,.ll;,-nr,-
has some remarks which fx indcIIblr M, NJ.
Democrats n Congress the odinn Of beS-,;,-
sne Souih when the cfisis came. aThe sen,,s
seceasn i'9m - psndnenIz o ihe otteon Bin.
s1u e.s'''a :. :, y House, Ni,kn,,t
the Missouri corpromise. buturru rur wumor
Rs9 y, s'y upol ne final vote, II democrats vo
promise and - ~ ,he Missouri Com
Every vote from the sIayeholding SlaEjiso.a
cept those ofMr. Housioa and Mr. Benton, (b0th
Of whom, Be it observed, are leading democrats,
was cast against the proposition. The utmost
excitement prevailed among the Southern mem.
bers of both parties.
The vote stood % to 25, 50 that il Mr.. Houston
and Mr.. Benton had been true to the South, il
would have been lie, and one single natural
ally" would have turned the scale, and saved us.
But Benton and Houston deserted us-not one Of
Nh. aalliesn came 10 the rescue--and the obnox-
ious measure Wa. forced upon the South. We
callupon The people (says ne Iassllizencer,1 to
this fact when they are listening to thoseWhe
boldly tell them that the only safety for the right:
Of the South, is in the hands Of Northern Dem.
ocrat Will they trust in professions and pro
misses, however noisy or ofien repeated, when the
votes Of the party thus convict them Of abandon.
ing the South in her extremity, and forcing upor
her, whenthere was no practical occasion for il
an unconstitutional, oppressive, and unequal
doctrine, against which she protested as one
man Z $50
After referring TO the denunciations poured
OUT upon the eight Southern Wings, who, with
% Democrats, defeated the first Compromise,
the Intenigencer forcibly asks--"what have they
now to say of their own men,-of Houston aDC
Benton, conspicuous leaders in the party, -wbC
deserted the South upon this vital and absorbing
question, upon which every Southern man il
Congress, besides themselves, was agreed. l
the eight Southern Wings might have secured
the passage of an Objectionable and deceptive
Compromise upon which the opinions O.
Southern men were greatly divided, the two
Southern Democrats might have defeated The
Wilmot Proyiso, upon which the whole South
was united in opinion"
"But this is not all lit is as nothing compared
to The sequel. II we could have fore.old the de-
sertion Of our natural allies" in this extremity
Iii We could even have foreseen that Southern
Democratic Senators would betray Us, - We could
never have brought ourselves 10 apprehend more
than the passase &c The measure By Congress-
There was yet one hope for us, one power tina
might save us,-there was yet the conservative
power, the power given to shield the minori
to.n-the power provided to maintain the integ
rity Of the Constitution, and, above ALL to protec
the rights of the South the veto Of the president
might yet avert the calamity"
"The Democratic party in the South had stakeC
their fortunes on this question the canvass wa.
made turn mainly upon Il Gen. Taylor wa.
bitterly denounced, because il was inferred, as
possible thing, that he might not veto The Provi
so;--the South were conIured and admonished t
vote for no man who would not pledge himself L
crush the obnoxious measure by his veto;--th,
Southern men in Congress had, all, except Ben
ton and Houston, voted against the Biil;--th
Democrats had told us that the veto Is the shield
and security Of the South; and with all thes
things before us, we could not doubt that MI
| Polk would interpose his veto TO save us. T.
/ have doubted ii would have brought down upoT
the ridicule, il not the curses, of our Democrat
ic friends, who would probably have thought Q
= t,adingns to w illiamsburg. But, notwithstand
: PROKISO.heR Bill was not vetoed: the Sout
i. Thus j is that even Mr.aiiituiion was not de
/ oomlnabe thing; Gen. Taylor win Iif6r Presi
himself to veto the Wilmot Proviso. AZ he A
not pledge himself on any subject, and he Is 4
bounced as an abolitionist and traitor 4, +
oo1ln: Mr. FOLK does not veto, but approves
Democratic What now becomes NJ ,5e !. :
argument against Gen Taylor,-what becam
Of the platform, what becomes Of The ~
zeaioi our Democratic friends who fight cain
lne Proyiso as the very essence OF ali ibat e M
we ana oppressive TO The South AGAIN 4
ask WIZ the people thus submit to be duped -