Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-01-25

is lNIee lnOuSdUt' mleS, thiouSn 'N'
seus and mountains Of snow. II would nearly
cost The price Of negro 10 take him there, anu
when there he would be valueless. And no ono
knew this better than Mr.. Winthrop; for, IN MS
Oregon speech. he denounced the country as al
most unfit for The residence OF man. In Inc case
we have put, could any thing more clearly
show morbid abolition feeling Than 10 one'
such provso 10 such bil!7-yet would any
one vote against The bill VINO oei'e'eu II
necessary in other respects because con-
tanned the Observation-Disclosures because 'n'
operaIive-proviso1 We presume not. IL any
statement was necessary 10 shew that The Young
for The Oregon Bill alter Mr.. Winthrops pIoviso
was added, wasno appreciation OF the pEoViso IT,
sell, the fact which MIR. Cabell mentions, mat 10
1915 every Southern Democrat, with but 'nfee
exceptions, yoled for The bill with the proVi'o III
il, as did al least one of the Southern WINGS
and also The fact 10 which lhe Wing refers, that
at the last session twenly-lbree Southern Demo-
erals voted Tor il, under similar circumstances
would be conclusive.
But the Wing has found out. and it proclaims,
with great flourish OF !rumpets, that Mr.. w.
Davis voted tor The Winthrop proviso and tina.
subsequently, The Southern Democrats voted for
him as Speaker.
Now we do not mean 10 justify BY any means,
Mr.. DIS vote on the occasion referred 10. But,
we humbly submit that there is a great deal OF
difference in Northern or Western man voting
for such proposition when it is forced upon him,
and in coming forward gratuitously TO propose it.
The vote in question, was given under peculiar
circumstances. AT thai time the Democrats oflhe
North and West, among them Mr.. Davis. were
zeal"usly uniting with the Democracy Of The
South 10 favor Of the annexation of Texas. The
measure was opposed by the Wings as calcu-
lated and as exclusively designed TO extend the
institution OF slavery, and its Northern friends
were denounced as pro-,lavery men, They sup
ported il with no such view, and they did not
wish TO give color 10 the accusation. Under these
circumstances The Winthrop Proviso, against all
precedent and cut Of place, was offered, and many
OF the Northern Democrats voed fol it with great
reluctance They never would have proposed it
and they would not have voted Tor il under dill.
ferent state Of The CASE We state This in justice
but without any design 10 justify vote which
we disapprove. But under what circumstances
was il that Mr.. Davis was voted for as Speaker
by Southern Democrats 7 Let US contrast them
with those under which the Southern Wings voted
for MIR. Winthrop.
Al The time OF Mr.. Davis election the doctrine
of the Wmot Proviso had attracted but lille no
tice. Prior thereto The agitation OF the slavery
question had been on abolition petitions. AT the
time MIR. Winthrop offered his Proyiso 10 the Or.
egon Bill, i! was looked upon as merely maniles.
talion OF his anl-slavery feeling; as far as prac
lical results were concerned, a "brutsm fulmen."
Under these circumstances il attracted but lille
notice, and no scrutiny was had as 10 the votes oil
members OF Congress upon it. But it was very
different al the time OF Mr.. Winihrop's election.
In The mean time it had become the all absorbing
question. At the lime OF Mr.. Davis election no
reference was had to it; a, the time Of Mr.. Win
throp's it was the alabsorbng question, and there
was scarcely any reference 10 any other.
Mr.. Davi. was not voted form the Democratic
caucus, as We are informed, BY the Southern
members, and portion OF them did not vote for
him in The House. Mr.. Holmes informs US that
Mr.. Winthrop was nominated in The Wing eau
Gus by the vote Of Southern Wings, against those
OF The North. When The vote was taken in the
House, in Mr. Davis case, MIR. Vinton of Ohio
was his competitor, who was even acceptable TO
MIR. Giddngs. In Mr.. Wnhrop's case, Boyd OF
Kentucky was his competitor.
Now, what we complained Of in Mr.. Winthrop,
and what We think ought 10 have made him o.
noxous TO every Southern man, is not so much
his opposition 10 slavery. We know that most
N~-,ho-- -u,,,,,h;-- 9Th h;., ~ ,h-t pnr
il was bis offensive and sratuilous introduction OF
the subject into Congress. And We cannot forget
| the time when il was done. We all know that
priorto lo45, the agitation ofthis subject had been
very fearful. A hue aud cry was raised bout
The right OF petition; and The Wings told us, "re-
peal your twenty first rule; receive their petitions;
| lay them on the table without action, and thus
lake from the abolilionisis The pTeext OF vinji.
eating the sacred right OF petition, and you viii
hear no more Of them in Congress-" But oar
Southern Statesmen predicted otherwise. They
said, 'iaKe from The abolilonisIs this psetex for
| agitation and they will soon find anoiher-war
| upon Us is their object, and they never will be
long whouta prelext." Nevertheless, under the
Influence of the first views presented, the rule was
| repealed al The beginning Of the session OF "a,
Ms. IT was no sooner d ne, than the pre- LECTION
OF Southern Democrats was verified. In Decem-
Der, 1874, the 2l.t rule was repealed. On the l,t
Of seb. 1915, MIR. Winthrop proposed his pro-
vso to the Oregon Bill, and since then the anti
slavery agitation has not been upon abolition pe-
liuns; but upon Winthrop and H'Im0t Provi.
soes
But we made second issue, which neither the
Wing or Mr. Cabel has dcisned 10 notice We
recall their attention 10 il. II was n these words:
"When the Three Million Bill was before the
House. al The session before the last Mr.. Win
throp rosc in his place and made mos; violent
speech against it. He commended, that the ey-
tent Of confidence which it reposed in The Presi-
dent was inconsistent with The spirit OF our Free
Institutions, and pronounced that The passage OF
it would be vote OF general confidence in the
President, which he did not entertain. At the
time he spoke, Inc Wilmo, Provisu had not
been attached to il. Ii was afterwards added =
Now be 1t remembered, it removed none OF the
objections which Mr.. Winthrop had made. 1t
did not ad i!ess Itself to them al ALL Yet il was
no sooner affixed, than Mr. Winthrop changed
his ground and voted Tor The bill, aud Wing OF
the House rebuked him very severely Tor it
Could anything show his abolition feelings sron-
ger than this7 He was so anxious Tor Congress
20 assert them, that he votes for bill with the
Wilmol Proviso upon il, which he had vehem-
q. n,al mi nd hon
viso obviaIed none Of his objections 10 the BILL"
For The edfcalon Of these gentlemen we will
quote from The speech referred 10. Mr.. Win
throp said; "What was the bill7 A bill to place
two millions of dollars al the disposal of The Pre-
siden "ior any extraordinary emergencies which
might arise out of our intercourse with foreign
nations" Not wo:d about peace; not word
about Mexico; not syllable about The disputed
boundaries Gu the Rio Grande. Il was vote OF