The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1848-09-06
LETTER OF HON. IT. S. FOOTE.


LETTER OF HON. II. S. FOOTE.
The letter of Senator Foote to the Editor OF
the Union, which we annex, refers to matters OF
Importance to the South:
To The Editor of the Union:
SlR:-To The numerous and oftentimes de-
nunciamentory structures upon my conduct as
public man. which find their way info the news.
papers of The country. have been in general
altogether Indifferent, and in all cases hereto
fore have been absolutely silent. Nor should
| vary from my ordinary course upon the pre-.
sent occasion. but that it is feared by others,
whose counsels greatly respect, that silence
on my part might be construed into tacit ac.
quescence in certain misrepresentation, which,
if effeclual, might by possibility do more or less
injury TO a cause 10 which my Lille has been de-.
voted. find myself charged with having de.
clared during the last hours of the session of
the United States Senate, that Cass and Butler,
in consequence of the conduct of some Of their
Northern friends in Congress upon the Oregon
question, would lose the whole vote OF the
Southern States in the approaching Presiden.
! tial election. Now this is not only wholly
without foundation, bu, is most ridiculously false
What did say. in substance, was this 1t will
be horne in mind, that the Oregon bill had been
returned to us from the House with our amend
mcnts to it stricken out. There was reason to
believe, had Committee of Conference been
allowed us, in accordance with well.known
legislative usages, that satisfactory compro
mise Of all the matters in controversy could yet
have been effected Various facts we're stated
by myself and others. showing, rs think, con.
clusivey. that compromise might still have
! been attained through a committee conference.
The Srnotor from Illinois, Mr.. Dougas,) who
had principal charge of the Oregon bill, had
consented 10 committee of conference, and
had even urged it upon the Senate with his own
characteristic manliness and ability. Other
distinguished democratic Senators from the
North were more than willing to try the expe.
riment of committee Of conference. Under
such circumstances, the Senator from Missouri
! (Mr. Bcnton) insisted upon his motion to re-
cedc from our amendments, which, taking pre-.
cedence Of the motion to refer the subject to
committee Of conference, would cut off, if slIc-
cessful, all hope of present coTo-em'se. We
had struggled for a committee of conference
during the whole Of Saturday night.
Sunday morning had arrived, when took
occasion, in the course Of speech running
through some fifteen or twenty minutes, to warn
certain Senators against the possible conse.
quences of their vigorously coercive course.
urged upon them that their conduct was likely
to be regarded as evincing settled hostility and
contempt for the South and Southern men. l
went so far even as TO express fear that their
indiscreton and seeming illibcralIty might have
the effect Of weakening our Presidential ticket
in some quarters of the South, or mil ght al least
impose upon its Southern advocates heavy
and impressive burden of explanation. be-
sought them earnestly yet to allow committee
of conference, and thus place our ticket beyond
the reach Of misrepresentation and injury;
avowing all the while that knew Gen. Cass
10 be thoroughly sound on the Wilmot Proviso
question. and that should be the last man in
the Union to forsake him. When Sunday had
passed away, and Monday morning was in pro.
ercss, the Senate was again in session. South
ern men had reflected we'll upon all that had
occurred. Southern Democrats had conferred
together. They bore in mind that Northern
Democrats, in both Houses of Congress, had
been sustaining the constitutional rights OF the
South, and been laborng 10 secure our safety,
when Northern Whigs,to to man, had proved
hostile, and even few Southern men had
showed themselves unmindful or regardless Of
Southern interests. They recollected that ex.
plicit assurance had been given us by the SEN
ator from Illinois. Mr.. Douglas, with his own
characteristic frankncss, that he and his friends
would again unite with Southern men next win
ter. as they had done already in the session Of
Congress now closed, to bring about such
COMPROMISE as 10 the territories OF New Mex.
CO and California, as that for which we had
been conicnding.
knew that Dickinson, and Douglas, and
Hannegan. and Bright, and Sturgeon. and Ca
meron, and other good and true Democrats,
from the free States Of the North, in both Hon.
scs of Congress, would still be with us. We
resolved TO trust to the assurances OF our breth'
rem who have already. in so many hercc en-.
counters proved themselves worthy oi conn.
dence; and accordingly, when on Monday NOR.
ming the Senate again assembled at nine o'clock,
and motion was made to suspend the lin
Joint rule of the two houses, which prohibit the
presentation bill or joint resolution TO The Pre-.
siden, for his appreciation on the last day Of me
session, without the suspension OF which rule
the Oregon bill could not have become a law;
when, as Mr.. Calhoun emphatically observed,
the bill stood defeated according parliamentary
rules; when all acknowledged it was complete.
ly at the mercy Of the South, we resolved on
full consultation, and on the assurances above
mentioned, to spare It,; and, alter an attempt or
two TO amend the resolution, was authorized
to rise in my place and announce that all fur
,her opposition would be relinquished, and thus
the Oregon bill did become a ldu.
! This is the sum and substance of what oc'
cured on that interesting occasion. Ii this
seems to indicate an inclination on my part to
abandon our nominees, what will be thought OF
| IL l.nzt &C Nirninia nn the