The State guard., 1848-09-05
Hon. H. $. Foot.
To the Editor of the Union


 to the newspapers of the country. have been in general altogether indifferent, and in all cases hertofore have been absolute ly silent. Nor should vary frommy or di mary course upon the present occasion, but that its feared by others, whose coun- sel greatly respect, that silence on my pa rt might be construed into a tacit acqul- es cence in certain misrepresentations, which, if efiectual, might by possibility do more or less injury to cause to which my life has been devoted. l find myself charged with having declared, during the last hours ct the session of the United States Senate, that Cass and Butler, in consequence of the conduct of some of their northern friends in Congress on the Oiegon question, would loose iheiwhole vote ot the southern States in the approaching presidential election. Now this is not on- . ly wholly without foundation, but is most ridicuously false. What did say, in sub stance, was this: It will be borne in mind, that tho Oregon bill had been returned to us from the House with our amendments to it stricken out. There was reason to believe, had committee of conference been allowed Us, in accordance with we'll known legislative usages, that satisfacto- ry compron se of all the matters in con- troversy could yet have been effected. Various facts were stated by myself and others, showing, as think, conclusively, that compromise might still have been attained through committee of confer ence. The senator from Illinois, MT. Douglas who had principal charge of the Oregon bill, had consented to committee of conference, and had even urged it upon the Senate with his own characteristic raanliness and ability. Other distinguish ed democratic senators from the North were more than wiling to try the experi- rnent of committee of conference. Un- der such circumstances, the senator from Missouri (Mr. Benton) insisted upon his motion to recede from our amendments which, taking precedence of the motion to refer the subject to committee of con- ference, would cut off, if successful all hope of present compromise. We had struggled for committee of conference during the whole of Saturday night. Sun. day morning had arrived, when l took oc- casion, in the course of a speech running through some fifteen or twenty minutes, to warm certain senators against the possi- ble consequences ot their vigorously coer- cive course. urged upon them that their conduct was likely to be regarded as eyin- cing settled hostility and contempt for the South aud southern men. went so far even as to express fear that this in discretion and seeming illberaiity migh, have the effect of weakening our presiden- tialtickct in some quarters of the South. or might at least impose upon its southern advocates heavy and oppressive burden of explanation. 1 bcsought them earnestly yette allow committee of conference, and thus place our ticket beyond the reach of misrepresentation and injury; avowing, all the while, that knew Gen. Cass to be thoroughly sound on the Wilnnt Proviso question, and that I should De the last man in the Union to fersakc him. When Sun day had passed away, and Monday nor. ming was in progress, the Senate was again in session. Southern mcn had reflected well upon all that had occurred. Southern democrats had conferred together. They bore in mind that northern dem crats, in both houses of Congress, had been sus- taining the constitutional rights of the South, and been laboring to secure cur safety, when northern whigs, to man, had proved hostile, and even a few southern men had shown themselves unmindlul or regardless of southern interests.
 They recollected thatexplicit assurance had been given us by the senator from Illinois, [Mr. Douglas,l with his own characteristic frankness, that he and his friends would again unite with southern men next winter, as they had done alrea- dy in the session of Congress now closed, 10 bring about such compromise, as to the territories of New Mexico and Cali fornia, as that for which we had been con- tending. We knew that Dickinson, and Douglas, and Hannegan, and Bright, and Sturgeon, and Cameron, and other good and true democrats from the free States of ahc north, in both houses of Congress, .would s,iH be with us. We resolved to trust to the assurances Of our brethren xho have already, in so many fierce en-
 
 confidence {; and accordingly, when on Monday morning the Senate again assem- bled at nine o'clock, and motion was made to suspend the I7th joint rule of the 1wo houses, which prohibits the presenta- Zion of a 5iH or joint resolution to tue Pressdem for his approbation on the lust day of fse session, without the suspension of which r9le the Oregon bill could not have become law; when, as Mir. Cal houn emphatically observed, tke Jiu stood Aefeated according to parliamentary rules; when all acknowledged that it was com aletely at the mercy of the South. we re- solved, on full consultation, and on the as- surances above mentioned, to spare it j; and, after any attempt or two to amend the resolution. was authorized to rise in my place and announce that all further opposi- tion, would be relirquished, and thus the aOrego,. bill did become z lsin- This is the asum and substance of what occurred or .-.s--- II Al.