Columbus Democrat., 1849-08-11
LETTEk ERoM eEN. CAss.
DErRoIT. luIY 10, ls49.


DETRoIr. lpy 10, ls4s.
DEAR CIR am much obliged to you for III,
extracts You have sent me, and for calling m,
a"eaIlohto the remarks Of somo Of the whig pa
pers upon letter from the editor Of the New
iorN Courier and Enquirer, published in thai
journal short time since, and in which an ef.
P'' Is mace ny those papers 10 convict me IN
slAceIty am sure YOU will bear me witness
SA1 l nave been heretofore pretty patient under
sall'Ar attacks, some Of them as remarkable 70,
>ae'f 'lsaence as Tor their alsehood--remarka,
D's sFea N mis- country, where political aresti
e'Aohs pre- So prone u degenerate into personal
4Hase and had supposed, as the motive had
p@'sea away Slih The occasion. that | should be
@to"eu reasonable measure of Justice by our
"YPoheAis even Il my opaoas or course should
nc deemed worthy Of examination. But the re.
suit shows aat have been deceived; and as no
considerations OF propriely connected with nv
position now forbid me from defending my con.
SIslencY choose 10 do 80 in the present instance,
not only because the charge is specially prefer.
req, but because !. is calculated 10 place me in
iase position before the public.
have delayed writing to you for some days,
awaiting the return OF Col Webb, who has zone
on an excursion to the Upper Lakes, as | did
not wish to refer to him thus publicly, wilhou,
previous conversation with him; but he has
not yet returned, nor dn know when he will .
and as am unwitiiug to be subject 10 such inn.
pu'a'ons, without applying the proper corrective,
nave determined 10 delay this answer no longer
have known oil Webb from his boyhood, and
have never ceased TO esteem him. Our person.
al relations have always been kind. Divided in
po'lncs, we haze not ceased to be friends and
nc viii be as much surprised as was at the dis.
ingenious Efforts 10 convert his cierinto proof of
my lnconsisieRcy-an idea am sure, that never
occurred to him. Nothing | state ia this letter
will be called IN question by Col. Webb ana I
may add. that Mg. &;reeleys remarks are writ.
ten IN no unjust spirit; and though | canno,
commend his care to ascertain the truth, | d.
not condemn The split o his article. Whatever
his brethren Of the waig press may do, believe
he is disposed 10 do me justice.
an accused OF inconsistency, amounting 10
dishonesty in my opinions concerning a protec-
tive Tariff nterna! improvements, and The ex.
feasiea Of slavery. The first shall dismiss very
briefly, but very explicitly. The Baltimore res
olulions contain my sentiments in regard 10 a tar.
i'll. And neither 10 Col. Webb nor 10 any other
man have | uttered word inconsistent with
thom. voted for the iaritfof l546 and though
there were some things should have been glad
10 see Otherwise lant whore are there not, in
such compcatei questions J yet gave it my
hearty support. luerer exchanged word with
Col. Webb on the subject oil protective tariff in
my lie. Nor does lie say did. Why he sup
posed favored il, know not. Il is enough to
say he is ia error, as are all who form similar
conclusion.
In the course Of conversation between Col.
Webb and myself referred to the last presi>
dental contest, and to the palpablc injustice
which had been done me By the whig press and
politicians in holding up my letter to the Chica-
80 Convention as an evidence Of my hostility TO
all improvements. however general and nccessa.
~, by Congress, and to my letter to Mr.. Mich,
olson as evidence olmy desire that slavery should
be established in the territories ceded by Mexi.
60 io lie United States. ! called these efforts
The hamjvgs Of the day, as they were, and must
now bo confessed to haze been by every candid
man. In neither of these letters is there to be
found one syllable favorable 70 the constructions
tus put upon them. Tho letter to the Chicago
Conventin makes aot the most distant auslon 10
the question finternal Improvements. A person
may be the greatest aitudnarian, or the srictesi
consiauclonist, and Yet have written that letter
with perfect consistency simply because all il does
IN to decline being present on that OCCASION
The lftttr 10 Mr.. Nicholson examines and de.
nicsths power of Congress to pass the Wimo,
Prose-, aid eadearors to show that the measure
would be iaexpcdicnt aud unnecessary, even If i
were constitutional. This i It's extent There
isnot init, from beginning TO end, one word 90,
ing to show my opinion was that slavery woull
BIZ eslablised there, or my wish that it should BIZ
established there. al this viii surprise man,
good men who yet retain the impressions thel
received during a period of excitement, anc
which they gained itonl the press, too often pur'
suing its object without regard to the higher con
siderations ofjas;ce. Let him VINO doubts wha
say on the subject Of the letters, turn 10 then
and read for himself To tho law and to ths
testimony.
Twill now ask Mr.. Grssley--for respect hi,
candor--what has my letter to gentlemen VIII,
invited me to attend the Chicago Convention, Il
do with my opinions upon the subject Of nterna
improvements Twas asked to attend that con
venlion and that was all that was asked
answered that should not attend and tina
was all answered. And yet this answer, as
have already stated, was circulated from cne en-
ofthe Union to the other during the late presi
dental contest, as conclusive evidence ofmy hos
tility to any improvement BY the general govern
mont, be the character d the object what
might, | had supposed the device had serve
its purposes, and was among the things that hav
been. Little did anticipate that man Of NJ
Greeloy's intelligence and reputation for integr
" wouIl revive this exploded charge, and wou