The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-07-28
TRUMAN SMITH.

TRUMAN SMITH.
II is neither with view 10 defend the
honorable TRUMAN SMITH, nor to retort the
foul aspersions of the Union upon members
of its party, that we propose to submit
some facts and observations suggested by
recent articles in that paper. 1t is to ex-
pose the motive and policy Of the Union
in pitching its opposition to SO low a key
that it is driven to Billingsgate for vocab-
ulary suited to its denunciations of distin-
guished members of the Wing party. The
ground of its late attack upon Mr.. Smith
is, that he, Senator of the United States,
has written circulars to the Wings in seve-
raj States in which elections are to take
place, urging upon them the importance Of
having Wing majority in the House Of
Representatives in Congress, and the ne
cessity of prompt and vigorous action to
accomplish that object. We apprehend
that there are few Wings in the United
States, who do not agree with Mr.. Smith
in this particular, and that there are none
who have not written the same thing if
they have written any thing upon the sub
ject. The Union then asserts that MIR.
Smith is paid for his services; that he is
the confidential agent of the Cabinet; and
that his labors in the Wing cause are con-
Quoted under the supervision and advice of
the Cabinet, SC. For all of which import
ant news it is indebted to its own inven-
tion--a laboratory from which any sort of
facts are turned out to suit all kinds of
customers.
Upon these grounds the Union vents its
rage in assailing the character of Mr..
Smith, in number of articles which have
scarcely had their equals in slang and
vituperation. 1t is certainly in the me-
mory of every one who took part in the
politics Of the last year, that Democratic
Executive Committee was appointed for
this city, "to aid, as the committee in
circulars stated, by such means as may be
within their reach, the efforts of their
friends in other parts of the Union in the
pending Presidential canvass" We have
a circular of this celebrated committee be-
fore us il urges the party to be {" well
organized, active, vigilant, sndenergetic. Z"
II promised to g send valuable conpila-
tions'' to their friends, which would &c be
forwarded, and franked, and directed to any
part of the Union" twas recommended
that clubs should be formed, and money
sent, postpaid, to B. B. French. The cir
cular is signed by the honorable H. S.
Foote, "a Senator in Congress from Mis-
sissippi,) Edmund Burke, (then Commits
sioner of Patents and w. ]. Brown,
Second Assistant Postmaster at the time. }
1t is for doing some of the things this
committee did, that Mr.. Smith is now as
sailed. Mr.. Foote was, and is, a Senator
of the United States, as Mr.. Smith is now;
and if there was any thing incompatible
between the dignity of Senator and the
duties of such committee, why was it
not then discoveredl Mr.. Foote had a
perfect right to serve upon such COM
mittee, and Mr.. Smith has an equal right
to address his fellow Wings throughout the
U nion-unless Locofoco Convention can
invest American citizens with rights and
privileges which the Constitution does not
confer upon him.
The case of Mr.. Burke is different.
He was an officer under the Government,
drawing salary of $4,000 per annum, as
Commissioner Of Patents. If 1T is abomi-
nable in Mr.. Smith to send circular to
the Wings, what shall we say Of an Ex-
ecutive officer who made il his business to
enter into the political arena, in defiance
Of the Jefersonian rule, and bring the pa.
tronage of office in conflict with the free
dom Of elections No one was more
conspicuous or busy than Mr.. Burke dur
ing the last elections; and whatever the
Union now says of Mr.. Smith, applies
with double force to the ex-Commissioner
of Patents. The difference between the
is, that the Union invents facts to help
out its accusations, whilst those we state
are recorded and notorious.
Mr.. Burke is now one of the editors of
the Union; and if that journal had, in its
philippics against Mr.. Smith, inserted the
name of Mr.. Burke, it would have but paid
its proprietor fitting and merited compli-
ment II is allowable in a newspaper to
accuse its editor of behaving stability, for
it may be readily supposed to speak I" from
authority" in that particular matter.
THE FLORIDA INDIANS.