Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-02-25
GENERAL, CASS.

Gen. Cass made, certainly, a remarkable and
impressive speech on Thursday. We regret that
we are unable to insert it to-day. He seems to us
to speak like man whose own experience has
bitterly convinced him of the error of indirectlon
and nsincerity, and is determined by candid avow-
ais to atone for the fault What Gen. Cass per-
mitted the politicians of the whole Union to dis
pute about, when word from him would set all
controversy on the point at rest, he now explains
without any sort of equivocation. Referring to
| the dissatisfaction of Southern gentlemen with
his late speech, for acknowledging the right OF
the people of territory to exclude slavery If
they please, be now says:
at is that part of my Nicholson letter relating 10 the
Territories which understand Is the object OF animal
version-I may say indeed, of How different
opinions could exist respecting the meaning OF that part
OF nv letter cannot conjecture. These are the words
| quote them here, though not in my speech:
"It the interference OF Congress) should be limited
to the creation oproper government TOR new countries
acquired or settled and to the necessary provision leav
ing the mean time to the people inhabiting them to
regulate their own concerns In their own way
But sir independent Of this obvious view, 1may safe
ly appeal many Southern gentlemen who were here
when that letter was written and who are here now, to
say whether they do not know that this was my
ing at the time? There Of them within my
eye at this moment
Here Mr. Butler, of South Carolina, and Mr. Davis,
of Mississippi, and others sgniied their assent =,
IL might have added in my speech, what will take
the liberty OF adding here that the proudest and most
grateful testimonial have received has recently
reached me from the Democratic members Of the Lee
gsature of Tennessee. shall treasure the recollection
of it through life In that letter am told as follows
"Your late speech in the Senate Of the United States
on the Wimot proviso is most triumphant vlndcaton
of the position heretofore assumed by you that Con-
gress has power under the constitution to legislae
upon NEEDLE with the subject of slavery, either
in the States Territories, and is complete defence
of the rights of the savehodng States and of the peo
pie OF all States and Territories, to form and regulate
| their social and municipal institutions
want no better endorsement than this OF the correct
ness OF my views and OF the consistency with which
have maintained Them 1t full compensation tor all
| the attacks have experienced here or elsewhere
| We feel no surprise at Gen. Cass's reterenceto
the passage he quotes from the Nicholson letter.
| We never had the slightest doubt of his meaning.
But we confess we are surprised at the acknow-
| ledgment of Democratic Senators that when the
Nicholson letter was written, deykneao his mean
| ing to be as he now declares it. How then could
they, faithful guardians of the public veal, suf
| fer the Democratic party of nearly every South
ern State to plant itself upon the position that he
| meant precisely what they knew he did not mean ?
The conclusion of Gen. Casss remarks was as
follows:
Where all this Sectional excitement) is to end
am presumptuous enough to try to foretell Hard
thoughts are folio wedby hard words and if these are
not followed by hard blows it will be owing more the
mercy OF God than to the wisdom or moderation of
man will merely remark in conclusion, that the
a peaceable disoluti9 q of the Union He will pardon
me for saying that Ihope no:pnsswll delude himself
with any such expectation. IT td9es not bring disap-
intment, the history OF the world. has been written
10 mo purpose. In political convulsioas like tina,
which would attend the breaking up of tfisscoedsracy,
the appeal from reason to force is sure follow as
the night succeeds the day May He who guided our IA
| safety.