The Woodville Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1847-1853, 1850-06-11
LETTER OF Y
ALBERT q. BROWN
TO HIS CONSTITUENTS.

strong sense of duty, to sddrss TO you this
communication If it shall seem to you
more appropriate that l should have deiv-
cred those sentiments which follow, in the
form of speech in the House of Represen.
tatives, reply, that the difficulty Of obtain
ing the foor interposes at adj times serious
obstacles to that mode of address. At this
period of excitement, when events of the
greatest consequence are pursuing each 9TH
er in rapid succession, it appears to me nei.
ther wise nor safe to risk the doubtful
chances of an early opportunity of address,
ing you through the ordinary medium of a
Congressional speech.
Events of the utmost magnitude are
uanspring at the seat of the National Gov
ernment. In these events you have deep
Interest, and would not leave you a single
day in ignorance Of my views, or in, doubt
as to the manner in which mean to dis
charge the high and important trusts which
your partialityhas devolved upon me-
tits well known to you that the people in
California, following the lead of Gen, Riley,
an officer of the United States army station
Jed in that country, took upon themselves,
during the last summer, the responsible
task of forming State constitution, and SET
ting up State government in that territory
This proceeding has been extensively crit
icised, and very generally condemned as al
together anomalous and irregular. 1t is no
part of my present purpose to follow up
these criticisms. That the whole proceed
ing was irregular and in total disregard Of
the rights of the South, is beyond dispute
That it was baSely fraudulent, have ever
believed and do now believe. That the peo-
pie in that country were prompted to the
course pursued by them, by the secret spies
and agents sent out from Washington, ]
have never doubted for single moment
That they were induced to insert the "Wil-
mot proviso," in their so-caed State con-
stitutiin, by assurances held out to them
that such a course would facilitate their ad-
mission into the Union of these States, l as
religously believe as doin the existence of
an overruling Providence.
Pursuing the idea that there had been H.
legitimate influences at work to produce
particular results i'll California, | on two
several occasions introduced into the House
of Representatives resolutions directing a
searching inquiry into all the facts. But
the dominant power would give no counte-
nance to my object. ss-
l.
California, and published in the Republic
newspaper in this city, that at was every
where understood in that country, that the
President desired the people of California to
settle the slavery question for themselves" !"
/ endeavored to bring the public mind to
bear on this point and in a card published
in the Republic, inquired chow it came to
be everywhere thus understood; )" but no
response was ever made to the inquiry.
The semi-ofIicial declaration, however,
quiekened my suspicious that some one had
spoken as By authority for the President.
Thomas Butler King, Esq, one of the
Presidents agents in California, has repeat
edly.declared that the California Convention
was held under the sanction Of President
Polk and Secretaries Buchanan and Marcy
and that it was to these fuuctonares Gen.
Riley made allusion when he said to the
people in that country that he was acting in
compliance with the views of the President,
md the Secretaries of War and of State.
mir. Polk is dead, and the two ex-Secreta-
fies positively deny the truth of Mr.. Kings
declaration.
If Gen. Riley stated officially to the peo.
ple of California on the Sd of June, 1649,
the date of his proclamation, THE President,
THE Secretary Of War, and THE Secretary oi
State approved his conduct--meaning there'
by Mr.. Polk, MIR. Buchanan, and Mr.. Mar.
fcy--it was fraud upon the people of Cali
fornia. The statement could only have
been made with view to give the highest
o0ScsaI sanction to his conduct, and he knew
perfectly well that all three of the gentlemen
alluded TO, were private citizens at the date
Of his proclamation. When he said THE
President, he meant to give the weight o.
presidential influence to his acis He meant
that the people should understand him a:
alluding to the man in power, and not to a
retired gentlemen and private citizen.
Mr.. King undertakes to prove that he is
right in his declaration, and asserts that the
steamer which carried him to California was
the first arrival in that country. after Gen
Taylor Inauguration, and THAT she conVey
ed the first intelligence that Congress had
failed to provide q goueynment for thar ter
Yitory,." and by way of giving point to hi.
declaration in this respect, he asserts tnat
he landed for the first time at San Fraucis
CO, on the 4th day of June; that Gen. RILEY
was then at Monterey distant about on,
hundred and fifty miles, and that he (Ir
King) did not see him, (Riley,) or have any
~ communication with him; and that tn,
proclamation calling the California Conyen
tion, bore date June Sd, l849. Thus rem
dering it impossible, as he assumed, tina
said proclamation could have been based OF
information received from the present Pres
ident and his Secretaries through his, MI
Kings, arrival. Unfortunately Tor the ac
cnracy Of these statements aud the legitims
cy Of the conclusions Gen Riley con
i mences his proclamation with the emphati