The primitive Republican. (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-1852, 1851-01-09

The Presidential canvass Of 1913 found us, ia
The clconercd Ncourse Of human events, ar
rayesl aasaonost tie II tose who snocee-
ded in pronaotinusto the Chief Nfagsstracy Of the
nation a patriotswhosep public and private virtues
at least, are now acknowledged BY all, and whose :
character of genuine republicanisn has .chal- |
lenged the eloquent eulogy even Of political OPP
poneMts. Peace 10 his ashes q
s Ifthere.i one act of our whole political life
which we review with peculiar .complacency, il
is thatslnder all the circumstances fthes case,
and with all the issues presented, we assisted in !
the election of Gen. Zachary Taylor to the Pres
idensy of the United States. While a detailed
statement of the considerations which then in
fueneed our course. cannot be enumerated here.
we may remark thatin view of the absorbing is
sue which then as now agitafed the country, the
recent Reputation of Gen. Cass bysa large num-
Der Of his southern friends jnstifies our refusal
to silppert him, If itdoes not vindcate our vote
FOR his Opponent
The readers our paper were never at any
loss to understand our position in regard 10 the
important issue referred to--the slavery scontro-
versy. We are and always have been stediast
advocate of the doctrine that Congress is con-
sttutionally bound TO pass all necessary regula-a
tons for the protection Of property of all kinds.
including that in slaves, wherever it exercises
erelusipe iatYisdiction With these views we
should have felt ourselves alike recreant TO the
cause of political orthodoxy, and the just claims
ofsthc South, had we not repudiated the doc
trines of the Nicholson letter and withheld
support from their author.
\ 1t was under these circumstances, that several
prominent friends ofGen. Taylor's election So
licited us occupy the post which we now hold.
| for the purpose of sustaining the cause which
| we in ommonsexpoused. Their liberal propo-
/ sitions and kind partiality, which will always
be gratefully remembered by u.s. could not be
/ disregarded, and Were thus ushered upon
what new and untried theatre.
The subsequent history of the country with
its sectional convulsions-the various plans of
pacification--the tlisorganizatono fpolitcal par
ties, is yet present in the scenes and effects which
are still developing themselves
In this portentons crisis ofthe country our po-
siton was promptly taken. We advocated the
policy of yielding tosthe unavoidable results of
| past history, regards the denouement of the
slavery question. We preferred any settlement
of the question which saved the honor and po-
litical equality of the south, to the hazard ofds-
solution, believing that so far as the extension
of slavery was practically concerned, nothing
ultimately override the great law of self interest
as applicable the wants of that country over
whose institutions we were contending. When
the south secured her honor in the death of pro-
risoisa and her rights in regard fugitive slaves,
we thought thatthe fate Of slavery in the terri
tories might safely be left the prospective for
nation of State Governments by the people
themselves.
With these views, we early advocated the pros
priety ofacquieseing in the adjustment bills of
the last congress although they failed TO provide
special enactments for the protection of slavery.
in the territories. We are well satisfied as the
most ultra can be of the unlavorable effects Of
that settlement, so far as the emigration of slave
property is concerned, but still believe that
the temporary exclusion of such property from
the territories will be cured by the decision of
more sovereign tribunal than Congress- state
+ Iconstitution, and upon principles immuta-
bic than sickly philantlropy-the great law OF
self interest.
II during the whole progress of this threatening
controversy we have endeavored TO regulate our
course by the most enlarged and catholic prin-
cipies of tolerance and kindness. Between the
Missouri Compromise, and the Adjustment, while
we conceived a preference, we were ready to ac-
cePt that settlement most agreeable the SOUTH
since the safety of the Union and not our hum
bic plan of settlement was the absorbing topic
Of solictude. - Z
We hive always made every allowance for
that snaarting eofinjury and injustice which
we think is oriinately INDUCED by the extreme
opponents of the Adjustment. We have hence
Iscrupplonslys RETAINED from every thing at ali
calculated 10 irritate their pride or the
discord which had been unfortunately engcnder-