Washington telegraph., 1851-10-08
PRESIDENT FILLMORE AND HIS ACTS.


The Richmond Republican, one oil
the ablest conducted papers in this OF
any other country, adopts the only sensi-
| BILE mode OF testing the fidelity of public
men to the constitution and the South
The editor says-"There is no surer
standard by which to Try any man than
his Acts, and by his acts we are willing
that Mr. Fillmore should be tried. He
has given his official sanction to those
| measures of Compromise, which have
been accepted by the great body of Wings
and Democrats of the South as a new
| ratification of the guarantees of the Com
stitution, aud has declared in his mes
sage that he regards the measures of the
Compromise as final adjustment. ~
| He is opposed wholly and unequivocally
| to any attempt to disturb the Compro-
mise The Fugitive Slave law can nel-
their be reached nor modified during his
administrations The Administration
stands on the platform OF its own acts
aud the solemn declaration of the mes
sage, and 10y these 1t Is prepared to stand
or fall. F
"Talk about 'surrender. then. is both
predecessor, never surrenders.' The alb
stract right TO talk and >cold, even con-
ceded to the enemies of the Union, both
North and South, could uot alter or effect
the noble position of the Presideut-
Rail on; thou canst not rail TIE seal
from of my bond The Presidents posi-
ton is on the platform of the Conslitu-
ton and laws, and until, by some act or
his contradictlng all his former acts, he
comes down from that high eninence. he
cannot be accused of surrender.
"We again repeat what the common
sense and common observation of every
caudid man will readily concede. that the
only infallible standard by which to try a
public or private man, is his acts
Loud professions of peculiar sanctty
never increase the confidence OF discern
ing men in the character Of an individual,
but rather produce suspicion and dlstrust.
The man who, without ostentation, leads
life of Integrity, is the man III whom
people trust. SO with politicians. We
have had Northern man with South
ern principles but his Southern piincl-
pies turned out to be Southern 'p0ttUge
Tor which he sold himself as readily as
Esau sold his birlhri ght, and then, like
E>au. repented of his bargain, aud sought
TO kill the brolher who had saved hun
from political starvation. Now. we will
rot initiate the bigoted and unchartable
spirit in which the Democratic journals
assert that their own party is the only
reliable champion Of Southern property.
when it is we'll known that the Wings
of the South own as much slaEe property
as DEMOCRATS; aud are therefore equally
interested in its security; nevertheless, II
cannot he denied shat the last democrat
ic Administration. if tried by the result
of its policy and by its own acts, did not
/ prove itself as reliable a guardian OF
Southern rights as the Wing Admins
tration by which it was succeeded. The
Democratic Administration acquired the
half of Oregon. but it signed ter
rltorial bill for the new acquisition
containing the Wilmot proviso. 1t sign-
ed another territorial bill containing the
Wimot proviso But did ever any body
hear from the friends of that Admlnistra-
ton that il had made "surrender" to
tne Wilmots of the North! We think
not. It was also under its auspices that
a colony Of Northern soldiers and agrl-
cuturists was planted in California by
COL Stevenson. which colony, as might
easily have been anticipated, has proved
And why is it that the Wilmot provlso
was no. applied to that and other new
territories? Because it was struck down
under Wing administration, which is
now accused of surrender" by those
who saw no surrender in the signature
of bills containing that very provlso 10y
Southern Democratic President. The
same Wing administration has given its
sanction to The most stringent tuglllve
Slave law passed since the foundation OF
the Government aud has declared that
1t regards the Compromise containing
that measure as ''tual adjustment -
The Southern Democracy exalt TO the
skies the Northern Democracy. because
thirty OF their representatives voted tor
the Fugitive Slave bill; yet they profess
to have no confidence i'll the President.
who, fearlessy facing the hurricane OF
Northern sentiment, made that bill law.
LET us Judge the administration by its
acts. The man who has exhibited III his
deeds exalted moral courage, enlarged
patriotism, and answering fidelity to the
American Constitution, deserves to be
trusted, and not only trusted but admired,
by his countrymen." f
A THIEF AREEsTED-McDon the
wholesale thief, who made his escape
upwards of two weeks ago was arrested
in Wadron, Scott county. a few days
since, and was brought to this place by
Mr. Thomson and DR. BuShe, and de.