The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-08-14

The political and moral, as we'll as the crimi-
nal code, have their sanctions, and the penalty
| which immutable law has pronounced pun
shment for crime, is not less sure in one case
than the other-The robber and murderer can
not purchase immunity for his guilt, nor the
statesman for his political offences The first
robs and murders contrary to the law, the Sec
ond does the same thing upon much larger
scale, under the color Of law AS the last in
ficts the greatest amount of evil upon society,
he ia the greatest criminal of the two. Ii you,
| sir, had the power to silence the public voice,
and to consume with fire all the records of his
| tory, the power TO escape from yourself would
still be wanting. The tribunal of conscience
would pronounce against you a bill of attainder,
and justice would record the decree with pen
of iron in dark letters upon your heart. You
cannot revise the DEGREES of Heaven, and 1T il
fortunate for mankind, that the track of the felon
is so devious that the footprints of guilt, which,
in his flight he leaves behind him, remain to guide
the pursuit of the ministers of the law. Caesar
fell under the dagger of Brutus Arnold died
miserable outcast in foreign land; Napoleon
persisted upon the rock of st. Helena and your
evil genius, sir may not sumber forever. You
may yet learn, to your cost, that political, as
we'll as legal crime, is remorseless deity, which
feeds upon the hearts of its own offspring
Your political life has demonstrated the propo-
stion that there is safety for. the State, when
the public fnnctionary holds his fidelity to the
public service and to the Constitution, only as a
commodity of barter and sale, to be sold WREN
expedent, in market overt, to the highest bidder
4 You are the acknowledged head of class of
vena men, who have succeeded in making it
honorable to violate official integrity, and in dig
nifyng profigacy and crime, by covering up
their deformities with the semblance and garb
of virtue and patriotism. Legions of hungry
expectants, encouraged by your example, are
. treading in your footsteps, and Ike vultures
Y around putrid carcass, collect in swarms around
8 the seat of governm ent, to feed upon the garb-
l. age of a plundered public treasury. You have
inculcated the political creed that in order to be
great, the Anticipated ndeas of honesty and 6del-
! ity to public trusts mist be discarded; and The
a governor Of the Harem Compromises" the erche-
quer, 10 furnish brides 10 bring candidates for Sc
$ duction into the great national Jr0thsl From
}. your life and times the future political philo-
: sopher may find material to enrich his page, by
recording the temptations, the corruption and
dangers to which republic is exposed. A re.
public is founded upon public virtue, and it ex-
9 pires the moment that the motives and incentives
a to public virtue and public faith are destroyed
; and to you, more than any other man, the in
T famous credit is due, of having converted re-
public of the fairest hope and promise into a
school for hypocrites, demagogues and knaves.
At an early period after your entrance upon
the public stage, you took care to disclose to the
country the prominent articles of your political
faith. 1t was manifest at that early period of
our history that the balance of political power
was rapidly passing into the hands of the North.
and that the descendants of the canting Puritans
would become the dispensers of the stars and
| ~.
? cy was plain. If your adopted State proved
: blind to her vital interests, and placed you in
power living in n section, the overthrow OF
which was predetermined in 1887, the purchase
of your fidelity 10 that section aoouild become a
master stroke of policy vih the Abolitionists Of
, The North. You have acted your part in the
/ drama with consummate skill. Kentucky con-
6dng in your ability and integrity, placed YOU
ia position an armed enemy i'm her camp. Fatal
mistake In that hour the rubicon of Southern
rights was passed. In 1898, you assumed the
office Of standard bearer of the abolition crusade
in the South, and became the leader in the twin
{ schemes of abolition and colonization. Your
first attempt to rival Peter, the hermit failed of
success, and you was not then, sir, worth the
price it would cost to buy you, You resolved
to prove to the North that they moderated your
| strength In 1911, hill to recharter the United
States bank was introduced into the House of
Representatives. You denounced the measure
as unconstitutional, opposed all the power of
| your eloquence to it's passage, and by your rote
it was defeated. In this act sir, you increased
your value in the Northern market, and enhanced
the price of your purchase.
i In 1914 you was appointed commissioner to
negotiate treaty of peace between the United
States and Great Britain. and John Quincy
Adams was one OF your colleagues. A treaty
of peace was signed b. the ministers of the two
, powers at Client in December, 1914, the tenth
article of which, according to the construction
placed upon it by Mr.. Adams, bound the United
States TO prohibit not only the slave trade, but
also 'sthe human practice of dealing IN slapes.'
. BY asserting to and signing this treaty, you agar
1 demonstrated your willingness to compound
with Northern fanaticism by the sale Of your
. 'country You again proved your faith in the
d abolition policy by works The bargain you
J. had so long solicited was struck, and from thai
hour TO this you have been Northern man In
v feeling, interest and principle. In 1916 ths
question of rechartering the United States bank
q was again before Congress. Yourconsttutiona
y scruples disappeared before an unseen influence
. which operated upon your mind. Yo,, at least
well understood the source of that influence
. and an opportunity to disclose it to the world
4 was not long wanting You went over necl
! and heels to the North; the position you as
sumed in 1871 was reversed--you assaulted and
i stormed the constitutional defences which You
!, Yourself had erected, and the bank found in you
g its most redoubtabe champion, and unblushinp
/ advocate and supporter.
}. Mr.. Adams, while minister at the court Of
> London, met Wilberforce, and united with him
Q in concocting the programme for The abolition
Q of slavery in the United States He was re-
called from his mission. to assume the office OF
: prime minister, under Mr. Monroe, and you, sir
o cordially united with him to carry out The scheme
. of Wiberforce for emancipation in America
! and thus, as the apostle Of universal freedom,
: you became the Jealous propaganda Of British
as nell 1s ,ue;can ,,oicu in regard 10 fricau