Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-12-20

cenber 1850, and 6eT0re PRESIDENT Fillmore Hau
had Governor Quitman arrested at the capital OF
our State, while in the performance OF the duties
of chief Executive Magistrate of the sovereignty OF
Mississippi, and transferred as prisoner TO New
Orleans as if he had been an Ignomlnions Ielon.
Were we to admit, (which we certainly do not do')
that all these charges of Mr.. Cobb, against the
author of our Declaration of independence were
true, what heavy censure is the language we
have italicised, upon the conduct OF the present
President of the United States in the trials OF Gen
Henderson, and in his arrest of Governor Qutman,
and his transfer as prisoner to foreign State
We intend to convict the present administration
on these charges and of the very acts which Mr.
Cobb accuses Mr. Jefferson of committing. We
do so by making an expose of Mr.. Fillmore's con-
duct towards those accused of being concerned IN
the Cardenas Cuban expedition.
Cuba has submitted the excitement occasion
ed by the Cardenas and Baah Honda expeditions,
has subsidized and we presume, ere now the rams
of heaven, have washed into the sea, from the
pavements of Havana, the blood of Cnttenden,
Kerr, and forty nine other United States citizens
The conduct of Concha and Fillmore, of Lopez,
reviewed. In June 1850, an indictment was found
against General Henderson, Governor Qultman
and others, by the Grand Jury of the U. s. Dis
trct Court sitting at New Orleans, for an alledg-
ed violation of the neutrality laws of the United
States by abettng and participating in the fitting
out of an armed expedition against power with
whom the United States at peace. Now,
how does the official conduct of President Jetfer
son, when Col. Burr was tried, compare with the
conduct of President Fillmore, when Gen. Hender-
son was tried, and Governor Quitman indicted and
arrested Fillmore mingled officially in the
prosecution" of Gen. Henderson by employing
eminent counsel to assist the District Attorney for
the United States" Mr.. J. p. Benjamin, Esq,
an eminent lawyer of New Orleans, employed
through the instructions of the administration, to
assist to convict the prisoner His fee amounted
to thousands of dollars A first trial was had in
which all the engineery of out door arrangement,
the introduction of political and party feeling, the
eloquence of distinguished attorneys, were brought
to bear to produce a conviction. Yet the jury
would not convict. A second trial under similar
circumstances, gone through with, and with
satisfied. A third trial was demanded and when
the administration had again failed to convict,
would have probably continued this prolonged
prosecution of private citizen, had it not became
! manifest. that the next attempt to convict, the
t accused would be acquitted.
, President Fillmore's conduct was still more in
delicate and inexcusable in the case of Governor
Quitman and indicated throughout a strong de-
sire to blast the personal and political character Of
the accused. 'sTrue taste would have suggested
f to him dignifed neutrality of action. especially
in view of his Official provocative of pardon should
: the accused be brought in guilty, but more than
all in view" of the past services to the country OF
r ''the distinguished prisoner" Governor Quit
man was regarded as the chief of the Southern
Rights party and at that time, that party was look
ed upon truly formidable to the friends of fed
eralism and consolidation and as an obstacle in the
path of the federal government in its gigantic
strides towards the destruction of the SOVEREIGNTY
of the States. And at the November term, 1850.
of the U. S. District Conrt for the Southern Dis
trict of Mississippi, Mr.. Fillmore again chose to
laid the law by his personal exertions, and min
gled officially in the prosecution by employing EN-.
nen counsel to assist the District Attorney of the
United States" On that occasion the Admins
tration had D. W. Adams Esq, of the city OF
Jackson, employed professionally, to assist the
government to secure the arrest and transfer in
the condition of feon, of the Executive of Msss-
sippi, to foreign dominion.
Mr.. Cobb, doubt, regards himself as well
read in history. Can he give us an example of a
form ofgovernment, adopted by sovereign State,
!, in any age, in which constitution of government.
they subjected the Executive Representative Of
their political sovereignty, to be forced into the
courts of foreign dominions, criminal prosecu-
tons, while that Representative continued to ex-
ercise the executive power The truth is clear,
that Mr.. Fillmores conduct, in the instance dis
cussed, was blow through Governor Quitman at
the sovereignty of the State of Mississippi; the
State which in l349, sounded the alarm to the other
Southern States of the common danger from feder-
al usurpations 1t will be remembered that at
the time of President Fillmore assault on Cover
nor Quitman, Mississippi had not Submitted We
close this part of the present article by adding
that, ''itis said that he (Fillmore expended more
than an hundred thousand dollars of the public
money, In aiding" these prosecutions But how
lame, yet how conclusive of the malice of the Adj
mlnistration, how triumphant for Governor Quit
man and Ex-senator Henderson, was the finale q.