The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-12-19

1 Il
seeming kindly, associations with him.
Mr.. FOOrE The gentleman does not charge
me with ever having agreed with Mr.. Calhoun
| that the Constitution should be amended so as
1 to give additional constitutional guarantees to
the South protested against that during his
life
Mr.. BUTLER did not cay that.
MIR. FOOrE. What did the gentleman say
Mr.. BUTLER. | said that the gentleman
frequently agreed with, and was great admirer
of, Mr.. Calhoun.
Mr.. FOOTE, Gin his seat) On some ques-
tons did agree with him, but on most did not
The President The conversation must not
GO on in that way. The senator is always at
liberty to make an explanation, with the consent
Of the gentleman having the floor, but he is not
at liberty to sit IN his chair to make comments
while the speaker is going on.
Mr.. FOOTE. | understand my duty as well
as the Chair can inform me-
Mr.. BUTLER. | am inclined to think that
injustice has been done, perhaps unintentionally,
10 my late distinguished colleague; and perhaps
some newspaper correspondents may make out
OF 1t something tributary to the state of the
public mind. think however, that the book is
not IN danger from such commentaries, or any
that can be made upon it by the senator. They
will not add to nor take from its merits. They
may, it is true, make false impressions, for the
| time, upon superficial minds, who look not into
the book itself; but those who are capable of
approaching it, and seek after the truth will
read for themselves, aud form an enlightened
and honest judgment. Ii is not true, as the
honorable senator has said, that Mr.. Calhoun
thought there should be two Executives with
the same powers. He is historian, and he
knows very well that there were two consuIs in
De-, ,,h ts.L ~
partition of power, and such control of it by the
tribunital veto on OCCASION the Roman republic
moved on with success and energy presume
that Mr.. Calhoun might very well have enter
tanned the idea that two Presidents might be
very well: one perhaps having jurisdiction of
foreign and the other of domestic affairs, or some
such partition of duties. presume he intended
that each should be independent in his own
sphere, and that no law should be passed with
out the concurrence of both. am very sure
that such a proposition as that, if ingrafted on
the Constitution, might give better operation
than it now has under the combination Of inter-
est and numbers. do not undertake to be
the expounder of Mr.. Calhoun's views, nor do
say that am prepared to adopt them. am
sure the gentleman has not done Justice TO them
| do not enter into tie views Of Mr.. Calhoun !,
for he never mentioned the subject to me in his
lifetime, and have not yet had an opportunity
and regre, it, to read his book ] only noticed
the remark of the gentleman, in passing, with
a view TO SOW that in some respects his inter
probation OF the book might not be the interpre-
tation of everybody. There are other minds
hes sides his to look at the subject; and when a
great work of the kind is to be measured it
must be measured by an enlightened public
opinion after full discussion upon the subject
Sir, have touched upon these things with
regret. The senator from Mississippi is in favor
of the compromise and he denounces, in no
measured terms, all those opposed to it; not that
| the gentleman seems to be governed by unkind
feelings to many embraced in the sweep of his
censure.
| Mr.. FOOTE. | have here, elsewhere, and
4 everywhere, wherever have attempted to speak
of the struggle which occurred in the two hou-
ses of Congress, in reference to the questions
contained in the plan of compromise, said, uni
formly and emphatcally, that, so far as the con-
duet of senators and representatives was con.
cerned in that struggle, had no censures what
ever to bestow: nor tn t | wished them to be
censured in any shape or form, by any patriotic
man in the country. The President of this body
knows what my views on this subject were for
we have talked together. All that | have said
was that now, when these measures have be-
I
experiment ofcompromise was in course of trial
did conceive that it was the duty of all parties,
North and South, to make q fair experiment of
those measures, and not to engage in violent
agitations against any feature of them. | have
simply condemned all attempts al the North or
at the South, at this time, TO break up the com
promise. But have never undertaken to con-
denim any man. or set of men, for decent, Jealous,
patriotic opposition to any Of the measures of
adjustment which they themselves disapproved
at the same time. This is, and always has been,
my attitude on that subject.
Mr.. BUTLER That may be- but the gen.
tleman knows as well az any one here, that no
one had greater infuence-perhsps may say
that he had uncommon iufuence-in getting up
the Southern Address, he was the prime mover
of it, And think the gentleman must, TO some
extent, assume the responsibility of the Nash
vile convention. say that, after the position
which that gentleman has occupied justice, if
not generosity, requires that he should at least
look TO The motives, which hope he will, of
other persons who are disposed to stand up to
the propositions which they avowed at the time
in the Southern Address. supposed il was
matter of historical interest to the gentleman.-
And now will say here, for the first time, what
have heretofore said to my friends, that the
know that this was my opinion. If there is one
gentleman in this ball who has contributed fuel
to the fires of Southern resistance and indigna
ton, the honorable senator has fed them as Free
y ais any other. ! am not now making any ac-
cusations against him for mere change Of opin-
ion and position. have said nothing at all, nor
will ] say anything, in reference 10 a mans
course, when he changes il but when the sen.
ator from Mississippi thought proper to speak
of South Carolina, and aliude TO her internal
contests, the least, in my opinion, that delicacy
or proprety could require of him, was to forbear
unknd illusions to her course, and especially to
abstain from avaing Of his own change of doc
trine and position to give point to those aIlu.
sions. The mass Of those who, in South Caro-
lima, were for putting her in advance of what
regarded the position she should occupy, are
persons whose motives and designs would place
them before the tribunal of history in point of
view far above reach o. the genteman's arrows
They are as high in spirit, as pure in motive and
would be "a brave in notion, "a any men who
ever adorned the pages Of history. differed
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