The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-12-24


The next day it proposed TO run me against
the nominee, and II then, and il still Is,
believed that the movement would have been sue
cessful. But discouraged and prevented II.
IL gave me great pain 10 vote against Colonel
Boyd. / had been intimate with him since my
first entrance into Congress. We agreed precisely
and exactly IN our votes upon the Compromise
measures, "a, indeed, we have upon most other
questions. The fact that tho Rantouis and Preston
Kings had voted for him in caucus against Mr..
Disney did not impair my confidence in him
They had their own views to carry out, and he was
not responsible for their course. Besides / knew
my refusal to vote for Colonel Boyd would expose
my conduct to misconstruction But all this only
made my vote the more emphatic In reprobatlon
of the composition of the caucus. was determined
to manifest my disapprobation OF the admission OF
Freesoilers into a Democratic caucus IN the most
pointed manner, and in my view that manner was
by voting against the nominee, although at the
sacrifice made. voted for Colonel German, as
true patriot and man Congress contains.
Entertaining these We've, II has been asked,
why, then, did vote for Colonel Forney, also
nominated by that caucus! The Speakershlp was
the political office; the others were merely minis
terial; and, in voting did in the first case,
had sufficiently marked my disapprobation. Be
sides, when Colonel Forney was defeated at the
last Congress, under the circumstances which are
well recollected, / told him if ! returned to Con
gress would support his election.
The course ! felt it my duty to pursue has not
diminished Colonel Boyd's confidence in me, nor
anybody else's whose confidence ever had or val
he sent for me- and 80 expressed himself In a free
conference which we had, he stated that, in view
of the delicate and important questions OF foreign
policy referred to in the Presidents message, and
of others which likely to arise, he preferred to
place me at the head of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs which, under the circumstances, he con-
sdered the fret position IN the House, rather
than the Committee of Ways and Means. lie
assigned other for the arrangement
he proposed, with which the public has nothing
to do, but which considered highly credtable 10
| me cheerfully acceded to tho arrangement he
| proposed. The importance OF the Committee oil
| Ways and Means is much diminished since the last
| Congress- Then Wing administration had just
come in, and the two great parties were nearly tied
in the HJuso. TWAS supposed that an effort would
be made to upturr. the Democratic policy. which
had been so recently adopted. But the failure OF
the Administration even to recommend repeal OF
the Sub treasury, the defeat of the attempt to in
the rate of duty at the last Congress- and the
overwhelming Democratic majority now, will
leave the Committee of Ways and Means little
more than a committee of ordinary appropriation
bills. 1t is far different with the Committee on
Foreign Affairs. Ii seems that the whole policy OF
our Government, in respect to our foreign rela-
tons, from its foundation, Is TO undergo review.
The Craftsmanship of Foreign Affairs was the post
preferred at the last Congress; but Mr.. Speaker
Cobb decided, under the circumstances then exist
ing, to place me at the head of the Committee OF
Ways and Means.
Again you cay:
''rhe result of all this was, ns will be observed
by reference to the state of the vote that, in the
election of Speaker, nearly all the Southern Rights
Democrats voted for Boyd, and the disappointed
Constitutional Union Compromise men threw
away their votes upon Bayly and Hillyer of Geor
gia, Union Democrats. Judge Bayly himself, as
will be perceived, voted for Gorman of Indiana,
refusing to vote for Mr.. Boyd, while he received
the votes of the four Union Democrats from Geor-
gia, and five Alabama and Virginia Union Wings
And thereby hangs a tale "
This part of your article is based, not upon your
informants statements, but upon the vote itself, to
which you refer; and yet it Is as full OF errors as
the rest of your article With the vote before you,
you say "nearly all the Southern Rights Democrats
voted for Boyd, and the disappointed 'Constitu-
tional Union Compromise men threw away their
votes upon Bayy, and Hillyer of Georgia, Union
Democrats" Now, that vote shows that Boyd re-
ceived the vote of twice many Compromise
Democrats as he did of Southern Rights Demo
CRATE" as you, who have such horror OF super
seding the old Democratic party with new organi-
cations, term the anti Compromise Democrats; and
OF course Bayly and Ehllyer did not receive them.
But you will probably say that your article shows
that, by the "disapRointed Constitutional Union
Compromise men," you meant the friends OF Polk .
"scheme" and the seceders from the caucus That
is possibly what you did mean II So you are still
deeper in the wrong, for The tchoIe of them voted
for Colonel Boyd and not one for me. The Geor-
gia Democrats who voted for me were not in the
caucus.
Will you say you alluded to the votes Of those
who were elected under the Georgia, Alabama, and
| Mississppi organization "a Union Dvrnoorats2 II
4
4 Boyd than for me.
| Sir, you must excuse me for saying that in your
whole article there IL a carelessnes5 OF statement
and readiness to condemn which have rarely
met with in the most prejudiced politcalopponen
What political sin, in your view, have committed
that Colonel Boyd has not committed also? Was
1t my advocacy of Folks resolution? What will
you say when tell you that although Coone
Boyd thought the introduction of Folks resolution
into the caucus wns unwise, yet that he was in ia
vor of the resolution itself, and that, after it wa
introduced, If he had been in the caucus, he woulc
have voted against giving it the go-by, and tina
he would not have received twenty votes, all told
il he had not known to have been in favor of the
principle of it? Folks resolution has Jared very
much the fate OF the measures to which it relates
1t has been studiously misrepresented, and COM
ments are made, not upon the resolution it Is,
but upon the misstatement oft.
The tale" as far as / am concerned, is easily
told, and there shall be no mystery about it. am
determined to have affiiatiou with freesoilism
or disunionism and if possible to keep it out of the
Democratic party. FIT is admitted import
ant element, the party will be defeated, and will
deserve 10 be defeated in the next Presidential
election. My confidence is great that the effort to
introduce II will fail but il cannot be defeated BY
temporizing We must be yigilant, or il will creep
r in like thief in the night.
arraign no one who took different course from
the one pursued Most of them are as patriotic
as am, and am quite were actuated only by a
desire TO promote the best interest of the Demo
cratic party But, while ! do not assail them, |
shall not permit myself to be amailed without being
heard in my own defence
! have the honor to be, very respectfully, your
ooedent servant, THOMAS II. BAYLY.
II WAsHGSGToN, December 10, 1851