American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-12-20


During the past summer, the, Secretary of
State, neglecting his official duties at Washing
ton, has been electioneering through the coun-
try, claiming to have asaped The .Union,"
when he is himself more responsible than any
other one man for having. famed the fame of
that agitation which has created all the danger
to the Union We refer to the agitation Of the
Wilmot Proyiso, which recently shook this
Government to its foundation. We refer to his
course and speeches on the Missouri question,
and to the public ameeting called together by
him and others at the State-h house in Boston,
so far back as the Sd December, 1919, for the
purpose Of petitioning Congress to insert in any
law for the admission Of new States into the
Union a prohibition of slavery. The record Of
the, proceedings of that meeting says: ast15a 4
After the report had been read, Alden
Bradford, ESQ.,, rose and expressed his doubts Of
the constitutional right Of Congress to prohibit
slavery, although he had as great an abhor-
renee Of slavery as any other man. He was
replied ITO by the Hon. Daniel Webster, who
demonstrated5ycry clearly the constitutional
right of Congress to enact the prohibition, and
the strong expediency of exercising that right. :"
Nor is this ALL Mr.. Webster was appointed
chairman Of committee Of five, whose special
duty it was to promote that agitation. Nor is
this all The report of the committee intro
ducing the resolutions, of which Mr.. Webster
was the ablcst, most distinguished, and con-
trolling member, proclaimed without disguise
the EXPIRATION Of slavery, in the following
words: ls f. sFhal sssl ltt2ass
The ExTIRPATIoN Of slaUery has ncuer ceased
TO be regarded as q measure deeply concerning The
honor and safety Of the United States.
We repeat, then, that no other one man bears
so large share Of responsibility for that agita-
tion, which has tended to loosen the bonds of
this Union, and to arouse feelings of alienation,
if not Of enmity, between its different sections.
For of all those, who have selfshly sought their
own aggrandizement by such means, not one
possessed his great talents and dangerous capa-
city for mischief t.e ie eH.... M
''Ie, above the rest a.
proudly eminent
Stood like q tower"
Yet he has been wandering through the coun-
try, claiming to himself the credit of having
''saved the Union," and making speeches for
the Compromise, to catch votes, and get him
self nominated for the Presidency. And while
thus engaged, he has permitted that active and
formidable chief, Wild Cat, to establish himself
on the Texas frontier, and to open there rem
devious and point doppui for hostile sayages
and runaway negroes. s...,..t. /,
Now, here is something for the jocular Mr..
Bayly, Of Virginia. If he has been deceived
in his expectation of being made Speaker by
Mr.. Webster's influence, let him look to this,
and not annoy his late friend, the Secretary of
State, with questions about Mr.. Thrasher,
whose matters have been previously attended
to by more reliable man than himself But,
lest Congress should pay no attention to q man
who can deliberately utter, in his official char
acter of Chairman of the most important COM
mittee of the House, the most dishonorable cal
umnies, and unblushingly retract them, with
the miserable excuse that he "spoke Jocularly,"
we hope that some other man, better entitled
to the confidence of the country, will take mea-
sures to break up this nest of dangers. S.
THE REV. Mr.. GALLAHER, OF MISSOURI
We learn with peculiar pleasure that this able,