The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-12-24
From the Norfolk Argus, December 10.
Letter OF the Hon r. Is. BayIy.
, E,Iifor of he Southern -irgtls

To ths Editor Of the SOUtheTn Argus
Sra: In an editorial of yours in the argus of the
9th instant you attempt to sketch the doings OF
the caucus Of Democratic members OF Congress on
the Saturday night preceding the election OF
Speaker. BY innuendo you attempt to cast suspl-
clon upon me- and by name accuse me oil having
entered into 4" scheme" more aimed at South
ern Rights Democrats than Ffeesoilers OF the
North.
should have noticed your article promptly; but
was confined at the time Of its receipt, and for
eevcral DAYS afterwards, TO my house, and part
Of the time to my bed, with severe influenza, and
] am still far from being well.
| was aware that had some enemies In the De.
Jnocratic party of Virginia, who, long before
gave my vote for the Texan Boundary BILL avail
ed themselves OF every opportunity TO inlurc me-
Injustice from them never surprised me oul rom
you, whom never reckoned among their NUMBER,
] confess IL does.
You say.
owe propose to present the doings Of the caucus
in it's true light, and we speak from information
derived from gentleman who was in Washington
at the time, and who bad the means of becoming
soueiohat acqudinfd with the working OF the wires
Now, was not only in Washington al the time,
but in the caucus also. and am not only somewhat
acquainted with what rnnspircd, but precisely and
erGcily. And being so acquainted, assure you
that you have been misled by your informant, both
in respect the action OF the caucus and the char
acter Of Colonel Polk resolution.
You say:
"The Southern Rights Democrats did not attend
the caucus. because they had reason to believe that
10 present a series of resolutions expressing cor
dial appreciation of, a cheerful acquiescence IN,
the adjustment measures. Ii was natural that they
should feel ind gnant at what was considered an
attempt TO compel them to stultify themselves, and
do violence to the opinions OF their constituents by
post facto compliment to the odlous Compro.
mise against which they had SO maniully wnrred
in its passage through Congress. For the sake oil
peace, it enough for them that they had GequI
fsced in the measure, aud il could not reasonably
be expected of them that they should be induced TO
comp omiss themselves by bending the knee IN
praise of it. The resolution seemed designed as
blow aimed at the Southern Rights Democrats,
rather than at the Freesoilers of the North IL was
intended as an adroit preliminary STEP IN pohtlcaI
management towards the d ne formation ola Nation
al Union party, from which, OF COURSE they were TO
he excluded.
THE most decided southern men voted to give
the go-by TO the resolutions, and they were eus-
tained-as we zee by the letter writers from Wash
ington-only by the Union men. such as Gen
eral Bayly, George w. Jones, and Polk, who with
drew from the caucus as soon as their scheme was
lost"
Nov, sir, Colonel Folks resolution had not one
word in il about cordial appreciation Of or cheer
ful Gcguesence in, the Compromise measures. 1t
looked to the future not to the past II II had been
otherwise, would not have supported IT, 1t was
designed to place the stamp of disapprobation upon
all attempts to reopen the slavery agitation 1t
was in these words
Resolred bu The Democratic members Of the House
of Representatives of The 1TiTty- second Congress,
That the series of acts passed during the frst SEES
sion of the 3lst Congress, known as the Compro-
mise, are regarded a final adjustment and per
Inanent settlement of the questions therein
braced, and should be maintained and executed as
such -
Should any southern man have objected to such
L resolution? All those parts of the Compromise
which regarded as injurious TO the South, ex-
cept the bill in respect to this District, na In
themselves. Congress can legislate no further In
respect to them. The only portions OF them which
you can touch are, the bill prohibiting residents
from making Washington a slave market, the u,
gitve Slave bill, and that part of the territorial
bills which declares that the Territories are TO
come into the Union with or without slavery, as
the people thereof may decide when they meet to
form a constitution preparatory 10 coming INTO the
Union as a State Will the South gain any thing
by agitatng in favor OF the repeal OF the hrst,
when il only restores the law to the condition in
which it was a. the time OF the cesson Of Maryland;
when il was voted for by southern men who oP
pose its repeal when il Is perfectly certain the ei
fort to repeal il would not succeed; and wnen, II
il could it would bring benefit with it, and only
give q pretext TO repeal the second and third;
Does the South wish the repeal oil the Fugiuve
Slave bilP Does il wish the Wilmot proviso sub
stitutcd in the territorial bills for the provision
alluded to, which Is antagonistic OF and rrecon-
cilabIe with IL How, then, could such reaoiu ,
ton seem designed as a blow aimed at southern
Rights Democrats, rather than at the Freesoliers
at the North" Ii occupied the precise grouno
upon which those Southern sights DeTnOc rats,
you term them, had been elected, and could not,
therefore, have been designed as a blow aimed at
such OF them sincere. At such, II any.
as not, it aimed Those gentlemen viii
scarcely adopt the reason you assign for their abb
eence from the caucus; for, even If the resolution
was such as you describe it. as ii was not, il was
open to amendment. II they could not have OBJ
tanned such amendments would have made II
satisfactory, they could have opposed u; and H. al
last il was carried in form distasteful to them
they could have abSented themselves from the
caucus, which what they did at any rate
If mischief was designed they ought to have aided
TO PREVENT il The opposition to the resolution IN
the caucus growing out of the character OF 1t, wal
made by the Freesoilers. Preston King spoke
against il. Most Of The southern members prtsen
acre in fnpor of IL and those who opposed 1t did i
upon the ground, not that it was wrong in itself
but that II was out Of place in Congressional
caecus. and properly belonged to a Natioua
Convention The friends of the resolution though
no legislative powers. Ii the Fugitive Slave
bill is TO be repealed, il must be done by Con.
gresa. And we thought II peculiarly proper
that those alone who could act upon the matter
should declare their purposes in reepcct to it. IL
a caucus there would be no reporters and in con
sequence of that and the press Of time there wou'
be but little debate, and what there would b,
harmless. We knew that the passage of the reso
luton in caucus would prevent the introduction o
the subject into Congress, where we anticipated
much debate; and we knew its failure in caucus
would cause ii to be introduced into the two
Houses. Besides, it was known that considerable
number Of members Of Congress, claiming TO b
Democrats, had been elected under pledges 70 vote
for the repeal OF the Fugitive Slave bill &c, &c.
&c; in other words, to reopen the slavery agita
ZION. One object OF the resolution was to ascertain
whether they sti persisted in this purpose, and, j
they did, to exclude them from fellowship with tn,
Democratic party, md free it of the odium o
their connexion with it. we could not expel then
by name. We could only do it by adopting
principle which would exclude them. And, il
addition, free to say that if they willing
10 amend their ways, and abandon all future ag
tation of the slavery merchandising good Demo
crate in other respects-I had no wish to exclude
them.
To Col. Folks resolution Col. johnson, Of Arkan
sas, offered the following amendment:
'ResOlred, That the Democratic party regard
the series of passed at the 3ist Congress
commonly called the Compromise measures, as
settlement OF the questions involved therein, anC
will abide by them permanent adjustment o
the sectional controversy, and do hereby declare
that good faith, and patriotic regard for the in
terosts Of the country, demand that the proyision
contained IN said measures should be strictly main
tanned and honestly executed.
"Rtsolued, That any act of Congress aboishin5
slavery in the District of Columbia, without tn,
petition and consent Of the owners thereof, or any
act abolishng slavery in places within the slave
holding States purchased by the United States fo
the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock