The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-10-30
THE NEW TEST.
LETTER FROM GOV. BROWN OF FLORIDA

LETTER FROM GOV. BROWN OF FLORIDA
IALLAHAssEE, Sept. 4. 1851.
My DEAR SIR In reply to your inquiries
will very briefly give you my views in regarJ
to the course which 1 conceive the South sbonS
pursue in respect TO the Nomination of canT.
dates for the next Presidential election
A statesman will have read the signs Of the
times to little purpose, if he cannot see and nm.
derstand the position of the slaveholdinp States
at the present crisis A man of wisdom and
sound philosophy before he makes M the last
issue upon which destiny hangs. would take
great care to see that it not only places him in
the right position, but that it places his oppo-
nent clearly in the wrong This conceive to
be the attitude of the Southern States, in ac
ceptng the Compromise measures of the last
congress, as final adjustment of the delicate
and exciting question of Slavery. On the part
OF the South, that settlement will be adhered to
in good faith, and from the North like good
faith will be required
With the friends of the Union at the North
who have 80 nobly sustained and maintained
the compromise measures, the Southern Whigg
will cordially unite in the choice of a Chief
Magistrate for the nation but with the fanatics
and higher law" factions they will not affiliate
or very quietly submit to any further agitation
of the Slavery question in the National Coun.
ellis.
AS little as | have seriously apprehended any
imminent danger of dissolution of our Confed-
eracy, believe the next Presidential election
will be the test of its permanency, and that
great wisdom and prudence will be required in
~ seieetiNn az the candwetsa Haa in tonean.
trating the Union Conservative party Of the
| na,iun. Fine failure in an election on the peo.
pie should be avoided if possible fit goes to
Congress "A theatre will be presented for all
the ambitious, designing and evil spirits in the
land, to plot mischief and treason against the
Union. The Northern Aboltionists and the
Southern Secessionists will find it a field for
the accomplishment of all their views, and for
which they are now striving. The Democratic
party are making strong efforts to rally the
party upon old party issues, disregarding recent
dissensions calculating, in the event of a defeat
before the people upon their stregth in Con
gress and this wisdom would admonish us to
guard against; for notwithstanding their boast
ed adherence of free-soilsm, they have shown
in the whole history of their party, that when
1t becomes necessary to insure political success,
they never have been very scrupulous about the
means
Under all the circumstances | think a Ma
tonal Union Convention, disregardng old party
lines, would be the course of wisdom: but il
that cannot be effected there ought to be Ma
tional Wing Convention, and all of tho South
ern States should send Delegates to it; but un-
der institutions to require the adoption of reso-
lutions by the Convention, that no candidate
for either the Presidency or the Vice Presidency
should be put in nomination who had not or
would not make an explicit declaration of his
approval and support of the Compromise meas
ures and especially of the fugitive slave law
and his disapproval of any repeal or modifca-
ton of it And without such explicit decla-
ration by the Convention, before proceeding to
the nomination of the candidates, to withdraw
from any participation in the Convention
These are hastily, my views
l am yours very truly,
THOMAS Brown
w. G. NJ Dauis Esq
Governor Brown can have no special interest
in the execution of the Fugitive Law, as Flori-
da, from her situation can suffer but little
damage from the escape of slaves. He belongs
to that large class of Southern men who, with
out approving of the Compromise, have agreed
to acquiesce in it for the sake of peace Yet
we find him exacting from the North what the
South has not conceded and will not concede-
appreciation of the Compromise, and a pledge
not to repeal or modify either that or the Fugi.
tive Law
The new test he proposes is a severe one, but
We predict that it will be submitted to- Let a
National Wing Convention, he says be held
let the Wings of the South be fully represent
ed and let their delegates be instructed to
withdraw from the Convention unless it will
adopt resolution, that no candidate for either
the Presidency or Vice Presidency be put IN
nomination who has not made or wiH not make
an explicit declaration of his approval and sup
port of the Compromise measures and especially
Of the Fugitire Slave Lau, an has disapprorai
Of any repeal or modification of
That the same test will be introduced in the
Democratic National Convention, no one can
doubt The Democrats of the South are at
least the equals Of their Wing brethren in pro-
slavery intolerance.
The old parties at the North meanwhile are
laboring to allay agitation. They protest
against the further discussion of the subject Of
slavery. All issues growing out of it they in
s'st have been settled, and each of them calls
upon its adherents to unite on the platform of
acqulescence in the Compromise and obedience
to the Fugitive Law. Some of their journals
fancy that they have so far succeeded in this
work Of paci6cation, that they can galvanize
into life the old party issue of a tariff, while
others are trying to get up question concern
ing the precise quantity of sympathy we should
bestow on Foreign Revolutionists They have
been soothing themselves with the notion that
they had done all that the South could require
and been looking forward to the time when, IN
National Convention, some vague generalit'es
might enable them to agree with their South
ern brethren in the nomination of Presidential
candidates
The South is not to be caught with chah-
Its politicians insist upon the suppression OF sla
very agitation at the North, at the very mo
ment they are planning to make the question
of slavery the sole issue of the next Presiden'
tial election. They agitate without ceasns
In vain you look in the columns of their lead
ing journals for discussions about old party
issues The one question with them "a DO"
they shall compel the North to swear p"Ip"'u-
al adherence to the Compounds and the rug
tive Law, intact; and the letter VI "o'ernor
Brown TO Judge Davis Ia resident, we believe
Of Norsolt virginia. shows the device for eS-
1910 =, s,bm;ss;on. The Seward Wing
who shall enter National Convention will be
obliged to leave his Albany reunion platform
at the door, and the RADICAL Democrat will be
;nformed that as there exists some doubt in