The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-08-20
TO the Editors of the Herald.

enllghten the public mind, are unacquainted.
TO the Editors Of the Herald
NORFOLK, Aug. Ia 1851
GENTLEMEN In the Herald of this morning
you make the following statement
Whatever apathy may unfortunately exist
in the Wing party of the district at the present
time, it most certainly does not proceed from
indifference to Gen. Wilson's course in relation
to the compromise measures, all of which he
opposed"
Misrepresentation OF my course in Congress
have become 80 common that it is perhaps my
duty to correct them. can hardly suppose
them to be wilful. They proceed more fire.
quently from unacquaintance with subject of
which, though much is said, little is accurately
known.
scarcely know what you mean when you
speak OF the compromise measures" If you
allude to the bill known as the compromise bill,
reported to the Senate from the committee of
thirteen, you cannot be ignorant that that bill
was defeated in the Senate, and that, as it never
came before the House of Representatives at
all, could not have voted either for or against
it. II, however, you refer to certain measures
afterwards separately considered and passed
through both Houses, your statement is still ut
terly erroneous. The only one Of these mea-
sures which the 80 called compromise men them
selves regard as advantageous to the South, was
the Fugitive slave bill. pntei for that blu 1t
was empha 'ically our Observation-Disclosures into
the Senate by Mr.. Mason, of Va, and though
no Southern member voted against it, only three
Northern Wings voted for it in the House.
You will not yourselves pretend that there
was any thing in the other measures by which
the South gained anything at all. No man now
makes any such pretence; and there are very
few who do not admit that they deprived us of
all that had been in controversy between the
North and the South. The California bill, |
voted against. Only one of my colleagues, Mr.
Raymond, roted for ii. An overwhelming MAORI
ty of the Southern representatives voted against
it. The bill in reference to the slave trade in the
District of Columbia, voted against Only too
Of my colleagues, Mes srs. Hammond and Beale,
uoted for ii. Of all The Southern members only
too others poted for il. The Texas boundary bill
voted against. Will you please inform my
constituents what advantage it was to them to
pay ten millions of dollars out of the treasury,
to purchase about ninety thousand square miles
of Texan territory, and give it to New Mexico (!
Did those Southern members who voted for this
bill, perfer that the land should be taken from
Texas and given to New Mexico? From their
previous votes infer they did not and that they
were nearly all DESTROYS that Texas should re
tain her land. But as nv object is not to GEN.
sure the course of other members, but to correct
your mistakes as to my own have no DISPOSE
ton to discuss the merits of the BILL
You will perceive, then, that no such bill as
the compromise biH' came before the House Of
Representatives at all; and that as to the mea-
sures which suppose you allude to, when you
speak of "compromise measures" and which came
up separately for our approval or disapproval.
voted, as presume every other member did, for
what was in accordance with the rights and in
terests of my constituents, and against what
deemed to be in violation of both. II may sur
prise you to learn that out of the whole number
of Northern and Southern representatives, only
about hoenty-seuen voted for al the so-called
compromise measures-and of these twenty-sev-
en-, bnt three were from the South
Very respectfully, your ob't servant,
JOHN S. MILLSON.