The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-10-09


Mold ..d s~niy Avsw~l Of Assi'uoal.4 ny sns r1s.i-
den. -Tns Rspubiio's Defence 81 - - an1'"sa
We thought il would turn out When We saw The
Late official republication of the Presidents abolition letter
and remembered that the wing friends OF Johnston and
Seward were Just getting ready for the polls, we con-
dsd At once that the appearance OF the letter in the OH
;sl columns was a delicate hint from the White HOusc
- these whig abolition gentry that all was right at head
narters SO far their peculiar convictions were
earned The gentleman who. as "a known abolhonist."
- mn, upon the ticket to conciliae," had forgotten
nothing. "OD flag oas still there
The Republic of yesterday has written al length in
6,maton of our views. We have both the text and
The commentary, and all doubt is removed 10 the
II The learned author The first point which the Presi
dent makes 10 justify himself in his reahrmance at this
crisis OF his abolition opinions, set down in the Erie
latter is The attempt those opinions under the
mantle of Mr. Jefferson Here the words OF his
gan on this point
sour cotemporay is prepared to by Mr.. JEFPEn
- win The Union pretend that there has been anything
aid ., done by Mr. Fillmore whieh places him less re
h po,i:ion this bhU than occupied by men who APP
neal daily to the optnioas Of Mr., JBersonf
That is frank and manly. There is no lodging, no
bsstaing, no shadow sign OF recanting about it,
Tbs Pesiden, does holdsuch is the sense OF the Re
pc's wods-'the President does hold as he held
in 1885, that slavery (not the slave rade) should be forth
with abolished in the District Of Columbia by the iegis
aton of Congress that the trade in slaves between the
States should be broken up that abolition petitions
should be received and agated upon in Congress and
that Texas hauing slaue should therefore have been
kept out Of the Union And will you OF the Washing
ton Union dare to him for that Was not your
great apostle Mr.. Jefferson, also abotionst Here,
for Ourselves, we pause, and hand the whole topic
over 10 our yxian, and able democratic contemporaries
at Richmond and in the Oid Dominion" generally, and
through them to the people OF Virginia They may like
an abolition President and since Mr.. Fillmore has taken
Mains 10 reafirm and defend his Erie opinions at this
time by the great example Of Mr.. Jefferson, it is only
fair that he and his party should have the benefit of
them in the region round about" Monticello.
But there another point made by the Republic in de-
fence OF the President good anti-slavery man"Gs
good AZ ne fact" the traders in second hand fur
niture all say when they mean to intimate that their
nsy-parnhed articles tie for toear, and
vul aA do good seruies-there is another point which
deserves attention, and must be stated in the Republics
own words:
81. seem. that, fourteen fifteen years ago, when
Mr.. FILLMORE candidate for Congress, he
gated cerfat points cowwected Uiih dpry and
killer reply Mr. FILLMORE that time had been
called .po~ vpos the subjects submitted to him.
eossdsr them With asy dsbsraiion Therefore, in his reply.
he gave his frst ohand opinonwith the express dcca
ration that he would have that opston understood in
the nafwrs of pledge
When tho UAon therefore, nsnu that President FIJI
MoRx's fourteen years ago certain questions
eo~sced Wih slavery should eresfe the dr Of the 'o"the"
vhig 10 only nseessary in reply, 10 point to his ACTS
"Never mind Mr. Fillmores opinions" says his organ
"they not well delberated they pledges"
Judge him by his aets"' Most individually Nothing
can be fairer And affirm, and we challenge the
Republic to deny attempt deny. that through Pres
dent Fllmores entire term Of congressional servce-em
bracing several Congresses all subsequent TO the date of
the Erie letter in ls3she invariably, and Without
Of exception po,ed the opinions Of that letter every sectional
question before him member Of Congress Here
then, are the 10 which the Republic appeals. They
w.r. acts done the Republic tells US, freely and
under the obligation of pledge. They acts done
upon full debasion They acts of record and the
record running through years, record of absolute
,sny with the doctrines and all the doctrines, of the
Erie letter. We will no, at this time burden columns
with tina, record at length. though have made
statement to its character without careful examination
But here are specimens Of President Fmores acts
which commend to consideration. During bis service
in Congress came up the famous Anterior resolutions
Eris letter, ran follows
"Resoived therefore, That all attempts the part OF
Congress abolish slavery in the District OF Columbia,
the Territories, TO prohibit the removal Of slaves from
Stale to Sta discriminate between the institutions Of
portion Of this confedescy and another, with the views
Aforesaid, CONSTITUTION, destrne
ps to the principle ichieh the Union Of th~
Sata rests, and beyond the Jnrisdctio~ Of Co~gre"
at passed in tho afirma,ve-yeas Lao. nays g."
Mr.. Fillmore's name is recorded against il, with the
names Of MesMs. Giddings, Slade, e. Co.
This settled the question, it seemed but the abo-
li,onists not satisfied, and Mr.. Slade brought il
up again in the following direct and affirmative form. He
moved to suspend the rules in order submit this
luton:
'R,sopsd That much of the fifth OF the resolutions
the subject slavery passed by this House the 9TH and
18th Of the present month, relates to tho removal
sapes from State State and prohibits the action OF this
House spy petition, smorta!, ,tsoSfto~. opostfon
paper ouehi~g the same be, and hereby Is, RksclrDKD
"And the question: Shall the rules be suspended FOR
THE Aforesaid II passed in the negatve-yea'
IS, nays IE."
Mr.. Fimors's name is recorded as voting 10 suspend
the rules, and introduce the resolution.
Here them is the record Of Mr.. Fllmore's aeis. by
which he claims be judged-avening that his mere
declarations in his letters not pedgH We shall re-
member that statement If the Republic shall bring up
other letters or declarations 1t doubtless upon this
understanding OF the matter, and in view OF these
sordsd acts OF President Fillmore, that his Secretary OF
the Treasury. Mr. Corwn, in ls4s, described him in
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