The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-06-04

tins 'Suuru wing bf the Wing party, that Il has
forreH ihan 40 respond in divers ways Gs9r.
Duhss, .oi Tennessee, uHEml3d0us anrariIiur IA
ilif pvn staSamsrtD OF the ar,tdHarY progress 81
promotion ba high pDsatan7ss, taus defines h5.
pnsitisla in the NssaESsSs 8sg9AlSaza Bzuzr-
-sNaszHNsr0y, SaR5@y, May I6, 1852.
-Gsa- Y. x Zot-rcoErEk: Dear SIR: AS
se1se Ssa7prshsasi0a seems 10 exist, IS to the
.asslvss that prompted me TO remain in the
Wing e4lczs after portion of the Southern
members had retired. and as disposition has
been manifested in certain quarters to miseon-
ceive and misrepre>ent those motives, | ask the
liberty of speaking for myself
with the motives or conduct of those that
chose TO retire from the caucus, have nothing
TO do; these are matters of theirs, not mine. /
did not leave the caucus, because did not see
the propriety or necessity of doing SO. did
not see that the interests of the country, of the
South, or of the Wing party required it as
such | felt it my duty to remain.
"The caucus was assembled for the specific
purpose of recommending time and place for
the meeting of the Wing national convention.
/ was then and am still of the opinion that our
powers extended thus far and no farther. To
have gone beyond this, would, in my Judgment
have been an assumption of power not deIegat-
ed to the caucus. The people in most of the
States had declared in favor of a national con-
vention Many OF them (ours among the rest,)
had appointed delegates to attend that conven-
ton. All that was asked, expected or desired
OF us, (and that only as matter of convent
ence,) was, that we, according to the usage of
the party, should designate the time and place
Tor the assembling of the convention. To have
done more, would, in my opinion, have been a
departure from usage, an usurpation of power
and, in effect, the revival of the old caucus sys
TEN in its most odious form What right had
this caucus to make a declaration of principles
for the government OF the party! What right
had il TO lay down rules precedent to the meet.
ing called by the people ? thought these pow
ers belonged to them and as they had appoint
ed their agents, clothed with these powers, |
was unwilling by any act of mine to interfere
with their rights. If this self constituted eau
Gus, wholly irresponsible as it was, had right
to afix one condition precedent to the meeting
of the convention, it had right to affix an in
definite number; if it had the right to declare
one principle as part of the Wing creed, it had
the right to declare what should be the entire
creed of the party; if it could properly decree
these things, it had to take but one other step,
and that was to designate the man who should
be the representative of those principles. What,
ask, would this have been, but revival of the
old exploded and justly odious caucus system,
long since condemned and consigned to the
tomb of the capulets, from which, | trust, it's
putrid carcass may never be resurrected
Il thought the people fully competent to
manage their own affairs and declare their own
principles and as they had appointed their own
agents for that purpose, was unwilling to in.
tervene between them and the exercise of their
privileges. Hence was unwilling to do more
than to indicate time and place for the meeting
of the onvention-leaving the balance to the
of the people, to whom it be-
longs.
"These are briefly the reasons that induced
me to pursue the course did; and not, as has
been falsely ntimated, out of opposition to the
compromise measures. have been the advo-
cate of those measures from the day of their
presentation to the country down to the present
moment, and in that caucus so expressed myself
These measures were adopted as a compromise,
calculated and intended to give peace and quiet
TO distracted country, and as such should be
acquiesced in by all. They were intended to
alay excitement and prevent agitation Why,
Ahen, continue TO fan the flames of sectional pas
{or,card on ALL occasions : Is this the best
mode of allaying agitation? Is it not rather
adding fuel to dying embers, which if let alone
will soon expire, never again to alarm the fears
of the country by their lurid flames? These
measures are the laws of the land no one is
proposing TO repeal them IN my opinion, no eff,
fort wW be made 10 repeal them; and if it was,
it would prove an abortion, ending in defeat.
think it competent for the convention, when it
assemblies, to declare its approval of these meas
nres. hope it may do 80. | think the whole
country, North and South should be willing TO
aequiesce in them. think the great body OF
the people, in all sections of the country are
willing to acquiesce in them | here repeat
what nave ever said on all proper occasions,
tnat 1 VIII support no man for the Presidency
who is notin favor of abiding by these measures
and sustaining them in good faith.
That my motives should be impupned. and
my conduct assaied, is what expected have
been long accustomed TO these assaults. tbey
therefore, give me little concern. In every nuhlc
position to which have been called have an.
deavored to ascertain my duty, and then di,
charge il fearlessly and faithfully; believing thai
nv friends would be satisfied at least with m,
motives, and not caring whether it suited IN,
enemies or not shall thus continue to aci
hoping and believing that my friends are able L
care Of themselves, and will try and take car
Of the balance.
81 repeat, that with the motives and conduC
OF those who retired from the caucus, hav
nothing to do; but do know that those South
ern gentlemen who remained in the caucus, ar
as true to the country, to the South and to tb
compromise, as those that retired. | will no
recur to the antecedents of the one or the other
H. l. L.
truer friends Of tie compromise measurss--thi
is question refer to the country
In the inventive imagination of those VIII,
ssek to find fault, and who labor with grea
svidity to conjure up some unworthy motive 70
every act, ii is alleged that my course touchn
shis sfair was suggested by desire to con