Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-10-20
Sir. stephens, .spcech.

On the 11th inst. the Hon. A. III. Ste
phens, the leading Wing member of Con.
greas from Georgia, made speech at
Macon, of which the following is an ex.
tract, taken from the report of the Jour
nal and Messenger: 52.,74 -ga- gaEtH1 ~
His objection to General Scott. the
Wing nominee. was founded upon the rea-
SON of his nomination, upon the fact of his
nomination under the circumstances under
which it was effected. With regard To
General Scott's personal opinion upon the
Compromise, he believed that he had We
~ little, il any His opinions, if he had
any, were shaped and controlled by stron-
ger feelings, and principally by his desire
to be elected President A Compromise
platform was adopted by the Convention
which nominated him. Sixty-six men in
that Convention voted against that plat
form But Mr. Stephens regarded the
records of Congress better evidence of the
views of the party which nominated Gen.
Scott, than the action of an irresponsible
nominating Convention. In Congress
there was not n single Scott man from the
North in favor of the execution of the flu
gitive slave law. or willing to regard the
Compromise as final settlement of the
questions it embraced. Every Webster
and Fillmore man, on the contrary, eth
or voted for it. or was willing to acqui-
eSce in it as part of the Plan of Adjust
ment. a. ~a
These facts show the tone and temper
OF the Party which nominated General
Scott. He received the nomination be-
cause he was not committed against this
party. Gen. SCOTS opinions upon the |
Compromise never were known in WASH
lngton city, before or after the passage
Of the Compromise. When in the early |
part OF 1851, the Union representatives Of
Georgia. with others from the North and |
the South, signed what has been called
the Union Safety Pledge. and declared
that they would support no man for high
office who did not regard the Compromise
As \ 6uality, or who was in favor of the |
repeal of the fugitive slave law, or any
amendment of it which would impair its |
efficiency, no expression of opinion could
be obtained from General Scott Mr.. |
Fillmore and Mr.. Webster were known to !
be in favor of it. At that time. it was not
known which would be the stronger. the
Compromise or the anti Compromise Par
ty, and Gen. Scott was silent upon the
whole subject
About this time he received the nomi-
nation of the Pennsylvania Convention, for I
the Presidency, which repudiated the flu
gitivc slave law in express terms. Gov.
Johnson was nominated by the same Con-
vention for election, who put in his
pocket the bill of the Legislature, repeal
inS the law of Pennsylvania. by which
the jnils of that State were disallowcd the
South for the confinement Of fugitive |
SlnycS Cen HIl Aianr,,,-n 4 b1
PENNSYLVANIA Platform and Gov. John.
ston. canvasScd the State. urging the re-
peal of the fugitive slave law, and with ,
t'cu. Scott rs his candidate for the Presi-
Grucy. Nintun in Ohio, Canvasscd his I
State upon the same platfot m--.he repeal
Of the fugitive slave law with Gen. Scott
as his candidate for the Presidency. Thus
did Gen. Scott BY hi, silence upon the |
Compromise, lend himself to a party in |
Congress. in Pennsylvania. in Ohio, and
throughout the North, organized in oppo-
sitfon'to the Compromise.
And this party went to Baltimore, de- /
handing 4 victim. determined to sacrifice
Webster and Fillmore, and 10 do it with
Gen Scott Since his nomination. Gen
Scott, it Is said, has uucquivocally endor-
>ed the Compromise and Il letter from
him 10 MIR. Clay and his speech to the .
Mississippi delegation, are quoted AS evil
Gcncc of the fact. With regard TO these
documents, Mr.. Stephens said he could
hot deny their authenticity, but he doubt /
ed it. The letter came from an anonE-
nous correspondent of a newspaper III
Tennessee and the speech from Il gen
tleman in Mississippi. Mr., Stephens
could only say, that in Washington City |
nothing was known of the letter or of the
speech. and that if Gen. Scott was in ia
vor OF the Compromise, he might present
his opinions himself to the Southern peo-
pie. and not leave them to find their way /
to the light from unknown or irresponsible
sources. ......