The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-04-29
correspondence Of the New York Express
PRESIDENTIAL MOVEMENTS.

PRESIDENTIAL MOVEMENTS.
WASHINGTON, Aprii II.
The Presidential movements here continue
to be the engrossing topics, and they absorb
all other matters of interest 1t is vain to dis
guise facts, and to face them always is true
heroism
An impression prevails-be it true or not, it
is yet the impression-that Mr. Senator Man
gum made the speech in the Senate he has
made in consequence of the lure of the Vice
Presidency on the Scott ticket and an impress
sion prevails that a like lure is held out to Mr..
Senator Jones of Tennessee, in consequence of
which is the division manifested among the
Southern Wings in Congress must not be
censured for writing you of the existence of
this impression. | did not create it, 1t is my
bounden duty, as your correspondent, to write
you not only facts, but widespread rumOrs af-
tecting public men and when these rumors are
put by me into print | but confer an obligation
In giving them reason to contradict in,public
what is everywhere whispered in private The
rumor and the belief among many, therefore, is
that at supper parties and dinner parties CO.
alltion has been formed between Mr. Mdngum
and er-Gou Sewdrd on one side, involving
others on their respective sides, that with Gen
tor the North, is to be run Mr. Mangum South
or Mr.. Jones, with the distribution of other
high Offices among their followers in North
Carolina, and Tennessee, and Kentucky Hence
this astonishing coalition
Mr.. Mangum was selected rumor adds to
preside over the Wing Congressional caucus
at private meeting, where Gov Seward was
the prominent spirit, and it was there deter
mined that the Wing Compromise resolution of
the first Congressional caucus be ruled out of
order All this may be most untrue and en-
dorse not one word of it; but such rumors are
as current in the Washington circles as any
item of news in circulation. have before me
names OF men alleged to have been present ut
these private dinner and supper caucuses, but
1t ~ not my business to invade social circles,
further than as they produce public measures
The Scott speeches agreed upon in these eau
cuses to follow Mr.. Mangum from Tennessee
and North Carolina and to back him up, will
soon tell what need not write.
| 1t is agreed, too, and Mr.. Mangum's speech
already discloses it, that the Wing Compromise
resolution of the early Congressional caucus liz
to be repudiated, not only for the coming Con-
gressional caucus, by being ruled out of order,
but in the Wing National Convention, repudi-
ated as uncalled-for and unnecessary also.
Some of the Southern Wings in this new move
ment insist upon it that the waving of the
issue now is but the adjournment to more
fitting body-the Wing National Convention
and such of them as are in earnest, for some of
them are) are but dupes, as dupes they should
be The whole Compromise, as q " finality,n
is to have the go-by, then in the Convention,
and such is the supper and dinner caucus un-
derstandng among the high contracting par
ties, and the go-by it will have, and should
have, III the present position of things Why?
| think hear you ask in astonislment WHYa
Hear me- then, and will tell you why.
We Northern Wings can never fight for
Southern constitutional rights on Northern
ground, if Southern men abandon us. The
provision in the Constitution for the rendition
of fugitive slaves is to us most unpopular,
often most revolving and shocking duty, but
it is duty imposed upon us by the Constitu-
ton, and AS sacred, solemn part of the instru-
ment as any other section of it. If such lead
ing men as Mangum, Stanly, Jones of Tennes-
sec, or any portion of Kentucky, ever abandon
us when we struggle in the North for the UNI
questioned unquestionabe rights of the South
ern States, we must fall before the unpopular
ity of the fugitive slave provision of the Con-
sttuton We cannot stand up for men who
refuse to stand up for themselves. We have
no earthly interest in protecting the odous
parts of the Constitution, surrendered by the
South itself We will never be catchers of ne
groes that North Carolina men or Kentucky
do not want If we can evade that provision
of the Constitution by Southern acquiescence,
we most assuredly will. Slave-catchng next
to slave-trading is thought by most people to
be the meanest of all occupations. We Wings,
who in the North have sacrificed ourselves,
| our popularity our power, to preserve the con-
secrated instrument George Washington and
John Adams bequeathed us, are absolved
| from all obligations to continue this selfsacri-
| fee when such men a. Messrs Mangum,
Stanly, Jones, and others acting for their States,
acquit us from the contract
| And why should we continue the sacrifice
Answer thou me that Mcssrs Editors You
have given the country from Western New
York an Anti-Savery man for President, whose
education. every feeling of whose nature, be-
yond all doubt was and is Anti Slavery, but
who, upon becoming President, and taking the
oath faithfully to administer the Government
under the Constitution, remembered there was
South as well as a North, and who now, for
this remembrance only, is assailed by all the
violence of Abolition, assisted even in this as
sault by such men us Mr.. Mangum in his
echoes of what they say viz: that Mr.. Fill.
more is unavailable among the Wings of the
North, and in the demand of his mmolation
| therefor. This Southern man admits, in his
own State, that Mr.. Fillmore is preferred above
| all others But he advances the extra judicial
| dictum that he is not available in the land of
his boyhood and birth, and that the State which
has hitherto crowned him with its highest hon
ors will now turn its back upon him Why
however, it may be asked, suppose, can he
not carry Northern Wing votes-an averment,
| by the way rs unfounded as cruel in Mr. Man
gums mouth-why, If admitted but because
he has been faithful TO the Constitution and TO the
| South rs well as to the North. We see i'm Mr.
Fillmore, therefore land the same may be said
of Mr.. Webster, for their course is one,) North
orn men sacrificed by Southern men, and sacri-
feed by Southern men, too, because, in obedi-
ence to their oaths to support the Constitution,
they have supported in good faith that provi-
sion of it which secures the rights of the South.
The path of duty, therefore, for Northern ma
tional Wings if Mr.. Mangum and his follow
ers persist in their course and are sustained at
home, or even by divisions at home, is clear
| and that path is TO let the South take care OF
itself its fugitive slaves and all IL Southern
men encourage the re-opening or the keeping
open the anti-slavery issues why, let tho re-
opening come, and if slavery be an institution
that cannot stand the test Of law, or religion, or
popular opinion, it must tumble down. If
MIR. Mangum can embrace in caucus Gov.
Seward, fresh from the Bloomer anti-slavery
demonstrations Of Auburn and Thad Stevens,
with hands red with the blood of the Gorsuch
murder in Christiana, without any definition
of princples--nay declaring them all as out Of
order why cannot you, the editors Of the
Express see no reason why you Northern
Wings who, as iorlorn hopes have led ON even
the Democratic columns from the errors Of the
| Wilmnt Prnvisn 10 the defence nf the Constitn