Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1852-10-15
Letter from Hon. +. L. cllsg.aan.
RaLE1eH. October 8. 1852

RALE1oH, October s. 1852.
DraR SrR: In compliance with your request,
nroceed briefly to state, in wring tbe substance OF
nv conversation with youin relation 10 the approach
ing Presidential election. do this the more readi-
" not only because have political opinions that
wish to conceal, bat because rs one of my lmme-
date constituents you entitled TO have them IN
form capable of preservation for future reference
From the time Of Gen. SCOTS nomination have
universally stated. In conversation with my col
leagues other members Of Congress and in tact all
who felt an interest in knowing my views that dId
not intend TO support Gen. Scott In reply also 10
such letters as + received, asking for my OIL
pinion repeatedly wrote 70 the same effect. to gen.
tlemen of both political parties who were residents
of nv District, and also to some other portions OF
the State Several of these letters were written soon
after Gen. SCOTS nomination. to gentlemen OF both
parties canvassing for seats in the&Legisiature
mention this lest should be charged that hesita-
ted commit mysefn writing since It was easy tor
any one of those centlemen-there being no lnJunc-
ton of secrecy on them-to have furnished evidence
of nv position Id d not think it expedicnt to make
publication on the subject. partly because it was
said by the papers friendly to Gen. Scott that mem-
bers of Congress ought to attempt to dictate to-
the people. and in part. also. because preferred
giving my views to my constituents face to face in
full and free manner, on my return to my Dstrlct
In 1913, seeing that the contest was likely to be
between Gen. Taylor and Gen Scott, and that the
former had refused to take any position with refer
ence the great pending questions of the day and
not being disposed to adopt him trust, and
blindly support him, /, after long waiting for
development of Gen. Taylor's views. determined
to advocate the nomination of Gen. Scott rather
than his. Since then have had no reason TO re-
greet that AsIapprehended and predicted, as
soon as the policy of Gen. Taylurs Administration
was developed, with reference to the great Slavery
questions then pending |: in conjunction with "a
majority of The Southern Wing members of Con-
gress, was thrown into opposition to it. Though
such the condition of things for several months
before Gen. Tayior's DEATH yet the public was not
generally aware of it. His sudden demise prevented
an open and violent collision. About the first of
July 1885, it was determined, at meeting OF a
decided majority of the Southern Wing members
of Congress, that it was our duty, before open
declaration of hostties to advise the then Presi-
dent of our purposes, sc. Three gentlemen were
selected for that purpose, to wit, the Hon. c. NJ
Conrad, the present Secretary of War. the Hon.
Humphrey Marshall, of Kentucky, and the Hon.
Robert Toombs, of Georgia. They, in accor-
dance with the views of the meeting separate
| ly called on the President and gave him TO I'M
derstand that he must expect determined
opposition if he persisted in resisting such COM
promise as advocated and insisted on his policy
of admitting California and New Mexico as States.
and supporting the claim of the latter to the
territory this side of the Rio Grande. Ac-
cordng to their several reports to us, Gen. Tay
lor was unyelding and frankly declared to them
that as soon as the Constitution of New Mexico
reached him, which he looked for in few days, he
should send in a message to Congress recommending
it's admission at once as State as he had done in
the of California that he also declared that
Texas had no right to the territory claimed by her
and that he disposed to support the claim of
New Mexico against her. TO OF these gentle
mel, he said that he was placed in such position
that he would probably he forced to sacrifice one
wing of his party and that we ought not to expect
him to sacrifice eighty -four from the North rath
er than twenty-nine men from the South, these be-
ing the number of members of the Northern and
Southern sections of the Wing party in Congress.
The great body of the Southern members of Congress-
with MIR. Clay at their head, would thus have been
thrown into opposition and would have been COM
peeled. with the aid of the conservative of the
North to fight the whole force of the administration
The death of Gen. Taylor alone prevented strug-
gle which would have shaken the country to its
tire. The decree of Providence thus averted the
contest but the lesson is one which ought not to be
lost on u.s. Without, however, going into detail on
these points, proceed at once to speak of General
Scott.
/ In the summer of 1S49 his Canada annexation let
rer published. Gen. Taylor having just been
inaugurated. it seemed probable that he might be
renomnated fer election, with the support, it was
| then supposed, of the whole South. 1t would be
necessary to tie Northern vote in opposition
to supersede him Gen. Scott therefore, while ex-
pressing his wish for the acquisition of Canada vol
UNFAIRLY and without being questioned on the point
went to declare his opposition to the acquisition
of Mexican territory. In substance he said that
strengthen the North, he opposed to such
acquisition might in like manner, keep the South
even with the North. then looked upon this as an
open. undisgnised declaration of his wish to be re-
garded as the Northern Presidential candidate 1t
would be considered in other light than as bid
tor Northern support, at the expense, too of
sential interests. During my journey through the
Northern States in the autumn of that year, ] had
other evidences to the same effect | felt that Gen
Scott had not in the position he bad voluntarily ia
ken: any Claims on me or any other Southern man.
On the contrary, saw that the rights of my sec
ton under the Constitution, equals in the Union
had been putupfo sale in the political market for anti
slavery votes 1t was obvious that Gen Scott believed
that he could be elected by Northern votes alone
In fact have the best reason to believe that he
much more recently than The time refer to- repeat
edv expressed the opinion that he could be elected
without vote from slave State For the last
three years he has been identified with the anti
slavery party OF the North but In 1S4S Mr. Sew
ard who Is The leader OF that party opposed to
him. During the session of the Wing Convention at
Philadelphia, in that year, had some conferences
with Mr.. Thurlow Weed, the Editor of the Albany
Evening Journal, and with Mr.. Horace Greely the
Editor of the New York Tribune. both of them be-
ing we'll known as intimate friends and mouth pieces
OF William H. Seward. They were utterly hostile
to Cen Scot, and said he could possibly be sup
ported by them, account of his Nativeism and va
rlous other points enumerated by them WHY is it
that Mr. Seward and these gentlemen have since ta-
ken up General Scout and given him the nomina-
ton Because they found they could make use of
him to destroy Messrs. Fillmore, Webster and 9TH
er TRENDS OF the compromise; and they therefore
selzed upon him as fitting instrument for that pur-
pose But, 1t is sad that he had in his privue con-
Versatl0ns expressed himself in favor of those meas