Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-09-29

of the letter was to draw ont an express
sion Of Mr. Atwood's opinion on tie abo-
lilion movement generally. and with an
especial reference to the Fugitive Slave
Law. and whether, as chief Magistrate of
the State. he would favor any attempt for
! its repeal In an answer of considerable
length. the candidate expressed sentiments
that brought him unquestionably within
the free-soil pale, and favored his CORES.
pondents, moreover, with a pretty deci-
ded Judgment as to the unconstitutional,
unjust, and oppressive character of the
Fugitive Slave act. a6s n d8ta ~ !.
g During space Of about two months.
this very important public document was
kept from the public eye. Rnmors of its
existence however, became gradually moi
sed abroad, and necessarily attracted the
attention of MIR. Atwood's Democratic
friends. Inquiries being made, he ae-
knowledged the existence of the letter,
but averred that it had never been delive-
red, that it was merely rough draught,
and that he had hitherto kept it within his
own control, with view To more careful
consideration.
"In accordance with the advice of
friends, he expressed determination and
apparently in good faith to suppress the
letter, and thus to sever all connection
with the anti-slavery party. This. how
ever, was now beyond his power. A CO.
py of the letter had been taken; it was
published. with high cOmmendatiOns, in
the anti-slavery newspapers and MIR. At
wood was exhibited in the awkward pre-
dicament of avowing sentiments on the
one hand which he implicitly disavowed
on the other. of accepting nomina ion
based on principles dramatically opposite.
The candidate appears tn have appre-
bended this disclosure. and he hurried to
Concord, and sought counsel of General
Pierce, with whom he was on terms of
personal kindness, and between whom
and himself, heretofore, there had never
been a shade of political difference. An
Interview with the General and one or
two other gentlemen cnsued. Mr.. At
wood was cautioned against saying or
writing word that might be repugnant
to his feelings or principles /; but. volun-
tarily, and at his own suggestion. he
wrote, for publication, second letter, in
which he retracted every objectionable fea-
ture Of his former one, and took decided
ground in favor OF the compromise, inclu-
ding all its individual measures.
Had he adhered to this latter position,
he might have come out of the affair, il
not with the credit of consistency, yet. at
least, as a successful candidate in the i'm
pending election. But his evil fate, or
rather, the natural inhrmity of his charac-
ter, was not so to be thrown off. The
very next day, unhappily. he fell into the
hands of some of his anti-slavery friends.
to whom he avowed constant adherence
to the principles of his first letter. desert
bling the second as having been drawn
from him by opportunity, in an excited
state of his mind, and without full real,
iza:ion of its purport."
1t would be needleSsly cruel to Mr..
Atwood to trace, with minuteness, the
further details of this affair Ii is impos-
sible to withhold from him certain sym
worthy man, as the world goes on, had
entangled himself in an inextricable knot
of dupicity and tergiversaiion. by an ill
advised effort to be two opposite things at
once. For the sake of true manhood, we
gladly turn to consider the course adopted
by General Pierce.
4" The election for Governor was now at
distance of only few weeks; and it
could not be otherwise than a most haz-
ardous movement for the democratic par
ty, at so late a period. to discard candi-
didate with whom the people had become
familiar. 1t involved nothing less than
the imminent peril of that political supre-
macy which the party had so long enjoy
ed. With Mr.. Atwood as candidate,
success might still be considered certain
To a short-sighted and weak man, it
would have appeared the obvious policy
to patch up the difficulty, and, at all
events, 10 conquer, under whatever lead
ership, and with whatever allies. But it
was one of those junctures which test the
difference between the man of principle
and the mere politician-the man Of NOR
al courage and him who yields to tempo
rary exPediency.
" General Pierce could not consent that
his party should gain nominal triumph,
at the expense of what he looked upon as
its real integrity and life. With this view
of the matter, he had no hesitation in his
course nor could the motives which 9TH
erwise would have been strongest with
him-pity for the situation of an unfortu-
nate individual. personal friend, dem
ocrat, as Mr.. Atwood describes himself,
of nearly fifty years standing-incline
him to mercy, where it would have been
fatal to his sense of right. He took deci-
ded ground against Mr.. Atwood. The
convention met again. and nominated ano-
Their candidate. Mr.. Atwood went into
the field as the candidate of the anti-sla-
very party. drew off sufficient body of
democrats to defeat the elecIion by the
people, but was himself defeated IN the
legislature.