The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-02

CONCLUSION

my presence when the matter was new, if as he
so vauntingly atfirms he is mercitu to the abb
sent, and harshest to his antagonist when most
near! Why has this grievance fesiered in Sc
cret until he reached his present cGiciai att
Jude 2" ! well remember when the resolutions
censuring him, reached Washington, copies hav
| ing been sent both to him and myself that he
came to me and said he wished to present them,
and agreed with the understanding that he
would do so with the respect due to the legisla-
| ture. He did present them, but in so churlish
manner, that had to call for their reading, and
move that they should be printed. | heard no.
thing then of his considering me responsible for
their inception or contents. ] cannot now per-
ceive why he should have gone beyond the
journal of the Legislature to find reason, boil,
for their introduction and passage. There he
would have found the series of resolutions
which he was so eager to bring to public notice
that he borrowed an unamhenticafed copy which
had been sent to me, and used it in a speech he
delivered in the Senate of the United States
March 2lst, 1850.
Those reolutions were reported by the com.
mittee to whom "was referred the special mes
sage of the governor, with the letters of our
senators and representatives in Congress- on the
subject of the admission Of California into the
Union as State" One of these resolutions
declared that the admission of California un
der the circumstances rected would be an ACT
of fraud and oppression on the rights of the
people of the slaveholding States and it is the
sense of this legislature that our senators and
representatives should, to the extent of their
ability resist it by all honorable and constitu-
| tonal MEANS" He who used every means to
find some by-path by which to escape such plain
instructions, sought too by himself, and sug-
gested in fully discussed thrice written letter,
might have expected censure, and in my opinion
deserved it, whatever might have been the
merits of the question.
lie asserts that my avowed objection to the
appointment of members Of Congress as dele
/ gates to the Baltimore convention, was "a sug-
gestion evidently thrown out to discredt the
appointment recently made by the Union Dem
ocratc convention Of Mississippi of our three
Union representatives in Congress" Is he
blind, and like the Cyclops, raving in his blind
ness. If he did not, others will see the contra
diction presented in the two articles to which
am replying in one In the first article when
his object was to show that had not been m
efficient and active laborer for Mr.. Casss cleo
ton in l848, he introduced an extract from
what he asserted was an accurate report of n
speech made in Jackson in l848 The extract
begins thus SHE" Cd preferred to his" (my)
repeatedly expressed views in 1874, ns to the
improperly, and evil tendency of members of
Congress interfering with Presidential nomina-
tion," &c, &c. In the second article when he
had different purpose, he notices recent ref
erence to and renewed expression of my former
opinion against the appointment of members of
Congress as delegates to the Baltimore conven-
ton, and says, "this suggestion is evidently
thrown out in order to dscredit the appoint
ment recently made by the Union Democratic
convention of Mississippi, Of our three Union
representatives in Congress-" Thus does he in
one article falsify what he had affirmed in
another, but few days before. And though
he had found in an old Wing paper a sketch of
a speech | had made in l848, and produced it
as report of unquestonabe accuracy, when he
found that /, not knowing what he had done,
had renewed the expression of this opinion, he
noticed it in his second article thus: "This is
certainly quite amusing to those who know that
Col. Davis, during the whole winter and spring
of l849, though Senator of the United States
at the time, was more actively concerned than
any other person in Washington in all the
political management then in progress in con-
nection with the nomination of the Baltimore
If he meant to say lS48, those
who heard his secretly, but industriously circu.
lated SANDER that was then in the Wing coun.
ellis, and kept apart from those who were intent
on the nominations Of the Baltimore conven-
ton, must mark this new phase Of his story
with no little surprise.
His statement is utterly unfounded, a false
hood so low and malicious, that | cannot stoop
to answer it, otherwise than characterizing it as
have done. If Gov. Qutman entertaDs the
opinion attributed to him, that have prevented
his nomination to the Vice Presidency, he could
probably assign no other reason for it than that
il had thus been represented to him by Gov
Foote.
In former article stated the fact that Gov
FOote had assaied me in the United States
Senate when had ceased to be member of
that body, by accusations which he had never
availed himself of the abundant opportunities
he had possessed to bring forward in my pres
ence. To this he replies
When enjoyed any opportunity of contro-
verting with him face to face, within the last
twelve months, it is possible he may have it in
his power to explain; or Mt least he may show
,ohy it was that | never &" found him upon any
field of controversial warfare where CHANGED
to be doing battle for the Union cause"
have the power, and have no objection to
using it. His article appears in the Flag Of the
Union OF tne 4ln OF FEBRUARY. Twelve months
from that date we were DO tn in the Senate the
very place where the at ack was made after
had left it. In the month Of May last heard
when in Madison county, that he had short
time before made speech there, in which he
denounced "certain Senator from the South"
as one who had refused to give the President
the necessary power to execute the fugitive
slave law, and to prevent the recurrence of such
scenes as the Boston riot; and had made such
insinuations that friend of mine asked if he
alluded to me; and that he refused to answer
the question ] came on to Jackson the Union
Convention which nominated him for governor
was then in session. At the time when it was
announced he would speak attended and took
seat directly before him, that might distinctly
hear what he would say of me- He said, sub.
stan,ally, that he had no issue to make with his
colleagues, that he never quoted their speeches
or their votes spoke in the evening in the
other end OF the capitol; there noticed the re.
port which had reached me that it had been in
simulated that !, as Senator, refused to furnish
the President with the means necessary to the
execution of the fugitive slave law. pro-
nounced it a falsehood, and proved it to be so
by statement of what the Senate had done