The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-01

| l felt deeply, and may have spoken strongly
but never censursd Mr.. Polk for it. am sure
Of this, becssse. when ~ Mexico, ] wrote to my
late colleagues Of the House Of Representatives
rStsphsn Adsms) and = friend of Mr. Polk
asked him TO call for the correspondence and
orders which preceded the departure Of Gen.
Scott for the seat OF war convinced that, il all
the facts were known, the President would be
relieved from the censure which many in the
army then attached to him. Mr.. Adams had no
opportunity to make the call through the House
Of Representatives he therefore visited the
President with my letter and by authority,
made confidential communication to me, which
renders it impossible ,hat | should ever have
censured Mr.. Polk for t'ie act
recoect after my return from Mexico,
was informed by Mr.. &. J. Seares of certain
misrepresentation against myself then in circu-
lation; among them was one which implied hos
,ility to Mr.. Polk, for totally different reason
ON that now given by Mr.. Foote. replied,
and with my letter, sent correspondence be-
tween Mr.. Polk and myself, which showed his
kind appreciation of me, and my thankfulncss
for it. These letters were published in the
Vicksburg Sentinel of the 9th Of October,
l847; and if Gov. FOote had seen0nd believed
such report of my Natchez speech as he now
exhumes, these letters should have removed the
impression. But these facts could probably find
no appropriate place either 10 his store-room or
mandatory of report concerning me, and his
researches into the old files OF Wing newspa-
pers might not aid his memory in such n case.
He stated in his sent in the Senate, after
had ceased to be member OF it, that had been
selected as one of the two military leaders of
the South in an anticipated civil war; that
had been nominated az the head Of proposed
Southern confederacy and marked out for mill.
tary aud civil honors, in hundreds OF tOasts drunk
at public meetings, which meetings he must have
intended, by the connection in which he intro
duced them, to characterize as disunon meetings.
replied in the mode which was open to me,
and asked uhere, ,ohen and by iohom those things
had been done called for specific proof, be.
cause | dscredited his statement, and also be-
cause it would enable me to obain the most
conclusive evidence that it was without any
understanding with, or good reason to sup
pose, the proposition would be acceptable 10 me,
if indeed had been thus selected or nominated.
To this call for proof, Gov. Foote answers, thus:
"The gentleman demands proof, and proof he
shall have to his hearts content"
Terrific was the warning to surrender, but
not quite equalled by the vigor of the siege.
First he brings forward the letter of Mr. Pickens,
which, in the United States Senate, he had an.
nounced he had put into his scrap book and read
every day rs n part of each of some one hundred
speeches. Taking the tuct rs stated by him, it
must be supposed he was so familiar with its
contents, that he could only mistake them with
criminal intent. In the United States Senate,
in the debate from which | have heretofore pub
lished extracthe is reported TO have said in his
last and modified form of expression, that Mr.
Pickens in that letter "did designate General
Quitman and Colonel Davis as tho selected
leaders of the South in the contest of arms then
expected by certain persons in South Carolina"
:" | say that in my opinion civil war was conf
IDENTITY expected in my own State" To sustain
that specific assertion, he now produces the fol-
lowing which he says is found towards the con-
clusion of Mr. Pickens' letter:
Mississippi, with such men az Quitman aud
Davis to lead her to the breach, can do any thing
she dare to maintain her rights"
Yes! my beloved Missssippi-though de-
ceived by him whom you trusted--stung by the
adder you have warmed in your bosom, weak
ened by the traitor who hangs like an incubus
upon you-you can, with or without Quitman
and Davis" do anything you dare to maintain
your rights; and you dare do anything which
is necessary to maintain them. Would any true
son of Mississippi have taken exception to such
a compliment paid to his mother? Would any
honest mind have found in that an implication of
civil war in Mississippi, or a selection of the
leaders TO command the army of the South
| He next attempts to prop up his unsustained
assertion by the introduction of what he terms
Col. Pickens' celebrated Edgefeld speech" in
which he is represented to have said in reference
to Gen. Quitman and myself:
elf they carry Mississippi, is feel assured
they WILL we will greet whatever propositions
they may have to make, with cordial and hearty
welcome, because we know they could make
none but what were compatible with the vindi-
cation of our rights and honor"
| Upon this the gentleman says, "what sort OF
propositions Col. Pickens expected to come from
these gentlemen, leave others to decide"
| In the speech which made at Fayette, the
pamphlet edition of which he says was widely
circulated, and from which he pretended to
quote, Immediately between two of his extracts
he must have seen that which made it fraud
in him TO affect to believe that any proposition
against the Union of our forefathers would have
been made by me, and thereupon to announce
that, rs commander in chief of the army and
navy of Mississippi, he had no such proposition
to make There distinctly stated as reason
why Mississippi should meet South Carolina in
friendly council, that thus the latter State might
be prevented from seeding, and the first wish
of both might be obtained, the adoption of
measures by the Southern States which would
finally secure the rights of the South and per-
petuate the union Of the States" The speech
which | made at Fayette, was published in
pamphlet form, but the proof sheet was not read
by myself and there are some errors in it.
have said, however, that he pretended to quote
from that speech, and | said so because his ex.
tracts are so garbled as to conceal the opinions
expressed, italicised by himself, and grossly mis-
quoted to sustain his assertion that it was "revo
utionary and warke in its character for in
stance--his last extract reads thus:
"To the ladies' he returned his thanks, NC.
IL The revolutions against power and
oppression had generally been found on the side
of liberty and Justice. Thus it had been in the
revolution which gave the land to freedom, and
freedom to mankind thus it was in the last
struggle of unhappy Poland, when the courage
of the women sustained the failing hopes of the
patriot, and their vessels furnished the succor
to sustain the soldiery who fought the last bat
lie before Poland's freedom persisted forever"
L.. ttrs.