The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-04-29

caucus This would take up too much time
now. IL the gentleman from Texas should
answer the question he was about to put, IL
would enable him to get the satisfaction which
! he had never yet been able to obtain from gen.
tlemen of either party during this session.
/ Why did not General Cass vote for the fugl-
tive Slave bill the day it passed the Senate
| Mr. Howard You had better ask General
/ Cas- himself
Mr. Stanly That might be imprudent and
| it might offend the old gentleman. Laughter.
! Mr. Howard. | never conyersed with him
on the subject. But | understood from his
speeches. The gentleman here paused to
hold a private colloquy with friend
Mr.. Stanly. The gentleman cannot answer
/ There's =" too much noise and confusion
Mr.. Howard General Cass might have had
u private reason for not voting.
MIR. Stanly. Exactly.
Mr.. Howard In ali his speeches before and
after the passage of that bill, General Cas- ex-
pressed himself in favor of the Fugitive Slave
Law. His language is clear and distinct upon
this subject as might be seen by a recent num-
Der of the Union
Mr.. Stanly. He expressed this in his speeches,
and voted the other way A voice: He did
not vote" Why did he not vote!
Mr.. Howard wish to know of the gentle
man-for / infer that General Scott is his
Magnus Apollo-whether he can state if Gen.
eral Scott approves of the Fugitive Slave Law
rs it ut present exists and whether, if elected
President, he will employ the power of the
Government to execute it
Mr.. Stanly. He would be a perjured man if
he did not
Mr.. Howard All! Laughter.
Mr.. Stanly. That's full answer, rs far as
can answer
Mr.. Howard The first is a question of NOR
ais, and the second question of law: but
wish to ask whether he knows, as matter of
fact, that Gen Scott is in favor of this measure,
and will resist its modification Or repeal!
Mr.. Stanly. He is as good Compromise
man as my friend from Texas. Laughter
For further information. | refer in full to my
letter, published few days ago. Laughter,
and several voices Good good, Stanly"l
Mr.. Howard. | did not hear the gentleman
distinctly Did | understand him to refer me
to General SCOTS letter A voice No, his
own letter.
Mr. Stanly refer you to General Scott;
and when you get General Cass's answer,
will not vote for General Scott, if he does not
give You his Is not that fair!
NlT. IlOWdTu SnOulu nktly DC CHcdtcu III
accepted of such a bargain. 1t is suggested
that the gentleman from Massachusetts could
give more lucid answer rs to what light he
understood the Compromise to have been acted
upon.
Mr. Fowler. There are other men here to
tell the truth besides myself Laughter, ex-
cessve and long continued
Mr. Howard. The gentleman gave such lu-
oil on, fnrn,nr InYr tbot | in
hopes he would enlghten us on this occasion
He says there are other gentlemen who can tell
the truth as well rs himself That may be, if
they happen to know it but the misfortune
is my Wing friends do not know whether |
General Scott stands up to the Compromise or
not
Mr. Stanly. will answer the gentleman
know it.
Mr. Howard. On the Compromise
Mir Stanly say he is as true a Compro-
mise man rs You are and a better Compromise
man than my friend from Texas which could |
show if ! had chance
Mr. Howard. The Fugitive Slave Law in
cludcd
Mr. Stanly Yes all the Compromise meas
ures.
Mr. Howard. If the gentleman can state
this Of his own knowledge, or by authority of
General Scott shall be proud to know it. |
believe however, that the gentleman from
Massachusetts also has to be consulted The
gentleman from North Carolina can relieve us
from all difficulty if he can say whether Gen
eral Scott has authorized him to make the dec
Iarati0n
Mr. Stanly. will answer | have not
talked with General Scott for three months
| have got other duties to perform, and a great
deal of business on hand and | suppose he |
has. General Scott speaks for himself He is |
able to do so but | tell the gentleman, as
| have told my constituents. what | know of |
my own knowledge from his own lips There |
is no mistake about that. If | heard nv friend |
from Texas say particular thing and should |
repeat that | heard HIM. my veracty being |
unqueStioned and unimpcachabe take it for |
granted that | would be believed rs having
spoken what ! knew. Is not that authority |
enough! Before the Compromise measures
were passed. during their tendency, when
Texas was 50 much alarmed and my friend |
from that State changed his vote to ret one of |
them passed General Scott was rs anxious for
the passage of those measures as the gentleman |
was, and as true, firm, and unyielding
Mr.. Outlaw wished to know from his col |
league why General Scott did not say so over |
his own signature
Mr.. Stanly said that it was strange aues-
ton. Laughter His colleague knew. ms
we'll rs he did, that General Scott is in favor
of the Compromise Why not, then, say so
| Tie supposed that every gentleman has his own |
notions of propriety as to the manner of doing
! it, And he thought that General Scott would
| be descending from his high position, and act.
ing an unworthy part if he should write let
tcrs every ten days to log-cabn, cross roads or
,Iram-shop politicians who might ask him for
his opinions. He had no doubt General Scott
would give full answer to the gentleman |
have said Mr.. Stanly, no more doubt of it than
that am living.
Mr.. Outlaw. The gentleman seems to think
this strange question. In response to that
my colleague knows the position which occu-
py, namely: that will vote for no man for
| President or Vice President who is not publicly
| pledged $50 that there may be no mistake
about it) that he will maintain each and all
these measures as final adjustment of the
slavery question and will not neither will
my constituents be satisfied with declaration
made to an individual in private converse
ton. They wish to Judge for themselves of the
extent to which he is committed for the up
holding and maintenance of the Compromise
measures.
MIR Stanly said that the gentleman signed a
Compromise pledge during the last Congress
!, tie (Nlr s. did not sign temperance pledges
he did not sign pledges saying that he would
not lie, steal, or get drunk. He objected to any
man of good character signing pledges about
anything If that is what his colleague meant,
he hoped that General Scott would never give
one. General Scott would not initiate General
Cass-rowing one way and looking another.
Mr. Outlaw said he should be happy to see
the production forthcoming; but confidence is
plant of slow growth 1t was not part of
his political creed to surrender his convictions
| without IlStltnhlp pnusa Wba, bo a;,ooJ