The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-05-08

|
To the Editor Of The Unnn In your paper
of this morning notice an editorial containing
amongst other things the following:
"THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY THE OnLY TRUE
UrIor PARTY ?-Hon A. II. Stephens, of Gsor-
gia, in his speech delivered in the House of Re-
representatives., April 27th in speaking Of the
rights of the South as guaranteed by the Con-
stitution, said
| "And what is one of these m tiers! Why,
nothing short of the constitution right Of the
people of the South to the reclamation and ex.
tradition Of their tugitves from labor. Now,
sir, this is one Of the leading, and may say the
paramount, questions of the day.
"' Two years ago, in this very hall, the great
majority of the North, of both the two great
parties, upon this and other kindred questions,
were arrayed against the South. There were u
few exceptions, whom hailed then, and now,
as the friends OF the Union and Constitution
There were only eleven, in all, believe One
see now, Mr. German, Democrat; another
sits near me, Mr. Brooks, Whig'
ave have seldom, if ever, seen so many
errors and misstatements crowded into SO little
space. In the first place, two years ago, in the
House of Representatives, majority of the
Democratic members of the North were not
arrayed against the South upon the fugitive
slave bill and kindred measures. majority Of
the Wing members from the North--a very
large majority-was arrayed against the South
upon that and all kindred measures. Instead Of
there being only eleven members from the North
10 favor Of the fugitive slave bill, there were
thirty-one who recorded their names in the af-
tirmative on its passage Mr.. German, the
Democrat referred to, did vote for the BILL Mr..
Brooks, the Wing referred to, did not"
! Now, in reply to this, permit me to say, briefly
and respectfully, that in all discussions for the
arrival at truth it is essential not only that facts
be first settled and agreed upon, but that when
correctly stated they shall not be confused or
misappied. In those parts Of my speech from
which you have given the disjointed extracts
cited above, had no reference whatever to the
vote of the House upon the fugitive slave law,
or the passage of those other measures of the
last Congress known as the compromise
was speaking of the condition of things in the
curly part of that session, and the position Of
parties at the Nerth upon those slavery ques
tons which were then deeply agitating both
sections of the Union before that change took
place, to some extent, in both those parties at
the North, which resulted in the adoption of
the adjustment measures, and to which | dis
tinctly and fully alluded The truth which |
|
agitation of these sectional ques.ions--since
the day that Mr.. Wimot moved his proviso in
August, 1916, up to the beginning of the last
Congress--.wo years before the meeting Of the
present-whlle large MINORITY of both parties
of the North were opposed to the position and
| claims of the South, yet there were some,
though few, who were for "maintaining the
right" under the Constitution, whom | hailed as
| friends of the Union and the Constitution, then
and now, irrespective of their party names
This statement, so far as it relates to the North
| ern Democrats, you seem to call in question
for you say
| Sin the first place, two years ago in the House
of Representatives majority of the Democratic
members from the North were not arrayed against
the South upon the fugitive slave bill and kin.
dred measures"
suppose no one will hesitate to grant that
the Wilmot proviso, or the exclusion of slavery
from the territories by act of Congress, was one
Of the prominent questions upon which the two
sections were then arrayed against each other.
How, then, did the two parties at the North
stand upon this great question in the early part
of the last Congress? | send you true copy
Of the journal of the House of that session,
which will sh1 W, and which you will please pub
lish. 1t is as follows:
Mr. Root offered the following resolution:
Resolved, That the Committee on Territories
be instructed to report to the House, with as
little delay practicable, bill or bills providing
a territorial government or governments for all
part Of the territory coded to the United States
by Mexico by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,
lying eastward of the Sierra Nevada mountains,
and prohibiting slavery therein.
MIR. Root moved the previous question on the
resolution.
MIR. Alexander Ii. Stephens moved that the
resolution be laid on the table,
| Mr.. Houston moved, at 3 o'clock, p. M, that
| the House adjourn which motion was disagreed
The question required on agreeing to the mo-
ton that the resolution be laid on the table,
And being put. it was decided in the negative
yeas S3, nays lol.
The yeas and nays being desired by one fifth
of the members present,
Those who voted in the affirmative are
Messrs. William ]. Aston, Josiah NJ Ander
son, William M. Ashe, Thomas II. Averett,
William V. N. Bay, Thomas II. Bayly, James
NJ. H. Beae, William H. Bissell, Thomas s.
Bocock, franklin w. Bowden James B. Bowlin,
Linn Boyd, Daniel Brock, James Brooke,
Armistead Burt, George Alfred Caldwell, JOS
p Caldwell, Charles E. Clarke, Thos. L. Cling
man, Williamson R. w. Cobb, William F.
Colcock, Charles NJ. Conrad, Edmund Deberry,
William Duer Henry A. Edmundson, Andrew
Ewing, Winfield S. Featherston, Alfred Gil
more, Willis A. German, James S. Green, Thos
c. lIackett, Willard p. Hall, William r. Ham
ilton, Edward Hammond, Hugh A. HARRISON,
John H. Harmanson, Isham G. Harris Sampson
w. Harris, Thomas S. Raymond, Henry w.
billiard, Isaac E. Holmes, John w. Houston.
Ovid Hubbard, Samuel W. Inge, Andrew
Johnson, James l.. Johnson, Robert w. John.
son, George w. Jones, David S. kaufman,
Emile La Sere, Job Mann, Humphrey Marshall,
John G. Mason, John A. McClernand, James
Mcdowell, Robert NJ. McLane, Finis E., Me
Lean, Fayette McMullin, John McQueeo, VIM
Melville, John X. Miller John s. Mlson, | a,c
+. Morse, James l.. Orr, Allen f. Owen, John
S. Phelps, William A. Richardson, John II
Savage, Edward Stanly, Frederick p Stanton,
Richard II. Stanton, Alexander II. Stephens
James H. Thomas, Jacob Thompson, John B.