The primitive Republican. (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-1852, 1852-03-11

-e-fV DVCA % VIII huOWu 70 ullu Wnen ne
conversed with Mr.. Rhett, as when he left
Washington to visit Mississippi. At there
cep6Ons at Natchez, Vicksburg, and New
Orleans on the return of the Mississippi
regiment from Mexico, and at the dinner ON
the occasion Of tho resignation Of Mr.. Crit
tenden from the Senate, I spoke of Gen.
Taylor as a great soldier, pure patriot and
honest man, and thus will 1 ever speak of
him. The attempt 70 represent the speech
at the dinner to Mr. Crittenden as political
in its nature would be unworthy of a man
who had anything noble in his character
The dinner was not political, and the toast
TO which was called on to reply, was given
TO the Army. He produces wing reports
only of the speeches / made in the canvass
Of 1913. The files Of these papers through
his present supporters would probably show
something in relation to himself at that Pc
Rod, which it would give him no gratifca-
ton to republish. Secluded as / am, have
no opportunity to refer to Democratic pa
pers to find their notices of my speeches at
that time, and to present them as the apprO-
pirate answer to the extracts he brings from
the Wing papers of that date. Perhaps 1
might there find also, something in relation
to his former connection with the wing party
when he saved the Union between himself
and seat in the Legislature. Much, very
much, Of his subsequent unmeasured abuse
of the wing party and its leaders, l could
not fail to find. There too, l might find his
authorised construction of the Nicholson
letter" which he afterwards silently sat and
heard repudiated by its author, as one for
which he Gen. Cass) was in no degree re-
sponsible Broadcast over the columns of
the Mississippi press, might be found his de-
carations (within the last two yeaas,) that
old party distinctions wero done away, and
that a new organization should be founded
upon recent acts of Congress. And after
this had served his purpose, the shameless
avcrment that he had been, exceedingl yea,
painfully anxious to prevent that division in
the ranks of the democratic party of the
State which che foresaw would arise from
a renewal of the contest at home which had
been waged between chin and myself in the
Senate" 1t will be reeollected by many
that after the close of the session at which
f'the compromise" passed, he visited Missis-
sipp, traversed a considerable portion of the
State, and commenced that agitation which
lac subsequently continued.
On the other hand it must be remembered
by some that l returned to my home, and
occupied with private affairs, remained there
until near the period when it was necessary
to start back to Washington City. Who
then, renewed the contest at home? Who
did that which he says he foresaw would di-
vide the Democracy of Mississippi?
But the boldest of his misstatements, if
they be not all of the superlative degree, is
that in relation to the ground of controversy
between us. lie says, that was displeased
with him because he would not yield "the
principle Of non-ntervention" and aid me-
in the enactment of what he called at the
time the "Wi}m0t ProUiso Sonth." He
further says that eve had both acted togeth-
or in 1913, in opposition to the dangerous
and unconstitutional proposition" and that,
he "did not understand that he had been
sent to Congress with instructions to change
front upon a grave constitutional question"
&C., sc. What proposition of mine did he
term the W,lmot Proviso South, when did he
use the expression. and where is it to be
found
1t could not be when proposed the ex-
tension of the Missouri compromise line
That line which the enemies of slave insti-
tutons most abhorred, because of the polit-
zeal implication contained in it, and which
therefore the compromisers generally avoided
in their propositions But sayit could not
have been that proposition which Governor
Foote denominated the Wilmot ProUiso
South, because, when l proposed it as the
Southern boundary of Utah, he said he had
"always been $50 30 man, and having al
ways thus voted, and having, in his opinion,
though not the most efficient, been one of
the most jealous advocates of $50 30' he
would maintain his consistency y voting for
3Go 30-whereupon the reporter notes
('Laughtcr" )-see appendix to Congress
sional Globe, 1st session, 31st Congress,
page 1884. 1t could not have been the pro-
position to remove distractions of whatever
kind, to the introduction of slaves into the
territories, and to secure to property in
slaves the same protection which was accord
81 o. property vl every other kind. Because
though hs did not aid Inc in the efforts
made for chat purpose, be said on the 18th
Of June, 1850, in relation to the amendment
offered by me to remove all distractions, &C.,
&c, that he presumed no Senator would
rise in his place and say there was MAORI
ty in the body for clause establishing sla-
very in those territories. He wished we had
such a majority: if we had it, he would 90
for the amendment most cheerfully." In
this he went far beyond my proposition, and
equally beyond my view of what was the
power of the federal government and the
policy of the South How it is to be recon-
ciled with what he calls his "oft-avowed
cherished opinions in regard to the impro-
priety Of Congressional legislation on the
subject of slavery, whether that legislation
should be intended to benefit the South or
to benefit the North" leave it to him to
explain who could excite the laughter of the
United States Senate by mentioning his con-
Bistency.
1t is not easy to say what he means by the
"principle of non-interyention" perhaps il
might be defined by reference to the legisla-
ton he extOls, to be the power of the ma.
iority to take from, and grant to the minority
as interest OF caprice may dictate. For ex
ample, it justified the ingeniously named bill
t'To suppress the slave trade in the Distric
of Columbian" but forbade legislation t.
protect slave property in the Territories
which, like the District of Columbia, wer'
the common property of the States.
We did not agree in 1913 in relation t
the question Of slavery in the territories
w. -,oto1 4coofbor - 81 k.,ro ~, tbo GDol ~