The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-09-28
Letter from Sc nator Badger.

E. BADGER, a Senator Of the United States
from North Carolina. is in reply to an invita-
ton to address the Wing Club Of Raleigh. IL
merits the particular attention OF Wings who
may have preferred another candidate for the
Presidency to the one who received the noml-
nation of the National Convention. We copy
the letter from the Raleigh On. O. Register:
RALEIGH, September 81, 1852
SEAToN GALES, ESQ Sir: 1t was my purpose,
| when ] returned from Washington, TO attend AMI
address the club Of city upon the pending Pres
| idential election. Having been prevented, by
cause beyond my CONTROL from doing what bad
thus purposed, deem it proper, in order to pre-
vent correct mistake In'sstate'ncnt respecting
my position and views. to submit his c"muunca-
| ton to you and to ask that it may be read 10 the
| club.
| am decided and Uery earnest supporter OF the
Wing national nominations for the Presidency
and Vice Presidency. 1t is known to you, sr, as
well as TO many others of my friends, that Gene
raj Scott not my first choice for the Prei-
dency-that preferred Mr.. Fillmore aud greatly
desired his nomination by the q INVENTION Will
add, in all irankncss, that probably no man In u
United States was disappointed not to say
dissati sfied than was when that gentleman Was
passed over.
But what have these prefer, nccs di7appoint
ments, and dssatisnctions to do with the import
| ant Issue now submitted TO the American people
| u nd by them soon to be decided? The QUESTION is
not between Willard Fillmore and Winfield Scott,
but between Winfield Scott and Franklin Pierce;
and assuming the superiority, in point Of qualiti-
cations of MIR. Fillmore over General Scott, it by
no means follows that the latter ia not immeasu
rably above General Pierce in his cIaina upon the
nation, and especially the Wing party. For Fill
more Wings to retire in gloomy discomfort from
| the contest, because the Wing of their choice
not selected by the vention, is to give prefer
ence to men over principles, TO names over things;
| for such Wings to join our opponents and make
war upon the nominee Of the party is to desert
Fillmore himself, to repudiate the course he recon-
| mends and pursues, and to involve themselves in
the pitiab!e absurdity of supporting Democratic
| men and measures, out of an extreme and exclu-
sivc zeal for Wing measures and for a decided
Wing supporter OF Wing measures
Is not this SO? Let us see: Winfield Scott was
nominated by general convention of Wings from
all the States. That convention, previous to his
nomination. had adopted a set Of resolutions en-
bodying the principles OF the Wing party. Gene
| raj Scott has accepted both the nomination and the
resolutions. To these resolutions no Whig-at
| least no Southern Whig-so far as know, takes
any exception. To abandon the nomina tion, the n,
80 far this contest is concerned, is clearly to
abandon the principles themselves. 1t ID to prefer
Democ ratio measures to be carried out by Dem
ocratic President, to Wing measures To be carried
out by a Wing named Scott, when these same
measures admitted to be altogether excellent,
and TO be greatly desired, if carried out by Wing
bearing the name of Fillmore. Now, il any man
prefers the principles of the Democratic party,
then it ia his duty to support the nominees of that
party; but how in the name of reason and patriot
ism can Wing support for President one who
will, in the administration OF the Government,
oppose what the Wing believes right. and support
what he believes wrong, merely because different
Wing has been chosen by the representatives of
his party from the be preferred, to support the
| right and oppose the wrong!
i Again: The Southern Wings represented
in the convention. platform of principles WAS
proposed and adopted which met their entire ap
proval. General Scott was nominated, and that
nomination was then ratified and confirmed by
those Southern Wing representatives. How then
in honor we, Southern Wings, refuse TO sup
port this nomination.? 1t was known to all before
the convention that General SCOTS name would
be presented to that body. No Wing State Con-
vention entered any caueat, nterposed any objec-
ton against his nomination, or instructed, or int
mated their delegates that his rejection should
be insisted on All that Southern Wings deetned
Indispensable was that their candidate should be
true Wing and pledged to support the Conpro-
mise. These conditions fulfilled, they everywhere
pledged the nominee their support. These cond-
tons found in the nominee; and how then can
we, with good faith refuse to sustain him, any
more than his friends could have refused support
to Mr.. Fillmore, had he been self cted by the con-
vention? Such refusal their part should
have regarded and denounced as act of treach-
cry and baseness; and from this we may learn to
estimate the true character OF such refusal on our
part.
1t has been said that General Scott has not hearth
ly adopted-does not approve the platform laid
down by the convention. How is this ascertained?
Not from any thing he has written or spoken. In
his letter to the President of the convention he &C
cepts the nomination and the declaration Of prrci
pies annexed. What he says Of the nomination he
says of the declaration, and no moe. II, there
fore, what he says amounts to an approval Of one,
why does it not also OF the other!
But, in fact, no man was more decided in faN Or
of the measures OF Compromise, one and all, than
Winfield Scott; and when he pledged himself to
that series of resolutions, of which asserts he
final character of the Compromise the Fugitive
Slave law included be only pledged himself to what
he had always approved and had 'xered himself
is full and ample-so full and ample, that no
ground is left for denial or doubt
1t has been made objection to General Scott
that he wrote nothing on the Compromise before
his nomination. If this be an objection, does it not
apply with at least equal force to General Pierce
lie was specially Intercepted ty Mr.. Scott Of
Richmond, and made no reply, or, if he replied,
that reply has been withheld from the public. But
the question for ia not ,Dhen Gene' al Scott
but what he wrote; and the position he now occu
pes, and which he has all along occupied, is de-
cided and hearty support Of the whole Compromise
in all it's parts a final settlement. What more
can be required?
1t has been objected to Scott that Seward, Gree
ley, and Weed support him Well, do not both
the Van Burens, Preston King, halict, |! F. But
Ter, David Wimot, the father oil the od,ous provso,
and many others Of like abolition opinions, sup
port Pierce? If the support OF the latter candidate
by Abolitonists is entirely consistent with his
soundness the slavery question, how, in fairness,
can it be alleged that the support given to the
former, by persons OF like opinions, argues amy
} unsoundness in him upon tina, qu' sti'n? Is tsup
posed that Seward will influence Scott! And shall
Pierce not be Influenced by such men as the Van
Burens and King, and Halet, and Butler, and
Wilmot?
But, sir, could we have nominated any cand
date to whom opponents would not have Al
, legged a like objection? Had Fillmore Wrbs.er
, been nominated-for the injustice done TO whom
the Locofoco press have expressed such indignant
, compaints-wouldh he not have been charged by
that press in the South with abotivnisHI, or, at
any rate, with being unreliable for the South,
while at the North he would have been everyw here
arrayed as apro-slavery man unfit to be trusted by
northern freemeD2 Surely he would. Why not;
Scott has been charged with cowardice; and surely
, they who make this charge would not have been
withheld by its mcndacity from charging Webster
or Fillmore with abolitionism.
II appears then, sir, to me, as Mr.. Fillmore hai
sad that General Scott is "entitled to the support