Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-12-21
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP


Mr.. Gerrit Smith Heretofore it has been
! customary, for the most part, to permit gen
tlemen of the school of Mr.. Smith to "say
/ their say without treating what they nav
say az of sufficient Importance to REQUIRE
elaborate reply. Mr.. Preston, however.
thought differently and. accordingly. en-
swered the Hon. Gerrit Smith in so far as
his speech might be construed into an assault
on the South. Mr.. Smith had been boiling
over with that speech ever since his arrival
In Washington. having on two or three pre-
! vious occasions well nigh burst off his sus
| pender buttons in efforts to get the floor and
to get leave after obtaining the floor to de-
liver himself He was listened to yesterday
with the respect due to his reputation for hon
est fanaticism-for real, if misguided philan-
thropic intentions. His Grafton. so far as his
manner of delivery is concerned. repaid the
courtesy of the House. Yet it was for the
most part but the repetition Of the oft told
tale of Abolition misrepresen alton and mis-
conception of the character of the Govern
ment of the United States. as we'll as Of the
true condition OF society in the slave holding
States of the american Union. He speaks
deliberately and with grace. In fact, he is a
| finished orator or rather declairier; but little
/
which has not been time and again exposed
| by dozens of the intellectually smallest men
who have served III Congress in ten years past
| Mr.. Smith. of New York. it is clear from his
his maiden effort, will never do for rough and
tumble debate in the Hall. Though a thou
sand times the more polished orator, he is
! destined to fall far behind the venerable
Joshua If Abolition fame, as an effective man
in the Hall. 1t will be remembered that Mr.
| Joshua X. GiddinSs never fails to hold his Own
! in any kind of a skirmage on the slavery
| question being as ready debater as any
/ one who has been a member of the House for
many years past. Mr. Smith spoke ms though
under the conviction that his effort would
/ land him Strai sht at the head of the little
! Abolition column in Congress Mr. Chase
commenced in the same way; and so did MIR
| sumner IL well a. Mr.. Hale Yet Joshua Il
! ''iddings has managed to hold his own as the
/ leader of the intractibIcs and ilnpractibles
through oil the mutations of Congress occur-
ring since the Abolition question was frs.
mooted in either Hall. By the-by. what has
heen gained by Abolition discussions there
Is the Abolition cause at this moment as
strong before the country as when Joshua X
Giddings first entered Congress! We think
not. Then, the whole S0uth--lts men of pub
| lie spirit. its Ten CT religion and phi!an-
thropy were casting around them to devise
! some method of eventually getting rid Of the
institution of slavery without gen,r ting by
! the act more evils for both whites and blacks
than those which were then admitted to have
grown out of the existence of slavery in the
| Southern United States. Now. thanks t.
| McsSrs. Gilaings 4 Co. he who breathe: sen
timents which were conceived to be patriotic
i'll the South as recently as twenty-five year.
as", is booted for an enemy OF his country
In the North the AbnlitioniSts have accom-
riishcl less than nothing. They have given
RS "a nj Ia, L.,
the god-fathcrs of every i'm which has served
OF late years 20 send Eeopio to mad houses.
and to enable good or-nothing specoGs fcl-
lows to cheat their more honest neiGhlors of
their hard earnings. They have raised money
enough TO accomplish the stealing of few
hundred negroes. after pay Ing the toll assessed
upon their fund by their va9abond and va
grant managers for their own emOlumcnt
Yet slavery-thc number Of slaves in TIE Uni
ted States has increased apace ats though the
question of abolition had never been mooted.
But that man must be blind indeed, who does
not realize that abolition agitation at the
North has served to strengthen the cause of
the pcrpetuatIOn of slavery immeasurably
1t did quite its share in the election Of the
present Chief Magistrate, who. as Mr.. Gerrit
Smith remarked, Is bent the defence Of the
institution o: negro slavery III each and every
one OF its privileges and rights as guaranteed
IN the Constitution Of the United States. That
man must bc binder than a bat who fails to
realize that four years OF vigorous effort on the
part of the Government Of the United States
such as there can be no doubt that The present
Administration ,5"rin5 Z, The CIV. OK rem
dcrlnT AbOlItionlsm IoweriesS in the land
will serve to render that cause in the United
states ridiculous If nothing more. The la
bOrs Of Mcssrs. Gidlings, Smith & Co did
more than their share in securing for Pierce
his overwhelming rajority The. too. will
NJ, - - i
playing into the hands OF the Interest they
term the slaveocracy. Thus. hardly two
years ago, the great barnburncr intevcs. in the
northern States stood IN an attitude Of deter
mined hostility to the continued existence Of
slavery lii the Unite / States In forcing those
who we're alarmed at and disrustcd with the
utraism OF their the Ahp,iiionst,J views and
!abOrS. 10 rally around Pierce. they insured
the triumph of the policy which has az If ~
magic. already stripped them Of that onl,
element OF strength All aching TO them. which
rendered them either powerful or dangerous
We mean Of the late undnubtcI sympathy Of
the immense number Of Free SOL Democrats
who. to sustain the Administration they par
ucipated in electing have since voluntarily
washed their hands Of all anti-slavcrv affilia-
tons and taken position on the Baltimore De
mocratic platform. We repeat. the cause Of
anti-slavery i far weaker after twenty years
of rampant agitation. than when Messrs Gid
dings d Co. commenced their efforts.
THE CAsS AND CLENEyS MOVEMENT creates
great Indignation in tire lobby to-day. Gen
tiomcn with axes to grind are excessively In
dignant against the indisposition 81 these gen
tlemen to participate in tie formation Of
fourth party. pledged to the work Of weaken
ing the Democrats b. all means in their DOW
er, and to the policy of depicting the treasury
on every passing occasion They claim to have
been the men of all others who fought bled
and died for the General in conventions and
elsewhere. where wires were to be pulled and
Ut course. accuse him Vi ingraiitu,ic III failing
to stand by them to the end.
RumOr has it, that there was q mcetin. q.
the rooms OF the Hon John Wheeler. las.
HI sht, To consult as 10 the rropriety Of holding
a meeting i'll the Park New York city, to in
M9Rat. the General forthwith and that Mr. "
had more difficulty than u1ual in guiding Tie
counsel. of his Hard colleagues. 1t is said
that he advised finally, against the move
mcnt, rs likely to cost more than it would
come IN. However, he is now understood
10 do all their Hard thinking-to arrange
their plans. hc.-we presume that they, as
usual. knocked under to his acknowcd ,ci SUI
perIor sagacIty and tact.
NAVAL OFrIcERS AT WoRk-We hear that
the House Committee on Naval Affairs are