Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-12-20
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
CAss AND CLEMENs-THEY WONT BoLr.-
Below we present the readers of the Star with
very interesting aud important letter.
Yesterday, we mentioned that the Hon. Jere
. Clemens, Of Alabama, had refused to permit
the Democratic party. Since penning that
paragraph, we have not only obtained a copy
of his letter to the committee havingin charge
the arrangements for the anti ADM nistration
Democratic meeting, proposed shortly to be
held in Philadelphia, to which we then
referred, but also have obtained informa-
ton concerning short note from General
Cass TO friend, expressing in uumis-
taxable language, his sentiments upon the
proposed very Hard movement in Penn
sylvania. Both these letters will doubtless
be republlshed everywhere, Us they cannot
fall to have very important bearing upon
the political future of the country We need
hardly add that they show that the recent dis
appointments which have accrued to the two
distinguished writers. have not suticcd to
make either of them swerve for an instant
from the straight line of fidelity to the prin-
ciplcs. to which they claim to be devoted 1t
strikes us that in thus throwing self behind
them, ind gnantiy as it were, on the first ap-
pearance of danger to the Democratic cause
these gentlemen have fairly earned deep graf
ltude from the great party, of which they have
so long been faithful leaders Indeed, the
pithy letter of General Cass seems to us to be-
in itself, triumphant vindication Of the wis
dom and proprety of his nomination in IS4S
by the great party for whose preservation he
thus throws himself into the breach But"we
will detain the reader no longer from the let
ter in question
WASHINGTON. Dec. IS, 1850.
GENTLEMEN Your letter Of the 10th. inviting
me to attend and address niass meeting of the
National Union Democrats at the Chinese Museum,
philadelphia, on the 10th inst has been received.
The objects OF the meeting are stated TO be two
fold: FIRST, Repatriation of the disunion tendencies
of certain members of the Federal Government"
and, secondly, the selection of sound National
Union Democrat as a candidate for Governor
With the last, trust, You viii readily perceive
can1ot, with any degree Of propriety, interfere.
am not citizen of fenns lyania. and have no
voice in the selection Of her public officers should
he 10th, ct any time, to give uttsrance to unkiud
opinions # any of he- distinguished sons, and i.
the case Of Governor BipIer know nothing in lis
previous hi tory which can justly deprive him OF the
confidence Of the Union Democracy.
The first object of tn, meeting a On. remains to
be considered need not say that all my feelings
and sympathies are with these wLo have steadily
maintained the Compromise of 1850, as final al
juStmant Of the slavery question. Bat Won must
allow me. kindly and respectfully, 10 doubt tie wis
dom of the course you propose to take. The presi
dent in his Inaugural, and in his recent Mesa zc
mas LETT no doubt to h!s position ard know the
man too we'll. to believe thst he would retain among
MS continental advisors any one whom he for
ment suspected OF ''disunon Tendencies That he
has made mistakes in some of his appointments
do not question. That he has been imposed uro1 in
other cases. is very probable Such things have oc
CURED to all Presidents before linn, and will occur
to all who are TO come after Lima. But WI. fare
against National Administration for such CAUSES
has heretofore been considered tn legitimate bust
ness of lis opponcnts- not its friends. What has
been done cannot he lied by Democratic assaults
upon Democrats President The recent election
In New York IL bitter lesson. and one by which We
should endeay"r to profit With lar &c in:iorty IN
the State, both sections of the Democratic party
have been Frustrated, and the control of the state
has PASSED into the hand of VIM H. Seward. Surely
this i not entertainment to which any National
Union man would desire 10 be invited. Allow me-
gentlemen in conclusion. TO say that love the
Union cause too well, ana have sacrificed too much
in it, defence to willingly put it in jeopardy fy asso
ciating il with movement of more than doubtful
propriey AMI of certain disaster. And Will. ]
thank you for the Kind feelings which prom ted
your ytation, well the flattering terms in
which it is cuueej, feel Constrained to decline ali
~. ton. l. ~.
axn- Ganti-,"nn, sary --HeS~tfuiIr,
Your Ob;dieut servant. JERE CLE,IfN;
Mcssrs. VI. L. Griffith lsaac C. bryant, and others
Pl,il.dcl plia.
In the course of his comments upon the
letter OF Mr.. Clemens, General Cas- is sIid to
have declared that
=" lie could not cross t, nor DOT in L; that it
spoke to syllable his Sentm.Ets, and y ould be- re
ceived with arrlamation by every true Democrat"
Are not these views Of General Cass in strict
keeping with our previous explanations of his
position, with reference to the Democratic
family quarrel in refutation Of the stories
upon the subject, so industriously promulgated
through the Washington correspondence Of
the New Yorl; Hsra!d. by telegraph and 9th
erwise
The USUAL ANNUAL SLAP AT THE SPEAKER.
In the course of our long experience in con-
nection with Congress, we have always OBJ
served that shortly after the announcement
OF the House committees, something has
marked their legislation indicating the cha
grin of members Of the dominant party who
have failed 10 obtain such positions on com
mittees they desired. We have before ex
planned that there are not more than forty
committee places on all which are considered
desirable. One third of these must be given
to the party in the minority in The house,
leaving only twenty-six to he divided out
among those on the majority side. Now, as
at least one hundred of the one hundred and
sixty or seventy Democrats of the present
House were solemnly impressed with the be-
lief that they were each and every one Of them
entitled to first class positions. rs n.atter OF
course there are about seventy four very III
di.,nant members in the Chamber abuu, these
times. Yesterday, they followed the example
set by their predecessors-;he disgruntIcd
members-Congress Inland Congress for
many long years past. That is, they hit
the Speaker dig on the first passing oc-
casiOn. This time, the occasion was presented
by Ex-Governor Smith, of Virginia, who it
seens, does not like the position to which he