The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-05-12
THOMAS coRwIN AND THE ABoLrT1oNIsrs
CINCINNATI, ONO, April s, 1853.

CINCINNATI, ONO, april s, 1853
To the Editors Of the Enquirer:
In the Enquirer of this date you have the
following extract, from the Southern Patriot.
OF the "piquant sayings of the inimitable Tom -
| he said they were whining csnting pray
ing set of fellows, who kept regular books of
debit and credit with the Almighty They
would lie and cheat all the week, and pray off
their sins on Sunday. If they steal a negro,
| that made a very large entry to their credit,
and would cover multitude Of peccadilloes
| and frauds. This kind of entry they were al.
ways glad to make, because it cost them no
| thing. When they could not steal a negro
they gave something in charity for the extern
| sion of the Gospel, and then commenced sys-
tenn of fraud and cheating, till they thought
| they had balanced accounts with their Cod
| And you add: " He has as is understood, pur-
chased property in Kentucky as a residence
Whether Thos. Corwin includes me- who
have contended, 10 my own State for emanci-
| patton on the soil, among the Abolitionists,
know not. 1t is the policy of the slave party
| and their renegddeS to render odious the most
| ultra of the opponents of slavery, and then use
| that odium for the overthrow of all the friends
| of justice and liberty. For my part am will.
| ing to come under his category for, inasmuch
| as would use all the opponents of slavery in
the world for its overthrow, so must not avoid
the consequences of my associations At one
time the. Aboitionists are held up as invidious
knayes at another as One-ideaed fanatics, who
are void OF moral responsibility, and unfit to
administer any Government! They cannot be
both They are neither one nor the other But
] do not propose to defend them-history will
do that-but to repel the calumny of the ex-
| Secretary. If the Aboltionists were as base as
Corwin represents them it is right they should
be exposed Although a war Of personalities
is always repugnant to gentleman, yet, if he
thinks they are, (even though they are not) as
| he says, | have no objections to the utterance.
But when Thos Corwin tells not only what
is untrue but what ! know he believes to be
untrue, not only selfdefence, but the instincts
of generous indignation at unprovoked and
ungrateful wrong, compels me to hold him up
to public reprobation.
When Mr.. Clay was the candidate for the
Presidency, in 1914, Thomas Corwin and |
spoke daily for a long time through Ohio in
company. That battle was fought in the North,
atleast, upon nti-Slavery-"A bolition"-prin-
oipes, the friends of slavery perpetuation be-
ing avowedly in favor of the annexation of
Texas, with view of keeping up balance of
power in the Senate, by tho acquisition of more
slave States; and the friends of Jeffersonian re.
publicapism, holding that slavery was an evil,
tolerated-but to be extingushed in due time
North and South--standing for H. Clay and
against Texas annexation. | came from slave
State, embittered in my feelings against the
slave party by recent personal and political
contests, yet In the speeches made by Thomas
Corwin, the Shareholders were so heartily de-
nounced, that my sensibilities as a Southern
| , lie,
itual reader Of VIM. L. Garrison's Liberator, and
tired of slavery and shareholders. His now
slaveholding friends will gather some idea Of
his abated ire, when they review his celebrated
speech In the Senate where he awarded me
and other volunteers in Mexico his aspirations
Of bloody hands and hospitable graves !" But
what struck me as most remarkable, in the
"inimitable Tom," was his indulgence in
whining, cantings and praying" in his
speeches! have been in the Juror of reyvals,
and the wild enthusiasm of the bivouacked
camp-meeting, and never did uDctious Method.
list parson move me to tears like the "inimita-
bic Tom J" And to such extreme did Tom -
carry his scriptural quotations that he got to
be decided bore and severely criticised his
want OF taste-and what was to me, irrever-
ent as the slave Christians would have me,
almost blasphemy He then defended him.
self upon the ground that no people were so
conscientious and devout as these same Adolf
tionists, whom he now denounces o. consum-
mate knaves
| II the Aboltionists cheat and asteal.D
the reproach comes with bad grace from the
chief beneficiary of the Gardner swndlel And
however guilty we may be, it adds but little to
our penitence to be lectured by man who
now has dishonesty our money IN his pocket
The truth is Thomas Corwin is nothing else
but mercenary renegade. OF humble origin
and professed Wing, there has been no time
In the last twenty years, that he could have
been elected TO Office without the votes of the
| Aboliti0nists and laborcrs Of Ohio With con-
siderable hippancy Of speech caricature, mim-
| icry, and pantOmime, added to his soubriquet
of the "wagon boy" and his professed Adolf
tonism ne assembled much higher in the polit-
| ical scale than his talents or true merits do.
served. He aspired to lead the liberal party
in these States, by steady efforts which culmi-
mated in his notorious Mexican war speech
| which sealed his career in that direction for
it outraged his opponents and Disguised the
true friends Of freedom in these States--proved
him mere partisan and politician, and not
statesman Of enlarged and practical views, who
only can embody into action the aspirations
and dicta Of the devotees Of liberty who, by
their fanaticism and martyrdom, break down
old forms and barriers to progress Like all
secondary men in mental and moral develop
ment, he gave way when the pcltings of the
| storm which he had raised came on He de-
termined at once TO desert to the enemy Dur
ing the long time that the friends Of freedom
under the lead of General Taylor, fought for
the Jeffersonian idea and against the plat
forms,u Tom, who was never fit for anything
but speech, spoke not His treachery was an
ticipated and developed in his reward-a Cab
met appointment! His membership Of an Ad.
ministration which will go down infamous, as
| attempting to revive and enforce in this land
the cast-otf attributes of British tyranny, con-
aruettvs-treason, has forever placed him along
| side with Burr and Arnold! But what cares
The Gardiner for reputation With the satires
of Horace he doubtless is familiar, and smiles
as often as he contemplates the money in his
| chest /"
That he should now late in life, be cempel-
led 10 leave Ohio, who nurtured him into omi-
nence, and whose honor and interests he has
ungratefully abused, is pitiable but | beg that
| he will not paw my native S.ate.the poor COM
pliment of making it his place OF refuge. Sla-
very she inherited in common with her sisters;
but unlike Austria and Frence and other home
arstocracies, she nobly challenges discussion,
and in preferring the liberty OF the press and
| speech TO any local and temporary institution,
she shows q people of great elements OF char
acter, and . Government open 70 the bench
cent Influences of progress Like all brave
people, the power they have they exercise with
mercy; and while they are justly jealous Of
their own rights, they are regardfal OF those OF
others Such people, where honor, peounia'
ry and personal, constitute characteristic Gle
ments OF social position and political power, Is
not the place for Thomas Corwin! ] advise