The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-08-17
WASHINGTON, ID. C..
GERRIF SMITH TO HIS CONSTITUENTS.
Washington, August I, 1854

llHle 10 look dIOunu you lOI my SUCCESSOR,
] apprised you, some weeks ago, of my
intention to resign my seat in Congress,
at the close Of the present session. / now
inform you, that have fulfilled this inten-
ton. The session ended, to-day and,
to-day, | have sent to the Secretary OF
State, at Albany, the necessary evidence
Of my actual resignation.
| take this occasion for saying, that
am happy to learn Of your favorable re-
gard for my general course in Congress
and that | am sorry, though not surprised,
To learn, that there are some things III it,
with which 4 iew-peThaps, more than a
few-of you are dissatisfied.
And, now, since / have advcrtcd to this
dissatisfaction, it seems proper to say
more. How much more Shall | bLt
add the simple declaration, that, concern
ing the things with which you are dissat-
isfed, | did what | thought 10 be right
To stop there would not be sufficiently
respectful TO you. You are entitled to my
Teasons-to, at least, the principal OF
them--for this part OF my official conduct
and, | add, that am not to be impatient
with YOU, If they shall fail to satisfy you.
Nay, | am not TO be so vain, as TO sup
pose, that it is possible to render sound
and satisfying reasons for all the numer-
Gus things, which | have said and done,
IN Congress. That life, always 80 full OF
errors, before my coming to Congress, was
to be entirely empty OF them, whilst IN
Congress, was not to be expected, either
by my constituents, or by myself
] have, always, suffered, very greatly
and very umiu,tly, IN the world esteem,
because the world has, always persisted
~ Judging me, 10y the light OF lis own, in
stead Of my own, crccds and practices. To
try mans consistency, he must be tried
by himself and to Try his integrity even,
he must, to 10 small extent, be tried by
hlmseii--by has own beliefs and deeds
b. his own life, both speculative and prac-
ucal.
noticed structures upon almost the
very first sentence OF my very first speech
IN Congress, which taught nc that my
Official. 40 more than my private, life, was
10 se exempt from the injustice to which
/ have, here, alluded. 1t 50 happcucd,
THAT | began that speech with expressions
OF ci}iiiy toward those around me, and
with Mind and charitable interpretations
of the differences between them and my
seii. No sooner was the speech IN
print than many ajoi.!ionsls complained
ut my courtesy to shareholders; and III
sisted, that | had been guilty o! making
iighl of the radical differences between
slavery and northumberland slaYchoid-
Crs and ahoiiiipni,ts. Assuming, as they
did. that 1 WAS but d" Onc-idca abalitiOI.-
81. iacv further, and very naturally, as
4 20 IL et.anch
with nothing, but slavery and shareholders,
in M eve. Two Things, which they should
haze remembered, they seemed entirely to
have forgotten. One Of these Is, that !
entered Congress wi,h such peculiar the
ores Of civil goyemmcnt-maturcd and
cherished however visionary and false
as fuTcsaw, must be, continually, bring
IuC out differences between my associates
and myself, not Oh the question OF slavery
onlv but on innumerabic other questions
also. The other Is, dlt, among these
theories, 10 the duty, resting lmpcratveIy
ON the inmates ola Legislative hall, 10 know
nothing whist IN such hail, OF each 9th
cr's private character and private relations;
and 10 recognise, and treat, each other As
gentlemen. This much, at least then, can
Ice said 10 vEdlcJiinu OF tho opening OF
the speech IN question that, however
lI;ile II correspondent with the views OF
others, II faithfully reflected my own: and
that, - far as u Is the duty Of every man
10 be, in all circumstances himself, and
the duty of all others TO Judge him by HIM
self, was not ubHoSious TO criticism.
The first complaint OF my conduct ia
Congress, save that. which | have, Just
..II
voted against the Homestead Bill -
and that, too, after having made a speech
IN us favor. This apparent Inconsistency
Is disposed of by the single remark, that
o. was not, until after the speech, that the
bill was SO amended, as To coniinc its ben
CEts to white persons. But to relieve my
self OF this apparent Inconsistency fal' S
very far short Ul setting me wholly right,
IN the eyes Of NY critics. None the less
viii thcy continue To say, that, notwith-
standing the amendment debarred me
iron doing Justice 10 the blacks, | should
It'll have been ready TO do Justice TO the
whites, and, therefore, to vote for the hill.
l'.ii what ID ,hey should come to believe,
-, / hold, ali ,ri>ous should believe, that
It rs not the Government, but the people
and TIA PcoP's equally that own the
land then, they would promptly acquit
me of all blanc IN the case. Il, Cor the
sake oi Iiiusir.uun, the Hght-cyed man
aud the dask-egrj man do each really
own eighty acres Of the public land then
beyond all douDi, II Is not justice which
Is done 10 thc h.ht-oyCd man, IN VOTING
him one-h"rdrCd and sixty acres. aud !.
leaving none for the dark-cyed mau
That cannot bc justice, which Is made up
80 essentially, OF injustice. That canuo
.fe Justice, which robs one man 40 add On,
SPOTS of robbery To- the already full Shar,
of another. Ii Is true that this Is only
supposed case, which | have, here, pre-
scented. But, manlicStly, the principle, IL
The actual case before US, is the same a!
IA this supposed case. Maniiestly, tn,
argument conld, III DO wise, be affected
by substituting a hght-skinncd man for tn,
liShl-eycd one, and dark-skinned MAJ
for the Cark-cycd one. ManiieStly, IN,
nights of men can no more turn on th,
color Of the skin than on the color of tht
eve.
trust, that nothing have here said vii
be construed into an Impeachment of TN,
integrity of those, who voted for IN,
d" Homestead Bill. Among them are some
whom know to be good, rs well as wise
men. They surveyed the subject in tn,
light of their own philosophy, and not il
the LIGHT of mine: and, hence, they saw
not, that their vote went to involve botl
themselves and the recipients of the Ian,