Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-03-27
From tho Nashville (Tenn) Banner.
LETTER OF MR.. CLEMENS CONCERNING PRISI-
DENT PIERCE AND THE NEBRASKA BILL.

From the NASHVILLE lIenh) banner.
LETTER OF MR.. CLEMENS CONCERNING PRIsI-
DENT PIERCE AND THE NEBRASKA BILL.
WASHINGTON, February rs, 1854.
| Ny DEAR SIR: | have received your letter.
| in which you Fay that some OF my friends are
surprised at the position have assumed upon
the Nebraska question and desire to be made
acquainted with the grounds upon which my
opposition was based.
! | had determined not to be forced into the
political arena by anything an enemy might
say but that rule has no application to the
misapprehension Of friends ! am opposed to
the bill Of Mr.. Douglas, because it is supported
upon the avowed ground that the people of o
| Territory, while it remains Territory, may
regulate the subject of Slavery for themselves
This, you will remember, was the doctrine OF
! Gen. Case's Nicholson letter, which was rcpu-
dated by the entire South in l848 The Wings
charged it upon HIM as grievous political Of
fence, and the Democrats evaded the issue by
placing different construction upon the letter
Subsequently, at the session of l849-' so, when
Gen Cess avowed that the Northern construc-
ton of his letter was the correct one, it was at
once disclaimed by the whole body of Southern
| Senators, including The present Secretary Of
War Judge Douglas, in abiding to the let
ter, stated that the doubts entertained by the
then Senator from Mississippi, Colonel Davis,)
had caused him to be lukewarm in the support
of General Cass Colonel Davis instantly re-
Piled al had doubts, fears, and apprehen-
sions which reached to conviction, that the
Senator (Gen. Cass) was wrong upon the qucs-
ton of the power Of the Territorial inhabitants
yet, sir, | took him as choice of evils. say
it in no terms Of disrespcct The Senator from
Michigan knows | thought it was q wrong
doctrine &C. Colonel Davis WAS warmly sus-
tanned by Judge Butler, and Colonel King en-
phatically declared, that he never did, and
never could, subscribe to the doctrines held by
Gen. Cass.
There was no disagreement, that am aware
of, among us--all held that it was dan erous
doctrine, and ono which as efectualy excluded
us from the Territories ~ the Wilmot proyiso
itself. Let me add, that such is the opinion
now enter tanned by the President of the United
States himself But q few days since, in CON-
versation with Northern Senator and myself
he gave it as his decided opinion, that Doug
lass bill was q proposition in favor Of Free
DOM and added, that fit should pass, although
We might absorb the whole Of Mexico not an
other sla.e State would ever come into the
Union. He expressed great surprise at the OPP
position it met with from the North and equal
surprise that the South should be willing to
take it, Iagreed with him fully, and could not
help recurring to the stratagem by which the
Greeks effected the destruction Of Troy.
The only quotation Mr. Calhoun was ever
known to make, was etjmep I)anaos, Ell dong
fersntes,n and il ever there was time that it
should be repeated as warning TO the South,
| it is the present. A Northern man, unask cd
and unsolicited, brings forward proposition
professedy for our benefit, but ia reality an in.
sidious attempt to steal away from us oil the
fruits Of our former trials and struggles. The
citadel which has resisted every open assault
is about to be destroyed by the foolish conf
dence Of its defenders in delusive gift, which
only serves to convey the enemy within the
walls.
| In 1850, the doctrine Of the South was, let
us aloneN We asked nothing from Congress
we wanted nothing; the emphatic language Of
Judge Butler was heartily responded to every
where; "All VIC ak il, that you will keep
! your hands off We want no extension. Let
us alone. This is all we ask
hold to that doctrine yet; and that is the
substance Of my late letter to Mr.. Van Buren,,
about which 80 much has been said but which
no one has yet attempted to analyze and refute
have othcr objections 10 Mr. Douglass bill,
vides that foreigner who has merely declared
his intention to become citizen, shall be vest
! ed with the right of voting, and thus places it
in the power Of foreign psupers and criminals
to deprive an American citizen OF his property,
or drive him from the Territory with his slaves.
| do not speak for any mans constituents.
/ There may be communities who will sustain
THOR representatives in this great outrage upon
their rights, but if there be, pity the delusion
under which they are l9boribg
The bill states, in substance, that the Com
promise Of 1920 was repealed by the Compro.
mise OF 1850 Now, this is either true or it is
not. IL true where is the necessity of repeal
ing il over again II is an anomaly in legis-
lation TO repeal a statute which is already re-
pcaled. What end can be attained, except
that Of placing dangerous weapon in the
hands Of Northern agtatorsl II gives them
an opportunity to DECEIVE the ignorant and un-
thinking, by representing the south ss iaithlese,
by asserting that we served the first moment
Of power TO repeal a solemn compact and that
no reliance can be placed upon any compro-
misc that we may make. They will assert
that one compromise is no more sacred than
another--that as we have repealed the Mis-
souri, restriction, they may and ought to repeal
the Fugitive slaye Law and thus will be re-
vivcd that dangerous agitation vhlch all good
men hoped was happily at an end.
know the common answer to this Wow OF
the subject; but it is a false one, and II il
should impose upon our people il will not upon
the North, We are told that Northern men
violated the Compromise Of 1920, and we are
no longer bound by it. Thig u misconcep-
ton. The Missouri Compromise applied TO the
Territory Of Louisiana, and. TO that alone.
There was no provision that II should be OK.
tended 10 any other territory. The contract
was complete, and bound neither party 10 re-
lation to territory thereafter 10 be acquired.