The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-03-23

s,,e~eh NJ Ex-F,rcsisIent Fillmore at the Louis.
willie Banquet.
The Louisville Journal says ii has full report OF the
sreech made by Mr.. Fillmore at the public dinner given
TO him the 18th inst in that city; but, in conormi
with what understood to be his wish, 1t confines It.
self TO the publication Of sketch Of what he said
Mr. Fillmore said, rising that he felt exceedingly
EN- arrassed in being called for the fir time in his
life TO address audience like the before him. and
that he sincerely hoped there nchiel' present
stan notes but that what he should utter might be
forgotten with the occasion He at loss TO under
stand what motive could have pied such great and
unexpected expression OF regard the part Of the c
zens Of Kentucky II he were in the actual possession Of
the power which it was his fortune to WELD,
again seeking that position, he might object for
such manifestation; but here am said he, neither
holding nor seeking Office with nothing as private or
public man, which, in my estimation, should call
forth such testimonial this To nothing, said he
attribute it but real Kentucky hospitality which seeks
whether worthy not and avishes upon that
object its generosity Mr. Fillmore said that il was
his misfortune 10 be- without his solicitation, and
tainy against his Wishes called to the administration Of
the government He had not sought the nomination
for the Vice Presidency and could be surprised
than he when he learned that he was nominated. 1t
only ten hours before Gen Tayors death that he
had any thought that his lusrious friend in dan
ger The knowledge came upon him like peal of thun
der from clear sky He felt wholly unprepared for
the great responsibilities about 10 devolve upon him.
Though he had been for many politician he could
say that the only seepless night he passed on
count of political anxiety that which Gen. Taylor
died His seeplessness from his deep feeling of
the weight of the duties unexpectedly devoved upon
him He reviewed during the hours of that night his
drunk in with his mothers milk and had cherished with
his youth up feeling even prejudice against slavery
the farthest corner of Maine to the utmost limit of
Texas but country, the country that had given
him birth. He in the gathering clouds in the North
and in the South storm which was likely to overwhelm
him and, he feared, his country Also but he took the
constitution and the laws his only guide He well
knew, that by SO doing, he must lose the friendship
of many prominent Of the country, especially in
own State, and encounter their reproaches, but to
this nothing The who can look upon crisis
fnnfh a, 10 alt
his country, is not fit for public trust On the night
of Gen Taylors DEATH the members of his cabinet pre-
scented to me their designations. declined to look at
them first because deemed it respectful to the honored
dead THAT l should not consider by what means
should carry on the government until he was
deceny inerred and secondly because this avalanche
Of responsibility had fallen upon unprepared. Ide-
sired at least few hours to reflect what it was my
duty to do Here cabinet selected by Gen. Taylor
several Of them my personal friends whom ! would do
anything in my power to serve, short of endangerng
the peace of my country knew, however, that their
policy not such as could approve. saw that the
executive of the government and the legislative
in opposition to each other and that while this
state of things continued peace could never be restored
The question: therefore, presented itself to me, shall
retain this cabinet select oneS The latter
was adopted but you can scarcely conceive the difficult
ties of the position in which this decision placed me-
When Presidents elected they have three four
months before taking their Offices to select suitable
to heads departments but this dutycame upon
in half day requested the members of the Taylor cabi
not to stay thirty days and to give opportunity to
look around and select their but they respect
fully declined Thus while the storm was coming up in
the North and in the South was suddenly called to ad
minister the government, without cabinet and without
time to select but thank God not long in this
situation. was fortunate as to obtain cabinet the
members of which and myself always agreed in opinion;
On an
Still, said Mr.. Fillmore the great difficulty remained
The question arose. what to be done In Texas and
New Mexico civil threatened. Texas made
preparations to take possession OF portion Of New
Mexico He felt it his duty maintain the laws of his
country One Of those laws required that the people of
he Of w Ia n
means of protection he Immediately ordered portion
Of the army and munitions of war to the frontier of
and then and not till them did Congress act upon the
subject Texas and New Mexico acquiesced in the action
,b i MR. fillmore sPo1e ssS Of .ae aaoIsEn
OF the fugitive slave law. This law he said,
hadsome provisions in it to which he had objections
He regretted the necessity of its being passed at ALL but
the constitution required the giving Of fugitive slaves
and it not for him to decide whether this wise
provision of the constitutional was bargain it wasa
compact he had to maintain it, and he would do
to his last hour. When the bill came to him from the
two houses in the midst of hurry and confusion and diff
whether not unconstitutional denying the right
of habeas corpus to the fugitive slave He referred the
question to our accomplished Kentucky lawyer, his At
torney General who gave his opinion that the law was
not violation of the constitution and thereupon said
Mr. Fillmore, gave my signature to the bill, but, in
should the walls Of wrath from abolitionsm and free
solism Mr. Fillmore regretted that he had felt called
said that he would gladly name in that connection many
living PERSONS not wings merely, but democrats as
true patriots lived. This work of pac
fcation, said he, by means the work of
one man, or 1--WE men, or ten men-the crisis was
in which the true patriots of the nation, no
matter what they hsd been called wings democrats
any other name above all personal and partizan
considerations and looked only to the good of the
try He referred beautifully to the noble parts taken by
the usrious dead Mr. Clay, Mr. Webster and the late
Vice President King. The speaker said that though he
had by his efforts in behalf Of the compromise lost for
time the confidence of portion of his fellow citizens
and especially in his State, he loved that State
dear mother and unwilling to believe that he had
proved recreant son. He trusted that the excitement
Of the moment would pass away and that she would at
last that he had at least acted with honest intentions
he had not acted the better part But citizens
said he, let refer to your State. When the ga
therng tempest of fanaticsm, abolition fanaticism,
rolling up from the North, equal violent tempest of
fanatcism secession fanaticism rolling from the
South and where then did the State Of Kentucky stand?
She stood like rock amid the surges of the oceanshe
stood firm and mistaken the pillar of the constitution
His eulogy of Kentucky exceedingly handsome and
this portion of his speech like all the other portions,
received with the most enthusiastic applause Few
public speakers made fine impression upon
a Louisville audience he