New-York daily tribune., 1854-07-15
crnn,r SMITH AND NEBRASKA.

cERRIT SMITH AND NEBRASKA.
priva,e letter from GERRIr SMITH relative to his
course on the Nebraska bill appears in TIE OHe'da
Morning Herald 1t is as follows;
My friends and constituents need not be troubled oy
these things. Should they not rejoee IL iae roo usa
ous Aboitionist But the Wbigs and Democra's arc
driven so far ahead of by this Nebraska Impulse ,ha
they look back upon me, and call me traitor 70 20
ferIed suggest that can defend myself in the newspa'
pers But there two things have not e 70 and
One Of these il 10 prove that am real AbohtlOs' au
the other that am a real Temperance man. "- os
red entering into the physical strifento the question
slecnng Nr Matteson thought did wrong in not gong
with him into the contest of physical endurance: nut SO
did most Of TIE opponents OF the Nebraska oI 'nh c
ron in This respect All of the technical Aboitonists
,bonCbt that | did wrong; my excellent ind beloved
friends Chase and Sumner. we're deeply g1evel tLn
stood aoof from that physical struggle am sure, How
ever tia, they would have been more deeply getoe aa
they seen me debase myself far as to substitute 'ner
II Is mot strange that keeping up do my country
laits soo 10 bed az nine and rising at five, should
onv the ,Obt Of Congress to have night sessions sup
pose House had appointed three CLOCK IN .no i
ing az the hour for taking the final vote on the
b;f | should no. in that have given my vote for
should have felt be my duty TO be IN my pea al na
hour On whom would rest the responsibility of my ao
sence and my missing vote Some oi my tilehuS No"
say on myself but wOcld say on the House
If nv constituents wish for their Member OF Congress
ono Who can sit nm all night they should have elected
aon of very different habits from my but If they
lS s Member of Congress one who be longest
without eating they would have done better 10 nave
chosen on Indian WHO is accustomed to go two or three
days without eating, than white man VINO Is aoo"S-o'i
TO eat his meals regularly every day.
" Ia haste very 'e'p''''0"s '0'' GERRIr SMITH"
Bemarks.-Mr Smith now what it is to be
misiudged by over-zealous compatriots because nc
doe. not see the wisdom or good policy of doing just
ha hav
or resolved other men traitors to liberty ere now,
because they did not fit to train in his troop Now
we are very sure Gerrt Smith not and never can be
at heart TRAITOR to liberty" though he may err
sadly in Judgment as we think he did at the time the
Nebraska bin passed. His intentions were excellent
but he mstook his course and Gas is often the case
his excuses for the bunder constantly making the
matter worse and worse. His early closing OK
cuse is weakest and worst of all
oEarly TO bed and early to rise is an excellent
maxim-we profoundly regret that 1t is not III our
power to pay better heed to it. But when we saw
fit TO undertake the conduct OF daily morning news
pape we virtually agreed to forego the advantages
and luxures of early rising and retiring, neshmaoe
as they are We virtually contracted with our read
ers to sic up late enough let them know each morn
ing what the world had been doing up to the Latest
practicable hour Of the night, and we arc Douha to
fulfill cur engagement, though it sometimes requires
of us hard work in hot, gaslighted office till broad
daylight We know this is unwhOlesO ne-we DO not
exuect TO live so long if had chosen some health
er vocation: but we chose this, and so long as we
remain In it. we must meet its responsibilities and
pers as we'll as enjoy its advantages. IL we had
gone TO press the night the Nebraska bill was carried
without the of its passage, and thereupon told
our readers--"We failed to give you that news so
soon as our contemporaries laid it before their read
ers simply because go to bed at nine and rise at
6ye and we consider il injurious to health TO
sit up till day-dawD, watching the proceedings OF
Congress we feel sure that half of them would
have said d" Your habits are excellent; we commend
yOur prudent love of your health; we wish you long
life and happiness in suitable vocation but we
take daily papers in order to the freshest
and fullest news; and your paper won't answer our
purpose" And they would have spoken rightly.
Why does not the rule indicated apply to Congress
man as we'll as an Editor
Mr.. Smith declares that if the House had fixed the
hour of ga NJ for the decisive vote the Nebraska
BILL he, with full knowledge of that fact, would
have been his bed at that hour and not in his seat
Well We tell him that there are at least One Thou
SAND OF MS CONSTITUENTS not counting prOlesstu ADO
tiOnists who had they been in his place, would have
considered it privilege to have sat in the House all
night and fought the passage of that swindlng, lying
compendium of all manner of knavery and false pre-
tense to the bitter end-Yes, who would have sat
there through the night though morally certain that
the result would have been illness the next
day. Health and Life are dedrable; but Duty is be-
fore them both and, while it might be wrong in the
majority to prOtract sitting through the night and
force the final vote at an unreasonable hour, do
not see how tina. wrong excuses Member from stand
ing by to the last. The spirit in which great wrong
s met by its leading opponents is Of the greatest con-
sequence; it electrifes parayzes thousands; and
many will hastily conclude that proSlavery meas
ure which Gerrt Smith did not fit to lose sleep to
vote against cannot be very important or dangerous.
That was mistake. Mr. Smith; and we think you
will live TO realize it,
good deal Of discussion is now going On touching
IL or o;,;r tha -<x