The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-06-21
From the Springfield Mass Republican
GENERAL WILSON IN THE KNOW NOTHING
CONVENTION.

MIR. Squires, of New York. made a coarse
and violent assault upon Massachusetts. and
especially upon General Wilson, charging him
with determination to break up the organiza-
ton.
uenerai W llson rose to repel the unprovokod
assault mace upon his State, and to rebuke the
insoience OF the member from New York. All
would Dear witness that he (Gen. W. had ut
tered no words of unkindness to any one during
the sittings of the Convention. From gentle,
men from the South be had received acts of
kindness he should ever remember. and all
would notice that the wanton assault of the
member from New York was wholly unpro-
voked That member had declared that the
Anti-olavery movement had thsown up small
men. The exhibition the member had made
OF himself proves that he is the last creature
ON earth to sheer at any one for want of ability,
temper, or manners. General Wilson said he
and his associates stood upon that floor with
oo,o0O Massachusetts, freemen at their backs
the delegates from New York stood there with
only baffied and defeated faction behind
them-men OF buckram. Seward trod his heel
upon the necks of the rampant gentlemen from
New I ork and if this New York platform was
agreed to, he would look down into their polti-
cal graves New York must be and shall be
held responsible for the platform it was their
work. We could not stand upon it in single
free State OF the North. The member saws he
will go TO the Democrats, if the restor ration
platform is adopted. Let him 90, let his asso-
ciates 60 bag and baggage we shall lose little
OF either talent, character, or power He will
| no longer be hypocrite, he tells us; we are
glad to hear it. Adopt this platform, and the
North will repudiate it and you. 1t has sent
l2O pledged men to Congress to restore free
dom to Kansas. VIII these members obey
81. 10 la
will they do SO. Mr.. Barker, who wanted to be
Mayor of New York. and could not-who
| wanted to be President of this Council, and
could not get it, because we wanted man
who knew something more than to repeat the
parrot phrase, g No North, no South, no East
! no West" and would not have one that bias
phemously sneers at the higher law-he boast
| ed Of their victories in New York! That State
had resolved in favor of restoring the Missouri
Compromise. She was in favor of it by tens of
thousands. We mean to hunt down these men
of the North who betray us we will look down
| into the political graves Of these apostates of
New York-these men who are false to the
North, and not true to the South. Massachu-
sets was not there to save the Union; it was
| safe we don't raise the question in Massachu-
| sets. Liberty, not the Union, is in danger,
| and he was here to help preserve it. He would
| give the South all its rights, but we demanded
| all our rights. Nineteen years ago. standing
| beside Williamss slave-pen in the capital, he
pledged himself to Liberty; and he had never,
| in public or in private, at home or abroad,
spoken or written one word inconsistent with
that pledge, and he never would, to save any
| party, or at the command of any power on
| earth. He would trample with disdain on your
| PLATFORM for which New York was response
| BILE; so would the North. General Wilson also
treated the constitutional argument in relation
to Slavery, and set against the speech of
Judge Hopkins of Alabama, the decision of
the Supreme Court, that Slavery was mere
municipal regulation, limited by the verge of
| the local law" He told the South they would
yet be glad to rely upon this doctrine, and to
adopt the principle of State Rights as to Sla-
| very.
This rough sketch conveys no adequate idea
of Senator Wilson's speech. He spoke for an
hour, and with his greatest ability, defining his
| position toward the South, and particularly to-
ward the doughfaces of the North, with much
clearness and point. His friends, who heard it,
| say that it was the ablest speech the General
ever made; believe he so regards it himself;
and Southern gentlemen are high in their ap,
probation of the ability and power it displayed.
| They enjoyed immensely his haying alive of the
| New York Delegates, and all admitted that this
was fully deserved.