Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-05-22
SPEECH OF
HON. HENRY M. FULLER,
OF Pennsylvania.

UF. r.. Llen DfOcccucu 70 Fcicf W eAO PNAae-~oA
history OF Pennsylvania, and said:
find il recorded that, on the Esd day Of NoveEn
Der, A. D. 1919, no less distinguished q person
than James Buchanan, in Lancaster county conyen.
ton, presented the following resolutions:
tkesoloed, Thet the Representatives in Congress
from that district be, and they are hereby, most
earnestly requested to use their utmost endeavors,
as membeas OF the National Legislature to PTrUeIn
the eriitence If SGUery any Of the Territories or
States rhieh may Be erected by Congress
s"ResoIVed, That in the opinion OF this meeting,
the members of Congress, who at the last session
sustained the cause of justice, humanity and pstro
tism, in opposing the introduction Of slavery into
the State then endeavored TO be formed ont of Mis-
souri, Territory are entitled to the warmest thanks
Of every friend Of humanity."
/ am charged here, and by some Of the Buchan-
organs in my State, with being an AbOlitionist,
becauseof my alleged antecedents. Surely, in this
respect In view Of the resolutions just read, may
yield with respectful Difference to "Pennsylvanias
Favorite Son."
InIsI9 he declared against the Missouri line
IN lS47 in hisfcelebrated Berks county letter, be
declared 10 favor of the extension of that line to
the Pacific. and his solemn belief that the stability
OF the Union itself depended upon the passage OF
such a measure. In his last bulletin, recently ssu-
ed, he declares that the repeal of that compromise
must be sustained in defiance OF any and OF every
storm that may be raised against it.
The political, as well as the physical world,
has undergone many changes. Here are three rev.
Olutions n short half century Has not his BACK
bone been ponderfulty stifeaedF" Has not he, too,
like the blind man in Scripture, been staggering
about these many years, waiting for that miraculous
vision when he should no longer see men as trees
wslkings Hoping that the scales Of error may all
fall from his eyes, that he may no longer look
throu ID a glass darky, aud recommending him
kindly to the generous consideration Of the Cncn>
natl conventions pass to another chapter of Penn
sylvania Democratic history.
In ls47, iRd, by reference to the public jour
mails that on the 18th Of January, resolutions were
introduced into our State Legislature, instructing
the Senators from Pennsylvania to vote in favor of
the Wilmot Proviso, BY gentleman who is now
delegate to the Cincinnati convention. Among the
names of gentlemen who supported the resolution,
find that of Senator Bigler of Thomas 81. Forsyth
now president vf the Democratic board of Canal
Commissioners; John c. Knox, since then elected
one OF the judges of the Supreme Court upon the
Democratic ticket; Timothy Ives, now the Demos
cratic candidate for surveyor general. In lS49,
when my SHINING commenced, and those terrible
enormites were committed by me, similar resOlu-
tons were offered 10 the State Senate, and support
ed by j. Porter BraWley, who has been since twice
elected surveyor general by the Democracy, and by
Colonel Maxwell McCasln, now holding an appoint.
ment under the present administration, as well as
certain other gentlemen, Who doubtless, would now
prefer that their names be not mentioned in this
connection.
In the political canvass of lS49, the Democratic
State Convention nominated John A. Gamble, Esq,
highly estimable gentleman, as the candidate for
Canal Commissioner, who was my competitor for
that Office. resolution was, according to the
published proceedings Of the convention, uDanim-
ously adopted, which expressly declared that the
Democracy of the State esteemed it "a violation of
State rights to carry it slavery beyond State lin
it's" that il denied "the power OF any citizen to
tend the Of bondage beyond its present (then)
dominlon" and that it did not cOnsidtr it part OF
the compromises of the Constitution that slavery
should travel with the advancing column Of our ter
ritorial progress" OF the edings OF that
vention, the ennsylvanian Of July 10, lS49, then
edited by Col. John w. Forney, spoke as follows:
awe cannot too highly commend the spirit dis
PLAYED at this convention, the uuanimity and
harmony with which its decision was communicated
and in an editorial OF the 18th OF july it eulogzed
Mr. Gamble, the nominee of the convention in the
following manner: "a Democrat who acted with
such members of the convention, (that to amend
the constituton) as Brown aud Ingersoll, Wood
ward and Kem aud secured their confidence, as
we happen TO have heard more than one of them
declare, cannot be justly dsSailed pedk irreS-
dilute ~ ms support of The entire Republican creed
In the deliberations of that convention many OF the
prominent and influential members ofthe party par.
ticpated.
Thomas Mexican Petit, Esq, who had held many
important official trusts under Democratic admins
trations presided. John NJ. Read, Esq, once NOM
mated for judgeshp of the United States Supreme
Court, by President Polk was a member, and, in
a speech made in the Convention, spoke thus Of
the action of the party in s4s: GAS to the Bati-
=. -, -
took our candidates with it; it erected by
thern hands, and not broad enough to sustain free-
men," Others of like influence were members,
among whom were James l.. ellis, Col. Saml. W.
Black, and John Cessna-all of whom, l believe,
are now delegates TO the Democratic National Cons
vention. State committee was appointed at the
same convention to conduct the canvass on the
principles enunciatedby it, Of which the gentleman
from the Berks district u. Clancy Jones) was
made chairman, and had associated with him the
gentlemen from the Northampton and Bradford dis.
tricts, (Messrs. Packer and Crow and also Andrew
II. Reeder, now OF Kansas Arnold Plummer, now
Canal Commissioner, and delegate to the Demo.
cratic National Convention, and Others Of like char
acter, not one Of whom objected, as know oil, on
account of the Free-soil platform adopted for the
canvass.
So far from any portion of the patty being op.
posed to the policy adopted, it was couutenanced
and sustained even by Col Forney, in his editorial
conduct of the Pennsylvania. The Democracy
of Bradford held meeting during the caLvass, at
which a resolution was passed, declaring that "Cou
gress possesses legislative power the subject
of slavery ia the Territories Of the United States,
aud ought to exercise that power effectually to
prevent the establishment OF slavery !" adding
thereto as a salvo: ave concede to our Democratic
brethren of the South the same freedom OF thought
and expression which claim for ourselves" &c.
Aud this, Col Forney in an editorial of the Penn
sylyanan, oil September 10th, lauded in the most
approving terms as "a noble example" which he
predicted would be everywhere greeted with JOY"
The truth is, Mr.. CANDLES election urged and
supported on the ground OF his opposition to the
extension OF slavery and in a letter written by him
self, in reply to iuterrogatories put TO him by a
committee OF Freeso Democats Of Tioga county,
in the Wilmot district, he took the position that
Congress has the constitu tiona power TO prohibit
slavery 10 the Territories and that be was in favor
Of its exercise TO prevent the further extension OF
human bondage. have his letter. aud will pub.
lish il with the rest.
The returns OF the election show that he receiv-
ed the support Of those who held extreme anti
slavery views In the Wilmot district, composed
Of the counties OF Bradford, Susquehsnna and
Tiogs, Mr.. Gamble had majority OF 1918 votes,
being near two hundred more than my worthy and
able colleague, (Nr Crow whose opinions we're
well understood received at the next election, in
1850 Such, too, was the result in other districts,
10 which more or less OF the same feeling existed.
may safely say, therefore, that IL was because
could nOL and would not, take extreme ground
that NV Democratic competitor obtained the Free
soil support True, avOwed myself to be sverse
10 extending slavery, but made no such commits
tails on grave constitutional questions, by address,
ing pablo letters to Freesoh conventions, as my
Democratic competitor did.
The course pursued by the party in Pennslyva.
MIA also adopted in New Hampshire, Maine
and other Democratic States. At Democrats
State convention held in New Hampshire on the
18th OF October, 1916, attended and addressed by
President Pierce, the following resolution was adj.
nnfrd.