Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-08-29

| bu0 SOup AM6dSuI6S m6IGk uOb &c
ceptable to him. and that SO far from as.
sisting them through Congress he did not
conclude to support them until they were
presented to him, for the executive sane
ton. Ilti 81 Il i s 5 u .
In 1854. Fillmore made an excursion
tosKentucky, and in Louisville delivered
himself OF a speech, in which he under
took to narrate the circumstance Of his
succession to the Presidency. Here is a
choice extract: I'D
In Texas and New Mexico, q civil
war threatened. Texas made prepara-
tons to take possession of portion Of
New Mexico. lie felt this duty to main
tain the laws of his country. One of the
laws required that the people of the Ter.
ritory OF New Mexico should he protect
ed. AS means Of protecting, he imme>
diately ordered portion of the army and
munitions Of war TO the frontier of Texas
to do duty there. The arms was put in
Congress act upon the subject. Texas
and New Mexico acquiesced in the action
of Con- gress. Mr.. Fillmore spoke Of the
adoption Of the compromise measures Of
1850, especially of the fugitive slave law.
This law. he said. had some provisions in
it to which he had objections. He re-
GREETED the necessity of its being passed
at all, but the Constitution required tue
giving up of fugitive slaves. and it was not
for him to decide whether this was a COM
pact; he had sworn to maintain it, and
he would do so to his last hour.
"When the bill came TO him from the
two houses in the midst of hurry and con-
fusion and difficulties; he examined it.,
and doubt came across his mind wheth-
er it was not unconstitutional, as 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
stitution ; aud, 1ereapon, said Mr.. Fill
Fillmore, I gave my signature to the
bill"
Mark the language in which Fillmore
defines his relations TO the Fugitive Slave
Bill: it embraces provisions to which
he had objections he regretted the ne.
cesssity its Of being passed at ALL" F" a
doubt came upon his mind whether
it was not unconstitutional, as deny
ing the. right of habeas, corpus to
the fugitive slave ;" he referred the ques-
ton to the Attorney General, who gave
his opinion that the law was not viola
ton of the constitution, and thereupon,"
in the sense of wherefore, implying logi-
cal sequence, said Mr.. Fillmore. 81 gave
my signature to the BILL" Is there one
word in these sentences that implies ap-
proyal of the Fugitive Slave Law On
the contrary, does not the language clear
ly express reluctant and constrained ac-
quiescence in a measure, against which
his judgement and his feelings revolted,
to relieve himself of all odium by shifting
the responsibility upon the shoulders Of
the Attorney General? There is no hear
ty commentator Of the law as an act
Of justice to the South, and no rebuke OF
the abOIitionists for their opposition to it,
But more than this: the first official act of
President Fillmore was to give the fore
most place in his cabinet to Daniel Web1
ster, who was notorious!y opposed to the
Fugitive Slave bill, and who declared. in
subsequent speech at Buffalo, that it
would not have received his vote. il he
had remained in the Senate, without an
amendment securing jury trial to the ne>
gro i'll the State in which he was captured.
In the speech from which we take the
above extract. Mr.. Fillmore declared that
there was perfect unity Of opinion between
himself ani the members Of the cabinet.
But he was present when Webster made
The declaration aud would have protested
if he had not approved the sentiment
Indeed, it was notorious at the time. such
was DoneIson's language in the Union.
that the eloquent and expert Secretary of
State was put forward to represent his
chief and the entire Administration.
3 That Fillmore did not support the fugi-
tive slave bill before its passage. is proy>
ed by his own subsequent declaration
that he objected to its provisions and
that he entertained a doubt of its con
stitutionality until the Attorney General
relieved his conscience. His judgment
was not determined in regard TO the mea>
sure until he became President and WAS
assured by the competent officer that it
did not violate the Constitution. In the
face OF this statement. the most impudent
partizan Of Fillmore cannot claim that he
| is entitled to praise for the enactment Of
the law for the recapture Of fugitive
slaves. His own language attests the re-
lucLance with which he gave the execu-
tive sanction to the bill but his private
judgment and personal feelings were over
come BY pledge to his party. that he
would not veto any measure which did not
involve a palpable violation of the COnsti,
tulion.
In testimony of Mr.. Fillmore's unaba-
ted hostility to the institutions Of the
South. We may mentionin this connexion,
that in the same Louisville speech from
(which the above extract is taken, he de-
clared that (" he had drunk in from his
molher's milk. and cherished from his