Washington telegraph., 1856-06-25
Millard FiIlmore's Nationality.


ocrat, of the 18th day of this good month
of June, column of outrageous vitup-
Grafton. which the editors of that paper
presented to their readers as the result of
their addressing themselves to what
they called "the easy task of impeacll-
ing 1IikLard Fiilmore's 6oasted nation
olity" And as if to add to the heinous-
ness of the offence, which, in penning that
article, they committed against the dig
nifty of Truth and the spirit of History,
they ask their readers to receive, In a
spirit Of candor," their perversions of
facts-their distortions of public records,
which form page in the history of our
land, whose freedom from reproach is not
surpassed by any which have been as
cribed to national patriotism in the past :;
their SANDERS of man whom all men
have delighted to honor-to whose IRE
proachable purity as statesman-to
whose honorable devotion to all constitu-
tional obligations and public duties, the
most virulent partizan opponents have
paid willing tribute and unsought re-
spect- And, to cap the climax of their
eEfrontery-to leave 3Ir. Fillmore's most
unscrupulous traduccrs far behind, in
their disgraccful efforts to achieve an
unenyiable notOriety to achieve for
themselves the unworthy distinction of
preferring the most groundless, reckless
charge that blind subserviency to party
interest ever dictated to the political
tocl-these gentlemen of the Democrat
the Hampstead Democrat-prcfer SOL
eInnly, as if they were accuser, jury,
judge, the charge, the unqualified accu-
satiOn, the assertion, in turpitude un-
parallcled, that Millard Fillmore was "as
>eaLouS. as consistent. as loyal an AJo-
laionist as Seacard or Giddings" We
should depart from every rule which we
have laid down for our government in
the conduct of the humble part which
We are to play in this campaign, did
we, for one moment, think of seri-
ously addressing" ourselves to the
refutation of these atrocious calum-
MES There are offences against tie
decencies of debate, and the privile-
ges which custom accords to the in
Testigator of the records of political
opponent, which carry with them their
own condemnation. There are times
when the magnitude of the crime charg-
ed and the manner in which it is charg-
ed, demand that, however insignificant
the accuser may be, some notice should
be taken of him who arraigns probitY.
and honor to plead at the bar of public
opinion, in vindication of assaulted repu-
tatiOn and character, -vilely, wickedly,
and maliciously slandered- And there
are times when he who is impeached,
conscious of his integrity, can "smile
at the drawn dagger" of the assassin of
reputation, and @ defy the point" of the
poisoned shaft of the calumniator Shall
Nlilard Fillmore, like culprit, sneak
into the stand to answer to the idle va
porings of unthinking devotees- 20 the
mere music of a name? Shall he, to whose
patriotism patriots have borne testimo-
ny-to whose honor the honorable have
paid trlbute-to whose integrity the lust
have given their unsolicited attestation-
appear before the people, at this day,
TO apologize for his political record, OF
to offer plea in justification of his acts,
In the performance of which, he achiev-
ed for himself an honorable fame, which,
when the memory of his traducers shall
have faded from the minds of the chill
dren of earth-when the mantle of OBJ
livion shall have hidden them in i'm
penetrable obscurity-will be an argosy,
freighted with precious lessons of pa
triotism, floating proudly over the sea of
time,
Unhurt amid the war of elements.
Ihe wreck of matter and the crush of worlds''2
Never let it be said that, to such as
saults, Millard Fillmore opposed aught
beside that ineffable contempt whose COM
pahlon is the silent scorn, which, through
all time to come, shall
Point his slow unmoving finger atn
the-slanderer.
But if the imputations against Mil
iard filimore's patriotism and national
i'y are worthy of nothing save contempt,
we thank God, that in these degenerate
'HeS' and amid the political corruption