Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1856-12-05

ediloiiA upon tilc causes which have
Influenced the retiring of w. Gilmore
Simms ESQ. from the lecturing engage.
ments which he had made through the
Northern States, upon the invitations
Of the various committees having such
duties in charge That writer mani ,
fests two most conclusive states OF fact.
that he is totally unacquaintcd with
the deservedIy high reputation OF Mr..
Smms a. finished scholar, literary
aavan, and polished gentleman = and
that the writer q that article was ~
fuenced by a narrow, partizan spirit,
IN which, hatred Of all Southern men
IL the chief ingredient, when he took
up his pen to write of Mr.. Smms.
The whole secret of this astonishing
persecution of Mr.. Smms, is disclosed
BY the Republican papers Of New York
City, where he delivered his first lecture.
They attack3iim and the whole South
through him, with the bit,cr,,t iuyec.
tive, bespeaking for him cold lecep-
ton IN whatever other ci'y he should
be invited to deliver a lecture.
Both the Time, and Tribune ken,
up the attack forssrvcral lays. aud ~
consequence OF this, few attended Mr..
Sums second lecture, and his sensitive
mind at once t"rcsaw the impossili,it,
OF continuing III the North a. Icrtur-
er with such vrulent iorrsialIing from
the whole dirty pack Of Republican, FL.
rors. Mr.. Simms, has Therefore very
properly Withdrawn from all In, en-
gagements, knowing ,ha, q, prejudice
lad preceded HIM, his usefulness wa,
~ an end as a literary lecturer. In re-
ply to an invitation sent hiln tro, the
Young Mems Literary Association
ofthls city he SAYS
New York, NOV. 20.
VIM. Hall Esq. Dear Sir.-Mr.
hedheld las usi handed me your let
ter. asking my services as lecturer
before Your Association am hon
ored in your application. and but for
the fact that | have Withdrawn from
81 my engag amcnt> at the North, III
III" capacity, would checriuily have IN
Guided your city. in tie circle III my
engagements. But my lectures. Who'll
~ on Southern. and chiefly, on South
Carolina subjects, have been met " itl
:" much misrepresentation and such
bitter hostility, as to sat,si, M" that
should only hurt, not help the A-s"ri-
alton before which should apyoar.
u has been 50 in this place. and my
committee has hos, money hv my per
iormanccs. The moment | knew this
70 be the case. and felt that the prob
abilities were that the same fortune
would attend me elscwhcr and iniurc
rather than help the interests which it
was my desire to promote. could not
hesitate to decide. at whatever self sac
r'fce, to abandon the experiment
greatly regret this necessity. and par
tlcnlarly as it must. to many, have the
effect to place me in most ungracious
Htttude.
lam, sir, very regretfully but respect
fully your obliged and obedient servant.
W. GILMORE SlMMS.
thus do We perceive that the very
class Of persons who howl so much
against Southern intolerance acains,
Northern speakers, are the frs, to fol.
low the example they have SO violent
y condemned. Complaining that
Northern men have not liberty of
speech at the South, tley face about
aud deprive Southern men of that lib
srty in the North,
Thus it is that the Nestor ofthe Sen.
ate, the Hon. Thomas ii. Benton has
been prescribed by the same class of
papers, and lecture committees advised
not to employ him. We are informed
that he has been invited to lecture in
This city, and We trust he will despise
and disregard this Black Republican
assault upon him. and give US the ben.
sdt OF his age and experience in lite
rary lecture.
Whatever that d'htoaf, writer in the
Gazette may say OF Simms or Benton
the Commute ought not to be driven
from their engagems hts by such paper
pellets. Black Republican intolerance
is thousand times worse than Know
Nothing prescription; for it strikes
down the native ~ well as the foreign
born. The very spirit which is mani
test in the Gazette article is the best
evidence that can be adduccd, that pre-
JUDGE had preceded Mr.. Simms, and
that he would not meet with fairness
oy the narrow minded proscriptionists
who look upon all persons south OF Ma
con and Dixon's line as horrible canni
balls, Southern intolerance, even Of
Abolition niger thieves, never wen,
further than these Black Republicans
70 in their war upon Southern ,nen.