Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-05-13
trar ihr Ed?ahe".
FACTS FOR THE CAMPAIGN.

Ms.rs. 7 ,itors lii the exposition We have thus
fur gwen oi the votes and sentiments ui MI 81,
more. the su i"ct at slavery W: nave s"l ue'''.
.p,ciirny the mass OF his oilirial conduct ar "p'n
i.,,s a-isii,s out ui The right of petition we h"Vr
no, dom ST. bvCa we have no: deemed II hh'e''''
10 proper understanding ut his position. Oiic !"
the very first moves upon lhe sunl"'' VI
wa. mad. in the lower House, the 10th day oi
Eenruary 1881 Mr.. Fillmore was then mcmoei'
". desire to present the remarks which he mace o'
,hu, OCCASION because, i'll his letter to Gay!e' VI ~"
Ln,nu L. refers his record cnrroborutve Vi INC
.,ae,n.uts he therein makes and the following spee''
EXPLAINS his opinions upon the question OF pet'on',
without going into specific votes Ii VIII De punu
IN the Congressional Globe second session. 81" WI.
rress page 2j2 and was made nearly three year.
before his Erie letter written. ,..L
Mr. Fillmore said AS il was understood ,'la. WI.
committee of tue District of Columbia "oua ho' at
upon this subject, 1.-THE abolition OF siase'!I a. .h,
session. it was certainly due to Inc pet,tiohei' 'a
the motion which had been made Dy MS . :n
shall prevail He djsavuwed, most nnequ!'ocaiy'
now and forever any DESIRE on his part, 10 hteIIe'
with the rights or what WAS TERMED IhE "ur In
Of the citizens Of OTHER STATES. " n,to nc wv n n
he conceived, that as citizen OF Ne" io!h' u. ;,,
Interested in THE CLAIM To PROPERTY IN va r
IN t,s Di.,ric, of CLumbia. He referred 10 the ell
feet which was produced in the North ny inc aurer
isenents in the papers OF tins cry con'e' FL n
The purchase and transportation OF slaves ine peo,
pe of TINT section uf the country oee'eu S"','y "
r. t 49,; - ouJ mat n st0ud not be lOicrded.-
Tu,s wsi cWr.r NATIoNAL QUESTION. There was
nntLiu, in the memorial which should prevent It's
being printed and placed GU the MES o' 'i'
for future reference. .;o .. r-,, q ma.
| nm. question pending, was a Inotion 10 print Pc
,;,; , .;,;y.us of Rochester, New York, praying
Congress to abolish slavery i'll the District OF Coiui
bia. IT,, J.. h; uo so;d
sir wa. sorry 10 hear some OF the remar OF the
n,i.,rsn from New York. He says that the people
of the North are continually shocked ny au'erl'Se
nenls OF 81 ave dealers in the papers OF ms b'stct
am sorry sir, that their nerves are so ue1.I"'e,
.h.n their fathers did than any other peoP,e VI
,h n,i"n;.s m Establish slavery amongst u.s. lap'
npal IN Southern gentlemen for the truth vi TUG re-
mark BILE fact that the .nlgrants from 'he 49,
the south some from the gentleman own u's' Ill.,
perhaps are ready to become . ,h' ,hsr msrves
are hereditary masters. To strengi 'he "ri'0a'
and chance their whole principles anu opnioos VII
The an birct they have but to change their cies-
ihsir Ravens Sir, slave is rs much property n'"'
as in Virginia; property by me fa~ ava ,;.
| ,rmnd with his carriage and horses, why cannot
come with my slaves to remain here; to I'VE mere as
long ~ [ please! The gentleman calls TINS :" e'c"1
ugt,onaI Question: protest, sir. aghlnst II oe'hg 81
cnnsirred The nation has NOTHING to do 'rah STARE
yrooeriv II is simply delicate question OF private
Individual right uh0ly and solely nndcr me e'HsFo;
of The States where slavery exists; IL Is frSe't'
State Right with which the Gs"rrM ucrsrMmem ,, m"s
no r,ght of inter treMcs eren, aud from
| .yi,b which the free States aud their lhnao'"n's
| should scrupuously abstain: .,.,;,.;.o .
~, Isii Then Ia tho close Of his legislative SER
vice we have seen Mr.. Fillmore committed ON every
| ,rss. nf th. slavery question. In 1919 when ne was
pca d as a candidate for tho Vice Presidency IT be-
came necessary for him 10 conciiate those 10 wh0n
he had become justly obnoxious. Let Us soc noT ne
ntempte to do it. The letter bears IIte Albany July
IA isis and is in answer TO one from HON. on"
| NJ Alabama aud in reply 40 the charge made al The
South that he, Mr.. F., is an ultra aooNt'onlsL
| Mr., Fillmore SAYS II have none OF my congress
s;oval Documents they being at my former resioeheo
IA m
| ,,J, IN refresh nv recullection but, thinK ri
some time while in Congress, took occasion u STATE
IN substance my views on THE stb'h@ vi HLA'
| IN THE STATES Whether the remarks were report
ed or not am unable to say out inc 90
| that regarded slavery as al evi, sel oHh WIN
| yuIru THr NATIONAL GOVERNMENT HAD Hoihi'"
To no. That by the Constitution oi tue cn''eu
| States THE WHOLE POWER OVER THAT oUhsli's
was vested in the several States where Tue insutu
100 s ta,areted If they regarded it n blessing,
,Lev Ind n constitutional right To ENJOY III ana u uiey
r,eard.d il as HI evil, they had the power ana hne"
| best how to apply the rc,nody. du not conceive
that Congress had any power over ~ j.; ,ha ..rar:
way responsible for its continuance IN tle several
States where il existed. have entertainer no o'her
sentiments ON this subject, SINCE EAAM'shp ~ 81
| rIcIESrLY TO FORM AN oPiSloS' A'p poob MOI :
THAT ALL MY ACTS, PUBLIC AND Ain I." m.L ~
found in accordance with this view Mr. Fillmore Is
here absolutely adopting the substance OF Mr' wise
| speech in reply 10 him rs hl' own: .,.L
R-fore we urooeed however, to consider the bear
ing of this letter, cannot refrain rom saying 'ua
| |, is somewhat amusing aud Significant 10 see the
pr-trxts given BY Mr.. f., and the hurry lie always
inaness 10 get rid Of the subject lie IS always 80
much engaged that really he has M lime 10 CONSIDER
the matter! In his Erie letter, III 1872 ne sny'
am much engaged and have no f'mc 10 enter Ii'" MI
ARGUMENT or To explain, 1T length, my reasons or my
opinion" In his Books letter he says: - ~,'e
in haste, aud anil the pressure OF official duties
And now in the Gayls ieisr We :, @a ne s.s. Wv;
any pap.rs or memoranda, 10 refresh his recollection
| thlS uIi,Ntn
he was writing WAS not private OF, the evidence
%. which REFUSED in his own escrut"ire al nou'e -
Could he have forgotten that he was puo'c man.
acting in public capacity! Could he nave forgot
ten that the city of Albany, from which he wrote,
with the superb library there belonging 10 the State
of New York, lar better place Tor CouSresslon-
| al documents aud papers aud memoranda reiAh'e
10 his legislative career, than any archives OF mis- own
at Buffalo No! These are but adr"'t and Jesuit
cal pretensons TO reserve advantages ~ his own favor
He seems from the very first, to be Impressed WIN
the idea that the least he could possibly say would
be the besf and after his Congressional lite ceaseu ne
evidently anxious to AVOID as Tar ny poss'o'e a."
details. There WAS, in fact no other course 10 pursue
| We find therefore, that the Gayle letter Ike the
Brooks letter. is confined to slnSic point ana mere
k st0p, Both are. indeed substantially the same III
principle, aud cover mainly the same ground. 10 re-
but the presumption that, he Is all ultra'aDOhonls'
hs gives US bis opinions, rather the opinions Mr.
Wise gave in 1885. the subject OF slavery IN me
SiatsS! And while he relies upon the circumstances
|
| too TRANSPARENT as explanatory OF any obhVouSnes'
of fact he refers hs speech IN Congress as eInbO
dying his sentiments upon the subject. NOW the on
| ly speech which Mr. Fillmore ever made III congress
! upon slavery is the which We have incorporated
in this number and it is reported in precisely the same
terms in the Globe, and Gales Il Sentons Register 0
| Debates. Most unfortunately for hun. thut speech
does not bear Kim oit in his assertion IN the Gayl-
| letter. The oul; way in which lie did express lIl-
views, in Il speech, on the suiect OF slavery i'll the
States as we have already shown, |as ITO disavow
any his part to interfere with the rights or
| with what TERMED the property oil the citizens
Of other States" lie certainly never did say that
"the subject WAS oGs with which the general govern.
ment had nothing to do, unless this isolated express
sion be regarded as importing that construction
But, grant that these remarks may hs hyPercr,tica
and giving Mr.. Fillmore the full benefit OF his fecla
ration il goes not one whit beyond the doctrine oi
the leading abolitionsts who 1915 opposed any IN
reference ruth The institution Of sla0ery as rTists an
stare STATES That was expressly declared by the
Buffalo Convention that year. The immense mass
of his sentiments, during eleven years service
| the bulk of his mont obnoxious votes remain
unretracted, unanointed, unanneHed Look over
the record CT Mr.. Fillmore, as we have presented
it, from the first to the present number and meredith.
" itself will be startled at the heavy balance against
him. But, perhaps BE coolest thing OF which he WAS
ever guilty is the assertion e makes, 81 have enter
tanned other sentiments on this subject since ex
| AHMED it sufficiently to form an opinion and doubt
not ALL MY ACTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, VIII BE
FousD ~ ACCORDANCE WITH THIS VIEW" Oh! ha!
| "rhe woodcock e near the GIN
There stands his vote iu favor Of the exercise by
Congress of power to prohibit the rspoval of slaves
from State to State There stands his vote in favor
of discriminating between the institutions OF one por.
ton OF the coufederacy and another, with view ana
as u means of disturbing and overthrowlng slavery
in the several States! There stands his vote, that
Congress could do indirectly that which it could not
do directly, upon the subj of slavery in the States
There stands his vote in favor of the suppression OF
the coast.wse traffic in slaves and against the trans.
fer from port in the Union 10 another port in the
Union of slaves in vessels belonging TO the citizens
thereof There stands his vote us'ifying mutny and
murder on the high seas, in vessels OF the United
States by siayes of their masters, their way from
one State to another Bnt why swell this most di.-
nal aLa ~ l,,isrtivp life