Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1856-08-16
STATJNTON VIRGINIA SATURDAY, AUGUST Is, 1856
Letter From Senator Pearce, of Mary
land On the Politics Of the Day
WASHINGTON, July 81, 1855.

mean to take in the coming PiesideniIa
election, and " hat think should be done
with old Wings who have never been at.
tached to any other party, and who dc
not d esire 10 enter into new political con-
neetions.
am well aw are CT the emDdrr 4ssments
to such persons which attend "a choice
among the cand idates for the Presidency
now before the country. In my own
case this embarrassment is sensbly felt
My incihations point one way, sense OF
the duty arising t;om the present dasger-
Gus condition OF domestic politics leads me
another way.
Ny past relations, political and personal,
with MIR. Fillmore, the confidence | have
ALWAYS reposed il his integrity and abIi-
ty, the wisdom Of the administration, and
the convictions | entertain t ha. he is Just
national man and free from sectional pre-
judice, would induce me 10 prefer him to
his competitors. Neither do object to
the sentiment OF American nationality
properly limited and restrained. Indeed
think that our present system has made
American citizen ship too cheap. But
der which the American patty. Of which
he Is now the representative, was organi-
zed; the oaths administered TO members
upon initiation, and he discipline of the
order, by which secresy and obedience
were secured. How lar dl this has been
dispensed with do hot know. The orig.
ina plah OF their organization could not
bit condemn, as ! co the adoption o any
principle which .ounds rule OF political
exclusion upon a diversity OF religious
faith. However modified in these res
poets their plan may now be. Il is not ne
cessary for me to inquire. The northern
wing If the party came into it, as / think
with purposes very different from thosr
entertained by the rest. They adopted
it as d cloak to schemes which all of us in
Mary land condemn and detest. The ne.
cessAry affiliations OF that wing Of the par
ty were with the auti.slavery men; and
accordingly we find the mask now thrown
off by the most OF them, and See lhe DE-
yellopment oftheir plans in such mea-
sure as the personal iibert. bill of Massa-
causatts, which nullifes law of Congress
violates the constitution guarantee for th
reeovery Of fugitive slaves and creates the
iiercesl aud most dangerous discord be-
tween the moth and the South. Their
members of Congress have for the most
part been consolidated with the pernicious
party miscaIed Republican, and many OF
the delegates to thir Presidential Conyen.
ton have deserIed to tsat r,e.ley alliance
whose triumph would be the saddesi Ca
lamity that ever befei our UnlGn. The
comparatively small portion OF the Ameri
can party which remained after this trans
fer to the anti.slavery men, and which |
has nominated Mr.. Fillmore Is without
power to elect him, even with the assi1-
lance Of Southern wings or National
Northern Wings. These, however great
their personal res pee! for aud confidence
in MIR. Fillmore, are under no party obi
cations now to give him their support, see.
ing that he has become member and ac-
cepted the nomination OF a party which !
!epudiates the Wings, and, while they
would lie willing III a contest with their
old opponents to stand by all their po!t.- |
eel opinions TO the. last, they find aesrle
reason in the present condition o. pafiie s
i'll the political anarchy which prevails, |
and in the fear OF a sectional and anti-
slavery .uiumph leading to al,erior conse-
guences Of the worst sort, TO consider
whether il is not their duty TO sacreice all |
personal feeling and party prejudice for
The sake OF HE Union, and to sustain 5ihe |
nominations OF the Democrats as The arIy |
means o. defeating the schemes Of The mad |
agta;olS who Iule the Republican pa,ty |
The contest, it seems 10 me- lies be- I
tween Mr.. Buchanan and Mr.. Fremont |
Mr.. Eil!more's friends indeed claim
great reaction i'll his favor; but / have la
ken much pains 10 ascertain what his |
strength is in the free States, and SO far | !
have kot been able 10 satisfy myself that
he can carry a single one Of then. His I
wise and patriotic conduct " lille President (
Which recommended MIN SC strongly 10 !
the Wings CT taa South, is regarded by
the majority al The North as fatal objec-
ton 10 him. Il lsnot moderation and con-
sliahea laei desirc; they think as ore Of
their leaders said, that the Tine FOR com
promises has passed. They want. in the
President. an instrument TO punish the
South tor What they, fancy or pretend 10
ht tHc ltsst9nS u tue SIhVe power
upon the North. Mr FILLMORE is 100 ma
tioual. foI this purpose, and he must indeed
be cisduious or sanguine In the extreme
who snpposes that the politicians. who
have misguided aud infamed the North,
arm majority will! abaadon thei: designs,
and renonqce the spoiIs for which they
hunger aud thirst just al the moment when
for the i,rst time, they ale confident OF the
success OF the one and they enjoyment OF
the other. MIR. Filmoie's strength lies in
the Wing States of the South. Ii all the
Southern States should gave him their
votes, he would fail in the election with
out such assistance from the free States as
1t would be vain to look for. The choice
then. is between MI. Buchanan and Mr..
Fremont. aud what Maryland Wing be-
lieving as l do, can hesitate
am not so unjust as to charge all the
Northern men who join in the support Of
Mr. Fremont with being. Abolitionists.-
There are men among them whom hold
in much respect while deploring the error
OF Judgment into which they have fallen:
but tae most active and influential Of their
leaders are men who. from perverted iudg.
meut or inaamed passion. or, what is
worse, from deliberate calculation, have