The Placer herald., 1856-09-20
The Free-soil Appointments of Presiden.
tial FilimoIe--Letter from Hon. Samuel
A Smith.

tial FilmoI e--Letter from Hon. Samue
A. Smith.
The following letter from Hon. S. A
Smith to Hon. Ii. NJ. Shaw should be wide
" circulated and carefully read The state
ments made by Mr.. Smith in this letter hav,
not been hurridIy or inconsderately grouped
together but are the result Of careful, pa
tient, and impartial investigation. The let
ter was written, not with view of securing
any unworthy personal or political ends
but in order that the people of the Soutl
might see that when Mr. Fillmore is claim
ed as sound national man, the opponent o
secto,alism, and therefore ready at all times
to discharge his constitutional obligations
faithfully and zealously, the claim is as un
substantial as it is utterly worthless:
WAsHING1oN June 7, 1856
DEAR SIR: received your letter some
time since, and was at the time investigating
the subject to which you refer. In Tennes-
see, as well as North Carolina, one of the
principal charges against the present demo-
cratic administration is "the appointment of
free soers to Office and this charge is
made by the present supporters of Mr.. Fill
more for President of the United States.-
This charge against President Pierce, though
unfounded, yet coming from the source
it does, has led me to examine carefully the
political, or rather SECTIONAL views of the
appointees of Mr.. Fillmore during his pres-
Dental term.
This has been work of no little labor,
and has required some time, which accounts
for the delay in answering your letter.
Upon this investigation | Gnd the follow
ing facts:
lst Every man appointed to any import
ant office by Mr.. Fillmore while President,
whose residence was north of Mason and
Dixons line includjng three members Of his
cabinet, was a flee-soiler, and in favor OF the
Wilmot provso."
Cd One of the leading members Of his
cabinet, the Hon. Thomas Corwin, of Ohio
Secretary Of the Treasury, was a prominent
dbolihOniSt
3D.. Every one of the appointees before
referred to, who had taken any public posi-
tion on the slavery question, was known, at
the time Of his oppointment, to be in favor
of the prohibition of slavery in the Terrific
ries
4th. Most of those from the same section
retained in Office I,y Mr. Fillmore, who had
previously been appointed by President Tay-
lor, were tree-soilers or WiImot provso-
lists
5th. President Pierce has appointed no
man to office since he was inaugurated who
in the canva Of 1852, and at the time Of
his appointment, was not belived by him to
stand on the national democratic platform
of 1852, which expressly denies to Conlr'Ss
the power to legisate on the subject Of sla-
very in the States or TERRITORIES
5th. The difference, therefore, in this re-
spect, between the two Presidents, is this
that while Gen. Pierce may have appointed
some free-soilers to office without a knowl-
edge of the fact that they were such at the
time, Mr.. FiIlmore's appointees in the north
ern States were all free soilers, and known
to be such at the time of their appoint
ment
have made this examination and com
parison with no view to injure Mr. Fillmore
because | think the subject of appointments
to office and distribution Of executive patron
age small matters when compared with the
great principles now at issue between the
various parties of this country. shall do
Mr. Fillmore full justice in the coming
canvass for his conduct while President and
shall not deny to him the credit ofexecuting
faithfully the laws Of the country. l have
taken the time to make this investigation to
show the ignorance, the Inconsistency, or
the insincerity of his supportersin the South
ern States, whose principal objection to the
ol, ion 10 ,,,,fN tod
charge Of "the appointment Of free soilers to
office"
Excuse the briefness of this letter.
Yours, truly. S. A. SMITH
Hon. II. NJ. SHAW.