New-York daily tribune., 1856-08-02
A LETTER FROM SCHUYLER COLFAx
HoUsr OF REPRysESTATVss,
WAsHISGTos, July II, 1856

HousE oY RgPRysESTATVss
WAsHIsGIoS, July IL, 1856 J
To "a. P,tf-f Of ne Rcps6oan Co"S Ccr-sni'o"'
Tie false reports so assiduousy circulated by po
htical Opporents, that declined renominaoa, rem
deis il not improper that / should define to the Con
vention, over which you preside the exact position
oteupy The selection of candidate 10 represent you
the next Congress which to be either the opening
term 81 an Administrator Of Freedom and Patriotism,
or the elor CATION Of the present Administration Slavery
and Despotism is matter Of no ordinsry importance.
And recognizing that that selection should be msde,
unemba'wsed BY any personal considerations,
or by even the suspicion that I laid any
claim TO a denomination, have sudiously
sSss sSS0eG viii, ends n my my s sss rs sS'pSndt pnot
in the slightest degree, Ike soh.ting q candidacy
During the whole Of hi. protracteA session have not
any time at which st could leave this post of
duty to wbicn ,oe people o our Dis'rct had assigned
me for tie brefest visit to my home Aud have
,ot therefore, that intimate knowledge Of the wishes
c5 the people az large upon this Subject that your
Delegates, resE from their various counties possess
Bu, con cay thst while shall cheerfclly earnestly
eneIgetcaly support your nominee, if you see st TO
select another your standard bearer N the corning
can7ss. shall certainly accept your remnation if
on = review of my COngressio..el course N this HAL
YOU see t again TO cODtde the interests cf cause
in m3 hands.
sasu pot weary ycar patience by arguments a. 10
the vital Importance o. securing full representations
of the rights Of freedom in the E5use of Re,resenta
tives ,he only branch Of the Gov,rnment this day. in
which there the fantest recognition of the suerngs
apd the perils Of our tFetlren in Esnsas. Yo, know
night wea that with the President and his Cabinet the
Sepete cad the Fedora. Judiciary, ready TO register
every edirt, and to enforce every demand o. she
Slave Power the Peoples House OF Representatives,
eytn in It's almost equally divided poscsl character,
il the only barrier remaining to prey snt total PUB
,eryisrc CIV 10 the Obgarchy Which rules u Nations
Councils as il does on TIE plains OF Kansas. But
higher snd far more towering in Importance Is tie
election this Fall of PRES DENT VINO Will recognize
that there is North rs wei as South, and that tie
Constitution was framed establish Justice and secure
"the blessings of Liberty, by every constitutional
meauoin our power, as well W the emigrants 10 our
frontier settlements Of todsy rs for those by whose
hands ou-' independence was achieved, ana our ne
publican Institutions upreared. For, Gentlemen, the
question of the canvass is not much whether black
men shall Be slaves, but rhe.tev phne men shdA De
frte-whether Passmore williamson Ia Pennsylvania
az ysu in Ia0iana have the night, without risk of
imprisonment in dungeon, to ssy to the Shareholder
o. he enters with his human property on the soil OF
either State, that here, by our State Constitution, the
entrance Of Slavery is absolutely
our own brethren of own kIth and kin shall
be beaten Ike dogs, tared and festhered like scoun-
dres, driven about in chained gangs on frivolous
charges Ike eOnvicts, murdered like outlaws and
hung BY the neck ike traitors and all without Judge
or iury and without the slightest protection from the
Gcver1mest for the single crime Of demanding that
Kansas shall not be made by outrage and lnyason oy
aud and 7i0erce, Slave state. It's the question
whether Freedom Of Debate TO be stricken down at
the Capitol as well Freedom of Thought and Speech
on the Froi tier while the President and his followers
look careessy at boh-whether Freemen shall be
driven by force from soil which forefathers OF ls2O
in tbis very Hall solemnly .dcated to Freedom for
eyerther property destroyed or robbed from them be-
fore their eyes, their rights of protection rampled IN
the DUST the sanctty of their homes invaded by armed
n obs paradsd under United States authority,
their leading men indicted and imprisoned for taking
the preliminary steps necessary to ask OF congress
their admission State as redress OF their intoer
able erisyaaces,--the avenues to their territory
block aded By rufian mobs, who rob and drive oacK
the emgrants from Indiana Illinois or Massschusetts,
but give q welcome to the armed forces rom oouin
Carolina, Mississippi or Alabams-whethef al these
things shall be tolerated, paiated upheld or Jushed
-snch ia the leading issue of the campaign. lwll not
doubt that yeu are ready to award the verdict afgbt
For the people, when they are to choose between drv-
inc from Lever on the hand, the party that now
recklessly mlsrules the ianu or becoming tnein'
selves on the other hand the very Slaves OF Slavery
cannot and will not hesitate. Ii they do, they can
be assured That they have seen ana read ovt
the sra page Of the volume which 10 10 0e
opened. Mr.. Buchanan, with his avowal IN the
0steud Manifesto of the right, if we ourselves but
deem il necessary TO forcibly seize and possess SoH-
ern territory, though he himself as Secretary OF Ssate
gave up 10 Great Britain 320 miles of Northern ter
Titory would find no constitutional or political obtec-
ioL 10 aLnexbg with the aid of willing two thirds OF
the Senate and under the treatymaking power, Cuoa,
Central An erica and Mexico making ten 10 twenty
additional Slave States and this tOo without needing
70 ak the assent of the people or their Represents
tives-Kansas, Utah, New-Me1ico, &c, would be
AfricaDized and blackened with plantations Oh slaves
bghtipg their soil, and paralyzng their Industrial
deyeopments-and it only needs then that the bedera
JcdicisIy should follow in the footsteps OF Judge
Kaue: and Freedom would be crushed out IN the Free
States as well as in the Saven Indiana az Well as In
Kansas-n Congress as well as among the people at
large.
But rejoice that the signs of the times betoken a
different copsummstiob. There is limit TO all wrong,
A. d.. - in
an end The mighty uprising of the people indicates,
beyord all contradiction cey that the hour OF eur
deiverance oraweth nigh. Old party lines are vanish
irg and the great arm OF freedom hke US prot9tyPe
in the dsy, OF the Revolution, draws to it's ranks re-
cIuits from every walk of life, and from all the hitherto
opposing elements of the land. Enlightened, too aud
guided by the example of the founders OF the Repubnc
they fixed their eyes, in looking for leader, on ynan
hose uame like Washington, had become hste ncal
before he had reached the prime OF life, whf, had
trair ed himself TO face pers in the mounans ana ma
served his country both in surveying expedhonA the
wilderness ard with suborcinae bat bravery ignored
commission in the field. At exactly tho same
age at which Col. Washington was called
TO head the army OF the he'|o ution,
Col Fremont has been selected 10 ioaa " 10 tne
bslIot.box the army of our Revolution again Tyran-
nv, Outrage and Wrong. Modest and uaasd uming as
was the Father of his Country fearless end esolue as
the Warrior President who crushed he cemon OF
Notification and Dsunion when 1t mrs. sp eared, and
heroic amid all the privatops and pers tn ough which
he has passed during his oventful ht, .s Napoleon
bmse on the field OF Austerltz be comb ines the very
elem ents for the Leadership this gea struggle fos
Free Territories and Free Speech gree Soil and Free
Men, Just ard generous, he wall do NJ wrong TO any
section of the Union UahinchiDg sn' determined he
will permit no Injustice TO be done b Others. But as
has been wei said by aaother-ths ,oneer in the ex
ploralions to the Paciic-ths pos .eer in the Rocky
Mountains pioneer in raisins the flag of inde-
pendence n the Golden State--t ne pioneer Senator
from California will low be the sder TO pioneer the
Government back TO the pelie y of Washington and
jefferson, its coDpstriot founders
Navy ytvnnz