The true Democrat., 1856-07-22
The Freesoil Appointments of President Fillmore Letter from Hon. Samuel A.

'I The Freesoil Appointments of President Fillmore-Lette from Hon. Samuel A. Smith.
 The following letter form Hon. s. A Smith, to Hon. H. M. Shaw, should be widely circula- ted snd carefully read. The statements made by Mir. Smith in his letter have not been hur- redy or inconsiderately grouped together, but are the result of careful, patient and impartial investigation. The letter was written, not with view of securing any unworthy persoal or political ends, but in order that the people of the South might see that when Mir. Fillmore Is claimed as sound national man, the op- ponent of sectionalism, and therefore ready at all times to discharge his constitutional obliga- tions faithfully and zealusly the claim is as unsubStantlal as 1t Is utterly worthless
 WASHINGTON, June z, 1856
 DEAR S1R-I received your letter some time since, and was at the time investigating the subject to which you refer. In Tennessee, as we'll as North Carolina, one of the principal charges against the present democratic admin istraton Is the appointment of freesoilers to oftlce;' and this charge Is made by the present supporters of Mir. Fillmore for President of the United States. This charge against Presi- dent 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 MT. Fillmore during his presidential term.
 This has been work of no little labor and has required some time, which accounts for the delay in answering your letter. 1 Upon this investigation find the following facts
 lst. Every man appointed to any important office by Mr. Fillmore while President whose residence was north of Mason and Dixon's line. sncluiny three members of his cabinet, was free soiler, in favor of the Wilmot proviso. Ed One of the leading members of his cab inet, the Hon. Thomas Corwin, of Ohio Secre- tary of the Treasury, was prominent aboH- hOnatst.
 3d Every one of the appolntees before re- ferred to, who had taken any public position on the slavery question, was known at the time of h's appointment, to be in favor of the prohibition of slavery in the territories
 4th. Most of those from the same section retained in office by MT. Fillmore, who had previously been appointed by President Tay. Tor, were freeSoilers or Wilmot provisoists.
 5th. President Pierce has appointed no man to office since he was inaugurated who in the canvass of 1852, and at the time of his appoint ment, was not believed by him to stand on the national democratic platform of 1852, which expressly denaes to Congress- the power 10 legis- late on the subject of slavery in the States or territories. 9th. The difference, therefore, in this res- pect, between the two Presidents, is this, that while Gen. Pierce may have appointed some freesolers to office without knowledge of the fact that they were such at the time, Mr. Fill. more's appointments in the northern States were oN treesoilers; and known to be such at the time of their appointment
 have made this examination and compari- son with no view to injure Mr. Fillmore, be- cause think the subject of appointment to of- nee and the distribution of executive patronage small matters when compared with the gre principles now at issue between the various parties of this country. I shall do Mr. Fill more full justice in the coming canvass for his conduct while President, and shall not deny to hlm the credit of executing faithfully the laws ot the country l have taken the time to make this lnytsti5 5ation to show the ignorance, the inconsistency, or the inaincerty ty of his sup- porters n the southern States, whose principal ooJ octon to the present administration is the uniounded charge of "the appointment of freesoiers to oftice."
 Excuse the briefness of this letter.
 Yours truly, 5. A. SMITH.
 Hon II. M. SHAW.