Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-04-21
GBs 4sIp spp.
TUESDAY, APRIL 81, 1887.



BosroN, April is.
lfessrs. Editors Was ever anything more
disreputable than the action of the House on
THE MAJOR sENBRALsHIP9
The Committee Of Conference recommended
Charles H. French of Canton. The nomination
was as unexceptionable could possibly oemaue'
Yon know am one of those who believe our
whole volunteer militia system to be nuisance
hut unless the House means to leave the matter,
yor Gardner to appoint Major General, no bet
.or.no opld have been selected than Colonel
Frsncb He has been Wing Of the straightest
kind. up to 1856, what we called bunker of the
bunkers. But, early last year, he Joined the Re
publican party, and no man in the State was a
straiphter, hrmer, or tIuer Republican than he
Heisaman of character, Of ability, and of back
bone. Alas it is for just the possession of those
qualities, that he was rejected by the House, and
Albert J. Wright of Boston C?) elected 1t was
brought about by the maneuvering of outsiders
friends of Andre,cs who knew that the Senate
would never take Wright, and who expected that
the result would be, the election Of Andrews, or
no agreement, and then Gardner would appoint
Andrews.
You remember Wright's speech at the Repub-
lean festival in Worcester. When he gets into
the House, he turns up Know Nothing of the
trnest stripe, figuring very actively at the Know
Nothing legislative caucuses And he is the man
whom the Republican House elected Major Cen
eral land Boston man, too; and will answer
the purposes of the Boston military, just as we'll
as Andrews. don't mean that Wright as thor
oughly pro-slayery as Andrews; but do mean
- Il J. Faith
shat the Major General of the Division, contain
ing the "Sims Brigade" ought to hge IN the
country Other things being equal, country air
gives sitter verte5re
You express the hope that our Legislature will
be equally explicit and manly in its utteranee "
with that OfNew York, on the
DRIED SCOTT DECISION.
Let us see. Here is the sum and substance of
the resolves reported:-
See O.. Every slave who shall come or be
brought into, be in this State with the consent
of his or her master or Mistress or who shall
come, be brought, or be involuntarily in this
State, shall be free"
Now, this yields and intends to yield, to the
slave catcher, the right to recover an alleged slave
under the Fugitive Slave Law. Pray tell me, my
dear Spy, why has not the slave, " who comes, or
shall be brought, into, or be in this State with
ont the consent fhis or her master or mistress"
the same right to freedom as if here soith his or
her consents Why shall not the slave, who shows
his love of freedom by coming voluntarily, be free,
as well as if he comes ineohmtariiy7 Ifthe slave
comes voluntarily, he is reclaimed under law Of
Congress: if he comes Involuntary, he is to be
reclaimed under this decision Of the Supreme
Court. You say Massachusetts should repudiate
this decision of the Supreme Court, as unconsti-
tutonal and declare the involuntary fugitive from
bondage free; l say that Massachusetts, should
RullifY the Fugitive Slave Law, as equally uncon.
Etitutonal, and declare the voluntary fugitive
free Does not the same principle cover both
cases i-and yet the New York act is called, can
Act to secure freedom to all persons in the State p
So the people are cheated-we ask bread, and
they give us a stone.'
For an ILLUSTRATION of the belittling, degrading
influence of Know NOthingism upon Massachu-
sets politics, let me refer you to
SENATOR BoNNEY's REPORT
on the Fourteen Years Amendment. Ihave had
some slight acquaintance with legislation in Mas
sachusetts, and especially with Legislative docu-
ments, for dozen years but never before read
report Of a legislative committee, majority or
minority, consisting mainly of appeals to partizan
bigotry and partizan timidity. Here is a propo-
stion to reyolutionize the settled policy both Of
the State and the United States, for seventy
years-a policy sanctifed by the wisdom of the
fatkers,and hallOwed by nearly century's usage;
and these fools rush in where angels have feared
to tread, and INSTEAD of statesmen-like arguments.
expectorate the loose slang of their dsrk-lantern
cabals. Here is a specimen of Know Nothing
Legislative document;--
'sThe last Legislature inaugurated two amend.
menis to the Constitution; the first providing as
aquallhcation to the right to vote and hold office
ability to read and write the English language
though originating with the American party, has
met the favor Of all, and been agreed to by the
present Legislature the secondhand by far the
most important-requiring as further aualiica-
ton residence in the country of fourteen years |
was the result OF compromise the Americans |
proposing twenty-one, and the Republicans four
teen years, and the latter term was finally agreed
upon satisfactory to both parties, with the |
most explicit understanding that the amendment |
SO modified should receive their united support
and was agreed to with great unanimity, and re-
ferred TO the present Legislature.
In the recent elections these two parties alike
approaching the perils, and sympathizing upon
the issue OF the crisis, united but that this union
was erected and very large majority of the pre-
sent Legislature were chosen with the implicit
understanding that they would agree 10 hid
amendment and refer the same to the peonle for
their approval or rejection, it seems to the under
signed no one at all conyersant with the late M
ltical canvass can for moment doubt"
One hardly knows which most to admire, the
yulsarity of the appeal, or the mendacity of the
assertions.
A TOO NICE DISTINCTION.
The EUer'''g Post, in an article on the St. Louis
election, says:
Aoohtionism is triumphant at St Iou;s
Elsewhere within the free states the ener,ias &c
siaVery-that IS to say, the great party which |
supported Fremont at the last election 80 |
composed of abolitiouists; they are sinplv anti.
extenuonists. They have no slavery IN abolisb. |
they merely act in opposition to its difFns;on |
tnelr mission is to restrain it within the distrirts
IN which 1t now exists, leaving il to the states |
whose caiamitous inheritance il is to exnal I, IN
theif own good time. But, in Missouri. the
question directly before the people is. the aboi
Won Of slavery and on this question the peoule
VI pr Louis have answered in the affirmative"
Isn't it strange, that the Evening Post does no
see mat triumph IN ST. Louis is due to the fact
thal me appeal was made on the bold issue--Free-
Pomor slavery and not on the "milk-and-wa
issue Of opposition to the extension 81 sIo,or,
II hail the talents and half the labor had been
devoted to showing the people Of ,ha oaa...s-
the wickedness and impolicy Of slavery TIA, ~
been devoted to opposition to its extension ~.