Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-02-19
Extract from Mr.. John NJ. Bolts Speech.
Delivered at the Richmond Conrcntion

| AS reported In the New York leralu. !
heard gentleman occupying appointment
| position in the democratic party, on this
very platform denounce Jno. Letcher rs being
untrue to the South, unfaithful to democracy,
unsound upon the slavery question, den,
cient in moral integrity, wanting in mental
capacity: and yet in the same breath he ac-
| knowledged he would still vote for him if
nominated. (Applause.) My friend, Mr.
| Alexander RiveS, who acted rs your tempo
rary chairman yesterday, and who made a
forcible speech as You all know, SAID one
thing in which | do not concur with HIM,
and that was that he gave all due credit t"
the democracy for their intentions upon TINS
subject-which | do not sir. Laughter. }
] do not believe it, sir, and | will not say
it in any spirit of courtesy or any other
spirit. | believe they care nothing IN the
world about it, have never known an oppor-
tunity for them to make capital out OF 1t that
they did not avail themselves of it. When
the large Slayeholding interests Of the coun-
try had said that agitation should cease upon
the subject. find that agitation was contln-
ually kept up by men who never owned 4
slave, and who had no interest III the lnstltu-
ton, and never expected to have: while those
| hear, are the persons who make the most
fuss about it. The large Slayeholdlng inter-
ests deprecate agitation upon the subject, Tor
the reason that they believed it to be dctrl-
mental to the slavery institution. We have
seen that these agitators built up the black
republican party from the first and produced
all the difficulties that have been created up
on the question, when it was supposed II
was settled and never would be heard oil
again. This division of the Statc-this de-
structi0n of the ancient Commonwealth OF
Virginia, as advocated by Lctcher, was L
natural sequence of this everlasting aglta-
ton. But if was to canvass this State, sir,
the first thing that should do would be to
bring my friend-for he is Il personal friend
that highly esteem-l have no respect Tor
any of the democracy, poIitlcally-slr, !
would not trust one of them as far as could
throw my old friend, and personally | have
high respect for many of them. The first
thing that l would do, would be TO bring
my friend Letcher up to what Is called the
bull-ring; and | would require him to say en-
phatically and categorically whether he en-
dorsed or rcpudiated the administration OF
James Buchanan and if he repudiatcd the
the President, he would be compelled neces-
sarily to to repudiatc the convention that en-
dorsed him, for they have unanimously en-
d0rsed the administration.
The democratic party has, in my opinion,
operated as a blot and mildew upon every
thing it has touched and handled i'll our ma
tional and State governments. (Applausc.)
From the time of its first organization it has
been productive of nothing but mischief to
the country from beginning to end. 1t has
not, as they boast, enlarged the territory OF
the country, but they have enlarged 1t with
out taking care of what they had before
They have included all the original and the
acquired territory, and it is necessary that
a correction should be made. Well, now,
how is this to be done? In my humble opin-
ion it is to be done by putting down this dem
ocratic party; and it is enough to excite the
suspicious and the distrust of every honest,
intelligent and patriotic man i'll the country.
of all parties, TO reflect upon the fact, that in
the ranks of that party alone are 10 be found
those lawess men and these diSunionists.-
(Applause) Did any man ever hear of q
member ofthe wing party being a disunion-
ist or filibuster? No sir The moment he
avows that wild heresy he walks straight out
of the opposition party into the ranks of the
imposition party, where he can find aid, and
comfort, and sympathy. (Applause.) And
vet there are not n few OF these who have
dared to calculate the value of this great
Union--for, permit me to say to you, gentle
men, have never dared To enter into such
calculation myself. have been admonished
that fools rush in where angels fear to
tread" and have never yenturcd to calcu-
late the value of this great Union of the
American States, by any consideration OF
sectional interest or ofperSonal aggrandisc-
ment Sufficient for the day is the evil there
Of" But it ought to be enough for every re-
hecting and patriotic mind to know that our
party holds no such heesies. We recog-
Mise no disunioniSts nor fillibusters i'll our
ranks They know it. and they don't wait
for expulsion. Thcywalk straight out-tap-
plause as said just now, from the ranks
Of the opposition to the ranks of the imp"si-
ton party. (Applause.) This being the
condition of our country, gentlemen, think
it becomes us to take counsel to determine III
what way we can get rid Of the democracy.
And. by the by, have done in reference 10
this speech which | am to deliver III New
York what | never did or attempted before
determined that there should he be no mis-
representation of my opinions; regarding the
occasion us one Of too much Importance to
subject myself to the probabilities of being
misrepresented or unsupported. | have done
what never attempted before have writ
ten out my speech, so that will report it for
myself | neycrp put pen to paper before III
reference to any speech have made, but
have done it in regard to the speech ! AIN 10
deliver in New York, that my position may
be distinctly understood. | have brought
with me a few pages expressive Of my views
upon this subject, which beg leave to read
to this Convention. Mr.. Bolts here read
from these pages. They contained his views
of the position which the wing party here
should occupy towards the black republican
party He was unwilling that coalition
should take place upon the platform of the
black republicans, but was perfectly willing
that they should aid the wings in the election
Of some Southern man upon liberal plat
form. Now, gentlemen, it is very manifest
that no coalition can be formed between the
black republicans and the American and
whig parties upon any Northern candidate.
They can nominate no man in the North
without putting him essentially upon re-
publican platform, and no man standing
upon that platform can get the conservative
elements of The North, to say nothing of the
South. The American and wing parties of
the North will vote for no man who stands