The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-03-19
MR.. BOTIs AND his FREE NEGRO STATE.

Bolts 10 one Of those outspoken men who are con-
stantly b~etraying the cause Of their associates. AS
a politician, Mr.. Bolts is too candid by half. Mr..
Clay, up TO the year 1924, was a noble party leader.
A man of soul, and Of generous, patriotic impulse,
he had spoken always from inspiration within, and
had been tue idol Of the democratic masses Of
the country. In taking Office under Mr.. Adams
he lost the confidence of the masses, and forfeited
his popularity at the South. His whole public
career after that was necessarily shaped, in conse-
quence, to secure the applause of classes at the
North his whole public life became a life Of head
work, and not of heart-work.
1t has been substantially the same case with Mr..
Bolts, the most ardent and consistentof all Mr.. Clay's
admirers. Candid to a fault, full of good impulses
aud genial qualities, he is yet the most wrong-headed
politician in the country. A devoted disciple of
Mr.. Clay, he became imbued early in life with all
the bad politics and ingenious political dogmas by
which Mr.. Clay lost the favor of the masses and
destroyed his hold upon the democratic confidence.
Mr.. Bolts, in all his political prisons, kneels to-
wards the North star, in all his political dreams,
dreams alone of northern applause. With the best
qualities of heart and the worst qualities of head,
he is constantly bringing the latter into requisition
at the expense Of the former and the consequence
is, that, a sort of Pilgrim politician, he is always sink
ing himself deeper and deeper in the Slough of De-
spond.
In his speech before the late Opposition" State
convention at Richmond, he made an address in
which the following remarkable paragraph oc-
Cured
at has not been very long ago since a gentleman
somewhat prominent in the ranks of the democracy,
whom L met on the street, said to me, Mr.. Bolts, /
have a question to PROFOUND to you, if you have no OBJ
lection 2 Certainly not, sir. Il want to know says
he, If you are not in favor of a coalition with the black
republican party in the election of 1860 p My good friend,
said 4, don't enM you 10 misunderstood me; 1 irish 10 say
that If nue wds a STATE IN Mis Union composed Of free negroes,
and he constitution GAGE them the right 10 uoe, could be much
obliged 10 them to help me TO elect our party Laughter and
applause.
This was outHeroding Herod for we doubt if
Mr.. Seward himself, or even Mr.. Giddings, could
tolerate the idea of admitting a free-negro State, or
could commit themselves on paper, as Mr.. Bolts has
apparently done, to. the annexation-say of Hayti
for that free-negro State is the only one within the
possible purview of Mr.. Bottss remark. Strange to
say, however, the Haytien doctrine of Mr.. Bolts was
emphatically and unqualifedIy endorsed by the sop
position" convention at Richmond, which constituted
his auditory on the occasion; for that cvaclave
adopted the following resolution, expressly eudors-
ing the sentiments and logic of the speech:
"Resolpod. That the wings and Americans Of Virginia,
IN convention assembled, have listened with delight and salts.
faction to the able and conclusive address of Hon. John NJ.
Belts, delivered in this place to-day, and that in their
name he DO requested to canvass the State at every con-
vcnient point, in favor of the election of Goggin, Wiley,
and Preston'-
they might have added, land in favor of the annexa-
tinn of Havti lint i'm opnos;tion 70 tha nnrcb,eo os
Cuba .n. .Ea
The doctrine of Mr.. Bolts, acceptable as it seems
to have been to his metropolitan audience, meets
with great disfavor among tho bone and sinew of the
opposition" in the interior counties Of Virginia.
The other day, when one of the democratic debaters
in the canvass, Mr.. B. B. Douglas, of King and Queen
county, undertook to comment on the remarkable
passage from Mr.. Botts's speech which we have
quoted, he came near being mobbed for SANDER; the
good Opposition people of that ancient county be-
ing unable to believe that any champion Of theirs
could possibly have uttered the sentiments ascribed
to Mr.. Bolts. Mr.. Douglas, a gentleman of great in
auence and responsibility, shall himself describe the
scene that occurred on the occasion referred to
To The Editors of The Enquirer
GENTLEMEN At the King and Queen court on Thurs
uty u tHt CpDOSiuOu ntu u meelinpt WDlCn was aG-
dressed by two gentlemen from Essex and, after the
meeting adjourned, / attempted, upon u call from the
democrats to address the people. / had proceeded but
for a short time, however, before, in commenting on Mr..
Botts's scheme of a coalition against the democracy, | re-
ferred to his declaration of a willingness to accept aid
from the free negroes, If there was a commonwealth com
posed OF such, coHstiuionaliy endowed with the right of
suffrage. This called up one of the gentlemen who had
addressed the opposition meeting, who stated that I had
mistaken MIR, Botts's position, citing from memory, /
did not presume to repeat his precise words and that he
was sure his friend myself would not Intentionally mis-
represent him or any one else. / met this with a prompt
assurance that | would not misrepresent Mr., B. inten-
tionally, and / would not knowingly do injustice, hut
that | felt very confident that not / but my friend, was
mistaken. The reply to this from the opposition ranks
was u clamorous, not to say insulting, contradiction, ac-
companied with such a continued uproar and confusion
that | was forced to bring my remarks to an abrupt con-
clusion, and descend from the stand. OF course, the
parties who got up this scene, many of whom are warm
personal friends of mine, went away under the firm con-
yiction that l had persisted in doing Mr.. Bolts and their
party gross injustice, and some of them were not a little
incensed with me on that account. l wish to be put
right and, if it turns out that / was mistaken, (Which /
do not yet admit | am ready, on the first public occa-
sion, to confess the error and make reparation, - &C., &c.
In reply to Mr.. Douglas, the Enquirer quotes from
the speech the extract we have given above, shows
that the convention endorsed the extract in the reso-
luton we have also cited, and clinches The case by
adding
"Mr. Bolts, moreover, reiterated the same remark at
the African Church, in the presence of Mr.. Goggin, and
without demurrer on the part of Mr.. Goggin and add
ed, he would gladly receive the votes OF q class even worse
than free negroes-the '1auLupoaons.'
a Ar - - 80.