Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-08-27

ZION, WHAT numlllatlOn, what utter Seifaban-
donmeDt are perceptible in every line
GoRMAN," said I, in subdued tone, for
the Governor had approached me, "look at
GooDR1cHr'
eyes," said he solcmnly, "for the first
time in his whole life, COP Almighty's opin-
ion of him and his own opinion of himself
agree. Can he 60 lower?"
Gen. Shields Votes ON the Homestead
Bill.
One JAMES SHIELDS, by the grace of RICE
formerly U. S. Senator from this State, was
paraded upon the platform at the Democratic
meeting of last Thursday evening. Consid-
ering himself a candidate for the U. s. SEN
ate, ne felt the need, like the other Democrat
&c nominees, of defending himself from his
record.
He said, with his usual pomposity, that he
had been accused by the Republican press of
voting against the Homestead Bill. This
charge he denied most emphatically, and said
that on that question he had paired off with
his friend, General CHESTNUT, of South Caro-
lima, an opponent of the Bill; and that when
the vote was taken, Gen. CHESTNUT declined
to vote on the ground that he had so paired
off. ss .sE-.E (-. -ses-s.
Then the General waxed eloquent, indig-
nantly SO. "Suppose," said he, that on
Gen. CHEsTNUT's return home to his consti-
tuents, they (for they are opposed to the
Homestead BlD had blamed him for not vot-
ing against the Homestead Bill, and he had
explained that he had paired off with his sick
friend, Gen. SHIELDS" here the orator shed
tear" wouldn't the meanest nigger in
South Carolina have scorned to repeat the
charge against Gen. CHESTNUT"
The pathos, the eloquence, and, above all,
the "ngger," of course brought down the
house," producing heavy stamping on the
part of the candidates on the platform, and
faint cheer from six full grown Hibernians
and small boy in the crowd.
Now we wish to examine this matter lit
tie, and to talk plainly to you, General JAMES
SHIELDS
AS we understand the matter, a lie is a
statement intended to deceive. You say you
did not vote against the Homestead Bill
No one charges you with direct cote
against it. We have never learned that any
direct vote was ever taken upon it in the SEN
ate, and so, of course, "my (your) friend,
Gen. CHESTNUT, of South Carolina" had no
opportunity to decline voting on the question
because he had paired off with you.
The record of the action of the U. S. SEN
ate on the Homestead Bill, at its last session,
commences at page l ,074 of the COMPRESSION
al Globe We find there, Gen. SHIELDS,
that your first impulses in the matter seem
to have been good. We see nothing in your
first votes to change our opinion that you are
a well intentioned man, though weak. Your
errors we have always believed to be of the
head rather than of the heart
On the 18th of February, 1859, you voted
with the Republican Senators, and against all
but some half a dozen of the Democratic SEN
ators, to take up the Homestead Bill, instead
of the Appropriation Bill On the same day
at twelve o'clock, you voted to defer the Gu
ba Bill, in order to take up the Homestead
Bill. Here your sickness" seems to have
come on. On the next vote, when the strug-
gle was between the Homestead Bill and the
Diplomatic and Consular Appropriation Bill,
neither your name nor that of "my (yourl
friend, Gen. CHESTNUT" appears in the yeas
and nays. Every Republican Senator voted
for the Homestead Bill, and every vote
against it was Democratic. The vote stood
% to %, and the Democratic Vice President
BRECKENRIDGE, gave his casting vote against
it. On the 10th of February, you seem still
| to have been SICK" Your name does not
appear in the yeas and nays on that day.
Your sickness" seems to have had an un-
fortunate effect upon you; to have taken out
of you what little back bone you had acquir-
ed, and to have reduced you again to abject
submission to your Southern masters. Per-
haps they took advantage of the opportunity
to reclaim you under the Fugitive Slave Law.
AS that suspends the writ of Aa6eas corpus,
the friends of the Homestead Bill had no way
to get you back. Let us see what was your
subsequent action in the matter, upon your
"sober second thought"
Twice after this, while you were in the Sc
nate, its friends tried hard to get the Home
stead Bill before that body. On both Occa-
sions, you, james Shields, uoted against tile
friends Of the Bill.
The first time was on the 25th day of Feb
ruary, when Mr.. SLIDELL moved to take up
the Cuba Bill, (passing over all matters which
came sooner in order,) and Mr.. DooL1TrLE
called upon the friends of the Homestead
Bill to oppose the motion that he might in.
stead move to bring on the Homestead Bill.
On that occasion the friends of the last named
Bill voted solid against SLDELL's motion.
You then uoted, James Shields, to take up
the Cuba BiU;: the motion ,oas carried, and
tie consideration Of the Homestead Bill post.
poned that time by your aid. You voted to
take up the measure intended to provide
"niggcrs for the niggerless," overslaughing
the measure intended to provide "land for
the landless. Even BRoDERICK and DOUGLAS,
JOHNSON, Of Tennessee, and KENNEDY and
PEAEcE, Of Maryland, voted against you,
while "my your) friend, Gen. CHESTNUT"
voted on the same side with yourself Is
that what you call pairing off?
After some hours of discussion upon the
Cuba question, it became evident that no &C
ton could be taken upon it. At ten o'clock
that evening, Mr.. DooLIrTLE moved to set
aside the Cuba Bill and take up the Home
stead Bill. You were there, and voted with
my (your) friend, Gen. CHESTNUT" against
the motion; the friends Of the Homestead
Bill voting for it. Was that pairing off,