Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-11-19
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10. 1850.
HON EDWARD BATES AND HIS VIEWS.

HON. EDWARD BATES AND HIS VIEWS.
few days since, there appeared in the ST.
Louis News long editorial article, which pro.
fessed to be statement of the actual position
OF Hon. Edward Bates on the slavery question.
This article was copied somew hat extensively
and the representation was put forth, that it
was written by MIR. Bates himself, or, at least,
published under his supervision 1t drew
kindly comments from several of the RepubG-
can papers, and the New York Herald remark
ed with a sneer that remarkable illumination
had broken in upon Mr.. Bates since his pre-
vious communication to the public. The ar
ticle in question was very distastetul to such
hunkers as the Boston Courier, while some Of
Mr.. Bates friends believed that it gave him
very effective recommendation to the Republi-
can party as a candidate for the presidency.
1t now appears that the only person response
BILE for that document was the editor of the
paper in which it first appeared, and that it
was published without any consultation what
ever with the gentleman whose views it pur-
ported to express.
Soon after it appeared an intimate and con-
fidential friend of Mr.. Bates informed the ST.
Louis Republican that it twas not an author
lied statement" and did so, it would seem, in
order to have the document discredited,
Thereupon the ST. Lonis News says =
"Our statement of the views of Mr.. Bates
was made without advice, authority or as
sistance; for it is a matter i'll which Mr.. Bates
exhibits, and really feels, the smallest sort of
concern But our statement is made up from
what we deem to be the public and private re-
cord of Mr.. Bates-such as it has been known
to all citizens of the state-a record not chang
ed from what it has been for many years past
And the News repeats in more significant
manner its statement that "Mr. Bates would
not formally present his views to tho public on
the issues of the next Presidential canvass,
unless he was put in position by the authori-
tative voice of the people requiring it. That
is to say, he will keep everybody in the dark
as to his position on the slavery question, until
the Repub licans have formally nominated him
for the presidency. We do not believe that
this statement has been authorized by Mr..
Bates, for it seems to us more likely that the
News speaks without warrant, and chiefly for
the sake of notoriety, in all it says on
this subject. Mr.. Bates is not so desti-
tute of common sense as to suppose that he
can be put in nomination for the presidency
"by the authoritative voice of the people,"
while his position in regard to the great issue
of the time is concealed from the public. And
if any of his friends imagine that the old game
of 1.-TWO faces and nowhere in particular" can
be played successfully with the Republican
party, they will all be much wiser year
hence. Meanwhile, they will do that gentle.
man service by keeping silent in regard to
his views, until they can speak clearly and by
authority.
Mr.. Bates is gentleman of great respecta-
bility, and it is likely that he has not much
admiration for the institution of slavery.
There is nothing in his character, or in his
political associations, that indicates sympathy
with the mad slavery -propagandism which rules
the democratic party. He is one OF those ex-
cellent conservative gentlemen who wish to
have everybody behave respectfully and avoid
making noise. What he would do against
the Entertainments of slavery the public has
not been told He is not man of great intel
lect and commanding character but he is re-
spectacle, and, being citizen of Missouri, if
his views were satisfactory to Republicans, he
might have considerable strength in our ma
tional convention, if supported there by the
emancipation party of his own state But the
principles which have created the Republican
party, and given it such growing power in
the country, must be represented in its candi-
date for the presidency. There must be no
doubt or equivocation, else we cannot succeed