Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-05-18
One of the Facts of the Gazette Exam
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 The Gazette of this city, still insists that its positions with regard to MT. Letch- CT and other southern democrats, are cor rect and attempts to establish them by what it calls facts. It rejects as valueless the testimony of those who served with Mir. Letcher in Congress his votes and expressed views, but in order to satisfy itself quotes part of speech of Mr. Letcher By so do ing It admits that as evidence, and unfortu- nately for him that speech is before us.- We will come to it directly, and show the unfairness exhibited by the Gazette. As regards the Rufner panphlet, we had last week copy of Letcher's letter to Mir. Ruff her immediately after its publication, but it was taken from our table. The facts are briefly these: Ruffner delivered lecture or series of lectures upon the subject of slavery. In those days, the idea that Afr can slavery was an evil was current in Vir- glnla and elsewhere Rnflner was solicited 10 publish his lectures, and among others Mr. Letcher signed the letter of solicitation. lhis Is the pretended indorsement. But when the pamphlet was published Letcher wrote to Ruffner calling his attention to that very passage now copied and italicised by the opposition press, repudiating it, telling him distinctly that the pamphlet contained matter and language objectionable and he retlcal, and directing him in any future edi- ton to omit using his (Letcher's) name. So much for the Ruifner humbug.
 The next point is that Mir. fletcher said that he would not have voted for the fuoi- tive slave law. To show how the opposi- press prooe things we exhibit, in parallel columns, what they say he said and what he dld say. The Gazette puts full stop after the word "not," while in the speech as published there is only semi-colon.- This unfair mode of garbling speech or piece of writing is some times resorted to by men who are "hard up," but this ere atlng false impression by concealing the qualifications of an assertion or denial made IS as morally wrong as to assert falsehood. Between the sappresSio yeri and the suqqes- to falsi, honest minds have no choice The only inference to be drawn from the
 
 comments of the Gazette and the extract 1t gives, IS that Mr. Letcher was opposed to the fugitive slave bill. On the contrary he lndorsed 1t. As specimen of opposi- ton tactics and last resorts, we give in the left hand column the extract as printed in the Gazette and, in the right hand column the whole sentence or paragraph of Mir. Letcher:
 ,,e Ga:ette G Version. ', True Version. to ask the gentleman to ask the gentleman a question. Did you votequestion. Did he not against the fugitive slave vote against the law? law? Mr LErcHrR vas Mr. LETcHER. 1 was not here. Laughter l. not here. Laughter. II happened to be on that happened to be on that day addressing my con uaI addressing my con -StltuentS, and warning stltuents, and warning them of the revolutona- them of the revoutionaryrv conduct being nursued conduct being pursued byby these moderate and these WoaeTdte ana lem temperate gentlemen on perate gentlemen on youryour side of the House, side of the House. and and who constitute vour who constitute your party. party.
 NIT. GiDDINGs. would MT. GrDDiNGs. would Ike to knoW whether the like to know whether the gentleman wouldnot have gentleman would not have voted ortt he had been voted for it if he had been here? bere3
 MT LETcHER. wouldl MT. LETCHER. would not. not; but not because I
 considered the fugitive
 slave law either inc xped-
 ent or unconstitutional.
 It is sufficient for me to
 know that it is now the
 law of the land, in full
 force and effect. But
 lyou, gentlemen, not con
 tent with its enactment in
 le5O, gravey re enact it,
 and especially apply it to
 Kansas; and as you have
 lall now given 1t your ap-
 prOval, l trust we shall
 hear nothing more of its
 unconsttutionaty, or of
 Its baIbarOus teatures.-
 W hen you return 10 your
 constituents 1 expect to
 learn that you have ad-
 ntted your egr0T--that
 by the same process of
 reasoning which has sat
 shed your own minds,
 vOu will satisfy them of
 ts cOnstitutionaiity, and
 ts accordance with the
 laws of God, and urge
 upon them the proplietv
 and duty of rod en-
 forcement of all its pro-
 visions. This is their
 duty as law abiding men.
 r heir representatives
 here have moderated
 heir views, and as they
 have marched up to it
 quietly and deliberately,
 and cast their votes for
 the fugitive-slave law.
 heretofore SD much de-
 nOunced, imagine they
 are ready to go little
 further (and that their
 constituents will sustain
 their efforts) to save the
 Union which the gentle men from Ohio professes
 to love so we'll
 1t will be seen that the Gazette italicises the words ' moderate" and temperate'' which were used by Mr. Letcher in an ironi- cal sense. To show this we give the part of his speech preceding that in the'extracts above He was replying to the abolition ist Wade, of Ohio, and said
 There is another point. The gentleman