Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-11-01
NO. 97.

!
immediate abolition of slavery in the District of
Columbia was presented, motion was made to Law
it on the table. Mr.. Bell poted in the negative ,pM
oless's 1dams, Slade g. Co.'-See Cong. Globe,
lst Sess., 2lh Cong, p. a.
The vote on this proposition stood thus:
Yeas 95, nays 121. Among the modern
Breckenridge Democrats who, like Mr. Bell.
voted with ''Messrs. Adams, Sladc & Co."
were the following distinguished gentlemen:
James II. Hammond, Of South Carolina;
James Alfred Pearcc, of Maryland and
Henry A. Wise, of Virginia. In fact, siio,-
y.four Southcrners voted with Mr., Bell and
1.-THE Abolitionists," while seventy-two of
the ninety-Gvc who voted in the affirmative
came from the North.
Another 'sspecimen charge against Mr.
Bell is given by the Brcckinrid ge pamphlet
in the following terms
repeated insults had aggravated the Southern
members very much; and when, on the both De
ccmbcr, 1897, Mr.. Sladc presented a petition for
the abolition of slavery in the District Of Columbia
moved its reference to select committee with in
structions to report bill in accordance with the
prayer of the petition, and then proceeded to dcv-
or most exciting and violent harangue upon the
subject, the House thrown into the widest state
of excitement. In order to avoid these scenes, on
the next day resolution was offered that all abo-
ton petitions should be laid on the table without
boing dcbated printed, read, or referred. On or
derlng the main question to be put, der to bring
the House to vote the resolution, Mr. Bell voted
in the negative with Adams Sladc & Co. The
question then recurring on the passage of the
ton, Dh. Bell found 1t Convenient to dodge the rote.
Pages Al, 45, Cong. Globe, I'd sess. 25M Cong
Among the modern Breckenridge Demo
Gratis who also did not vote-that is, in the
classical language of this pamphlet, 'dodg-
ed'-wcre the following distinguished gen
tlemen: r. Barnwcll Rhctt, James Alfred
Pcarcc, Robert NJ. L. Hunter, and Henry
"A. Wise. Among those who voted outright
against the resolution were Messrs Caleb
Gushing and Isaac Toucey, at present North,
crn men of the most approved Southern
principles. For such is the sovereign i'm
partiality with which the Democracy know
how to minglc mercy with judgment!
Another specimen charge" as contained
in this Breckinridge campaign document, is
couched i'll the following graceful and liberal
language:
cit was not to be wondered at that Mr.. Bell re-
ceived the votes of Adams, Slade s. Co for Speaker
at three several Congresses: They kne,o their
and the pcrtinacty with which they stuck to him
during the Twenty y-sixth Congr ess, when parties
were close, showed that they had confidence IN has
fidelity to their designs.'
Well, the record of the ballots cast for the
Speakcrship Of the Twenty sixth Congress
does show that John Quincy Adams voted
] E AI4Je--l Il
L. Hunter tre times, and as, on the last
ballot, Mr. Hunter was elected Speaker by
a majority of two votes-thc names of
''Adams, Sladc & Co." being found enroll
ed among his supportcrs-it follows, accord
ing to the logic of the Breckenridge pamph-
let, that in dcscrting Mr. Bell for Mr..
Hunter 'they knew their man" in the lat
ter case as we'll as the former, and had ''full
confidence" in Mr.. Hunters "fdelity to
their designs"
So much for Mr. Bells record in the
House of Representatives, as portrayed by
the Breckenridge Executive Committee. -
Let us test the accuracy of these representa-
lions in regard to Mr.. Bells career in tie
Senate. A single specimen will suffice to
illustrate the historical intelligence which
has presided over the compilation of this
veracious document. The witer says:
s'Lct us now follow Mr. Bell in his advent into
the Senate in 1917. The acquisition of territory
from Mexico, and the necessity of forminga Terri
toria Cover nmcnt for Oregon, well as New hlex-
co and California, led to heated and bitter
trovcrsy the slavery question. The Federal
Abotionsts of the North, under the lead of Hale
Hamlin, Chase, Giddngs, and Co.. were deter min
ed to expel slavery from those Territories by the
passage of the Wilmot proviso. The excitement
ran high, and at one time threatened the peace of
| the country"
This sentence contains almost as many
blunders as words It's admirable confusion
of ideas will be seen when it is remembered
that there was no slavery in any of those
Territories to be c,rpcllcd;; that many among
the prominent leaders of the Federal party
the Federal Abolitionists' Of the North
were to be found in the Democratic ranks
that Mr. Chase, though good Democrat,
Federal Abolitionist," :" was not member
of either House of Congress in 1917; that
Mr.. Hamlin entered the Senate to fill a
vacancy June II, 184S, four months after
separate bills to organize Territorial gov
ernmcnt in Oregon had been reported in the
Senate and House of Representatives, with
the anti slavery clause, and had been sepa-
rately discussed at length in that body that
he was there, as hesso remained until four
years ago, a leading member of the Demo
cratic party. and the honored Democratic
chairman Of Democratic Committee in that
body and that on the only occasion upon
which the Wilmot proviso, bearing the name
of its author prominent Democratic men,
Der of Congress, has passed either House,
1t has been Embodied IN q Territorial Till
passed uaeler Democratic auspices and sign
ed Jyu Democratic President Could the
force of blundering further go? Can it be
necessary to confutc the historical statements
Of such Polybius when he assumes to pro-
nounce judgment on questions affecting the
'sRecord'' of John Bell !?
For what purpose, then, has this pamph-
let been put into circulation Powcrlcss
to injure Mr.. Bell, it can have no other
effect, whether SO designed by its patrons or
not, than to damage the political fame and
prospects of the distinguished Democratic
leaders who find themselves so rcmorselcss-
ly included in the same condemnation with
Mr.. Bell The charge of .'unsoundness,"