Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-10-08
THE BIGLER MANIFESTO.

ced, We know ofnone with such a penchanf for
long, windy epistles on the eve OF an election
as bis excellency Ex-Governor, and Ex-Sena-
tor Bigler. All recollect the ponderous and
formidable document known as the Waverly
Letter, issned Immediately proceeding the
election when he was last candidate for Gov
ernor, and few in this community can have
forgotten that immortal document known as
ssBigler's Appeal" which called upon .sthe
GueIchs, the Ogdens, the Shaws, the Louns-
berrys, ect. ect-,'' to rally to his relief when
he found himself being so badly strangled in
the conflict with the ssSam,'' of other days.
True TO his old instincts, he has again grati-
fed this singular propensity, and We have the
result in ssperamble" occupying some three
columns OF the last ssRepubiicdn. % purporting
to be in compliance with the request of thirty
six specimens of the qnint-essence of the
double distilled Locofocoism of Clcarfield.
The object of this last illumination of his Ex-
cellency, is oprove, in the first place. that the
declaration of Hon. L. W. Hall, in his recen.
speech in this place, ssthat the Crittenden
Compromise was defeated by reason of certain
Senators from the Cotton States Withholding
their votes on the Clark Amendment is ssnot
true, and Secondly, to show ssthat the South
Was for the Criitenden Amendment and
the Republicans are responsible for the hor
rible consequences of its failure.'' We shall
take up these two sspoints'' of his Excelency
and dispose of them in their order-"please
or displease whom ii may.''
And first, was The sCrittenden proposition -
defeated by certain Senators from the Cotton
States Withholding their votes on the Clark
Amendment? According to Mr. Bigler. the
Clark Amendment was expressly intended to
defeat the Crittendon Compromise, and its
adoption by a majority rote effected that OBJ
Ject By reference to the proceedings of the
Senate on the 10th of Jarnary it will be seen
that on call OF the yeas and nays Immediate y
proceeding the vote on substituting for the
Crittendon proposition, Mr.. Clark's amend
ment, there were fiffy.j votes cast. The
vote was then taken on the Clark propo stion,
when these fifty five Senators were upon the
floor in person, and there were but for.p- eight
cast Who were the men that did mt vote |?
We quote the answer from the Speech of Mr..
Latham of California, who ought to be good
Democratic authority, as follows:
ssMr. Benjamin OF Louisiana, Hemphill and
Wigfall of Texas, Mr. Iverson of Georgia, Mr..
johnson of Arkansas, and Mr.. Slidell of Lou
isiana, rere in their seats and refused TO uote.'
The Clark amendment was then substituted
for that of Mr.. Crittenden by two of a maiori.
ty. Had only tteo of these men voted, it would
have been defeated, and the Crittenden com
promise been preserved intact. Who then
are to blame for its defeat?
But says Mr. Bigler, had these Senators
voted it would not have saved the "Critten.
den compromise" ""because it required two.
third vote to submit amendments to the Con-
stitution." What an argument! If the Re-
publieans intended to defeat it, and never
wanted to see it adopted under any circum-
stances, why did Mr.. Clark offer his amend
ment at all +? Why did they not rely upon the
impossibility of it getting two-third vote
Why did Mr.. Cameron, move re -considera-
ton, and thus give these same Senators an
other opportunity to defeat the Clark amend
ment 2 Is it not absurd to say that because
the Republicans made an effort to modify the
proposition, that none of them would ever
vote for its adoption? What did they do af-
terwards +? They passed an amendment by a
fering with Slavery in any of the States
They passed bills for the organization of Ter
ritorial Governments for all the remaining ter.
ritory belonging to the United States, permit
Ting slaves to be taken into these territories and
held as property, and expressly giving the
power over Slavery to the people when they
come to form their State Constitution. Now
with this Amendment to the Constitution.
and these Terrific rial Bills, how much of the
s'Crittenden compromise was left 2" What
better compromise could have been made
And yet. says Mr.. Bigler, the ssCrittenden
Compromise" never would have got two
third vote!
But the correctness of Mr.. Hall's remark
that the ssCrittenden Compromise was lost
by Senators from the Cotton States refusing
to vote, does not rest upon our understanding
of the record alone. Not having been tn ere.
we might be mistaken. We appeal therefore
to better testimony than our own or Mr.. Big
ler's. The Hon. HORACE MAYNARD, of Ten
nessee, who cannot be charged with being a
Republican. much less Aboitionist,- who,
though Southern man, is noble true heart
ed patriot,-in a most eloquent speech deliv-
cred to his fellow citizens of Nashville, on
the Goth of March last, uses the following
language:
s.The Crittenden Compromise, whose reiec-
tion has furnished theme for so many seces-
rion harangues, was substantially restoration
by Constitutional amendment, of the old Mis-
souri, Compromise line of SO deg. and 80 min.