Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1862-05-24
National Affairs.
LETTER FROM
HON. RI. 3. WRIGHT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U. S., I
Washington, April "a, 1852.
10 My Constituents:
I am compelled, very much against my
inclination, to address few lines to you,
in regard to my vote in opposition to the
bill which recently passed Congress, abol.
ishing slavery in the District of Columbia
! regret it because the acts of represen-
tatiye should not make it necessary for
him to appear in the public press; but as
the bill passed under the pressure Of the
previous question, which cuts off debate,
am in a measure forced to pursue this
course of informing my constituents ofmy
reasons for voting against the bill. !
mi4h add one other motive for troubling
you, and that is charges made in private
letters from my diatrict--exprossion of the
press in and out Of the State as to VIC
laton of the pledges made before my
election. TO save the trouble of separate
answers, and to supply you with what |
should have said, in debate, if | could
have had the opportunity, am obliged to
adopt the present plan.
voted against the bill for abolishing
slavery in the District Of Columbia; and
it is my purpose to vote against any other
bill abolshing slavery any where, without
the consent of the people in the State
where it exists, And in doing this, will
violate no pledge that 1 ever assumed,
either by word or implication, in the re
motest degree.
When you did me the honor to elect me
to the 37th Congress, you imposed upon
me the following obligations, and l am
free to say that they fully and cordially
met my own approbation.
They were to aid and assist, to the ex-
tent of my power, to put down the rebel
lion and crush out an unholy and wicked
iusurroction to vote to raise armies and
the necessary means to support them; to
stand by the government in the crisis, then
and now pending, and do all could for
its restoration.
these were the obligations imposed up-
on me by both the political parties of my
district, and which | have faithfully and
honorably discharged. But did not
then consent, and will not now, to become
an abolitionst. 1t is the last position that
| will assume, at least while have reason
and Judgment left. To become an aholi-
ZIONIST would be to reverse the whole
course CT my public life; and to give the
lie to those doctrines which | have publicly
proclaimed for period Of thirty years.
The doctrines of Wendell Phillips and
his associates are as abhorrent and mon.
strous as those of jeff Davis and his con-
spirators. Both the open and ayowed ad'
vocates of the destruction of such gov
ornment as the world never before saw,
and both deserving the same infamy. With
neither of them have | any affinity, and
no human being can say that l ever had,
Wendell Phillips has proclaimed within
the last two months to a public audience
in this city, that he had been engaged for
the last nineteen years in attempting to
overthrow and destroy the Uuion; and
he received on the utterance OF this un'
mitigated treason, rounds of applause -
Has jeff. Davis and his band of traitors
done anything worse : Now the idea that
| should follow in the wake of any such
leadership ought to be preposterous with
you, who have known me so many years