The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-10-28
M1sttlIantous.
THE CKITTENDEN COMPROMISE.
EX-Gov. BIGLER's REPLY TO GENERAL
CAMERON.

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 9Th, 1864.
Hon Simon Cameron:
DEAR SIR: have just perused, for
the first time, and with the utmost sur
prise, so much of your late address, as
Chairman of the Republican State Com
mittee, as relates to the rejection of the
Crttenden Compromise, and whilst | am
aware that the Hon. G. i. Ward, as chair
man of our committee, has already an
swercd your allegations conclusively on
the main points, | must be iDdul ged
whilst call your attention to the subject
little more in detail.
In abiding to the present sad condition
of the country, and to the grave response
bilities resting upon those who neglected
or refused to avert these calamities' by
fair and honorable compromise, you say !:
"The question hinges upon the respon-
sibility of the rejection of the Crittenden
Compromise. 1t was rejected. BY whom?
Reference to page 400, of the Congress
sional Globe of the second session of the
Thirty-sixth Congress, will place the re-
sponsibility for the rejection of that COM
promise where it properly belongs. 1t
will be seen that the Crittenden Compro.
mise was defeated by the substitution Gin
effect of what is known as the CLARK
Amendment The record shows that the
vote on the motion to substitute was
yeas 25, nays 30. The vote on the adop-
ton of the Clark proposition, taken d.
Iectly afterwards, was yeas So, nays %.
The presumption would be, naturally, that
if the South had votes enough to reject
the substitute, it would also have had
enough to reject the proposition when Of
fered independently. There was a falling
eft in the negative vote on the proposition,
as compared with that on the first motion
to substitute, of seUen votes. This is ac-
counted for by the fact that Senators
Benz amin and Slidell, of Louisiana; Wig
fall and Hemphill, of Texas Iverson, Of
Georgia, and johnson, of Arkansas-si:r
Southern Senafors-sdt IN their seats antl
refused to uote. Had these six Southern
men voted mo, the Clark proposition
would have been defeated by majority
of four votes, and the Crittenden Compro-
mise could have been taken up and car
ried by the same ma ority. 1t appears Of
record, then, that the Crittenden Compro-
mise was rejected because six of the lead.
ing Senators from the South virtually re.
fused to vote for it. A motion to recon.
slider was carried some weeks later, aud a
direct vote upon the compromise was ia.
ken. The proposition was lost by single
vote. But one Of the six Senators refer
red to voted on that occasion, nearly all
ofthem having Withdrawn on the secession
Of their respective States. Had they re
manned to vote for the compromise it
would have been adopted.
"The chief object in abiding to this
matter is to show that when, before the
overt act of war was committed, the South
had the election of compromise or war,
she, through her highest dignitares, de.
liberalely chose war;
You must pardon me for the remark,
that of the many perversions of this item
of grave legislative history which have
fallen under my notice, yours is the most
illogical and untruthful. 1t looks very
like one of your b. st efforts to conceal
rather tlan exhibit the truth.
| ap right glad, however, that you
seem willing to stake the claims of your
party for continued confidence and sup.
port to some extent upon their efforts to
avert dissolution and civil war by honora-
bic concession and settlement, for YOU
thereby invite full and free inquiry into
the subject.
You say 'the question hinges upon the
rejection of the Crittendcu Comp promise. F."
Ina subsequent part Of your address you
define the question hinged to be peace or
war. | am much indebted to you for this
concession. Had equal candor aud fair
ness marked the remainder of the Address,
should have had no OCCASION to Notice
it. MIR. Greeley and others of your friends
have sought to escape the responsibility
by alleging that the proposed compromise
would hot have been effective. But you
have assumed that it would, and you pro-
coed to inquire who defeated it.
You say that the proceedings of Con-
gress, as recorded on page 400 of the Con,
gressionai Globe for that session, "w,ll
place the responsibility for the rejection of
that compromise whore it properly be-
longs But you have fallen into grave
errors about the vote. The vote Of Is l.,