Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-04-24
GEN. JOHN A. DIX.
An Interesting Review Of His
Life and Character by an Old
Acquaintance and Citizen Of
Wheeling.

the pleasure and the honor of personal
acquaintance with him for many years,
now numbering more than forty. We
were both earnest supporters OF the ad-
ministration OF NJ. Van Buren, and both
had close intimacy and warm admir-
alton for that very much abused states.
man and gentleman. This common
ground OF principles and sympathies
brought US into somewhat close relations.
l may say / knew him well, and had a
higher regard fer him than for any other
man north OF Masons and Dixon's line,
except perhaps Silas Wright and Benja-
min +. Butler, not that other man OF the
same name, hut the Attorney-General
under NJ. Van Buren,. General Dix
had many high qualities, however,
which did not belong to either OF these
two gentlemen. Gen. Dix, so far as /
knew Northern men, united the culture
of the scholar, the qualities and the
qualifications OF the statesman, the
urbane dignity OF the cultivated man,
with the virtues OF the Christian gentle
man in full comparison with any OF the
distinguished men OF the country OF
the last forty years of our history.
He was an anti-slavery man, but he
=
tack upon or breach of the
Constitution of the country to ac-
complish his views upon this subject.
In this there was but slight difference
between us, and this was more in the
tone of feeling upon the subject than in
any principle involved. He believed
that slavery was doomed by the progress
of ideas and sympathies which had
taken firm root in the fruitful soil OF
the American mind. He was willing TO
trust to time and the growth OF these
ideas and sympathies to accomplish the
result which he fOresaw and hoped for.
AS conservative scholar and statesman
he would greatly have preferred that
this result should have been brought
about by the moral influences which
were at work tending in this direc-
ton, and which were indi-
Gated by many facts, and none stronger
than the fact shown by the census of
the country, that in proportion to num-
bers there were more negroes In the
South who were members Of churches
than there were OF white men in the
North who were such members. This,
notwithstanding the great abuse OF the
South by the Northern press upon the
subject OF the education Of the negro,
implied some education-and an educa-
ton connected with christian sympa-
thies. Nor is the present capability Of
this race 10 be accounted for except upon
some important fact OF this kind. Look
ing to all the facts, in the North and in
the South, General Dix saw that the
doom of slavery was written, but he was
willing to wait this growth Of ideas and
sympathies, convinced that this race
would in this manner have been
more fully matured for its
place IN the order OF civilization, and
the natural growth and prosperity Of
the Union would have been better pre-
served and promoted, and the fruits OF
civilization would have been beneiicent
and substantial This sympathy with
freedom and opposition TO all forms OF
slavery and servitude, and his devotion
TO the Constitution and laws OF his
country were the base Of his character
and conduct
VI. Van Buren, was his personal
&. L., lao oil
in the election TO the presidency by that
fatal charlatanry Of the politicians which
first taught them that the Amer
lean people could be caioled and
mislead by meretriciOus means to do
what their Second sober thought"
would not approve. And the moral in
fuence of this phrase, coined by
Mr.. Van Buren, for long time exer-
cised a salutary influence on the public
mind, although it was not strong enough
10 save him in the nominating cOnven-
ton OF the Democratic party for the
Presidential election of 1914. At that
time the annexation of Texas TO the ter
ritory OF the United States, and the ex-
tension of slavery by such annexation
was made the turning point in the poll
tics of the time. Nj. Van Buren, fully
aware OF the sacrifice he was about to
make, and called upon as he was by the
Southern politicians TO declare his views
upon the subject, met the question
openly, manfully and with great
dignity and force OF argument. He
declared against the cOnstitutionality
OF the government 10 make the
annexation, carrying, a. il afterwards
did, the extension of slavery. The pa
per prepared by Mr.. Van Buren was
open, fearless, and patriotic, and full
exposition of his convictions and OF his
sense OF duty. The paper so speaks for
itself, and ! know OF the personal mo-
tives in the transaction for ] was then
in correspondence with him and with
Mr.. Silas Wright, that pure, great man
who was then called the Chancellor of
the Republic, "a he was known a. the
keeper Of his" on. Van Buren's) ''con-
science This act cost him his renom-
ination. BY this cause, and by the
course Of James X. Polk, who was nom
mated and elected, towards the Van
Buren-Wright democracy OF New York,
there was nothing left. for these gentle
men to DO, but 10 follow their conyic-
tions as men.
have said that Gen. Dix would not
have made inroad or assault upon the
Constitution 10 overthrow slavery. IL
was a different thing, however, with
him when the South having annexed
Texas, as he believed, unconstitutional
ly, and by do NJ 80 had made great
extension of slavery and then had ar
rayed itself in arms against the solid
integrity Of the country for the perpetu-
alton OF an institution which he be-
lieved 10 lie an evil in itself and only TO
BE- tolerated for the sake OF the union
OF the States in one great country.
Gen. Dix a., many others, saw that
those were evils connected with the
question of slavery aside from
the direct institution itself II
more or less, affected all legislative and
many executive measures Gen. Dix,
10 preserve and carry out his moral con-
yictions on the one hand, and on the
other, 10 maintain his conservative
views in relation 10 the government,
had no consistent course left him but 20
plant himself under the flag Of his
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