Controversy Between New-York Tribune and Gerrit Smith (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from Controversy Between New-York Tribune and Gerrit Smith I have just read what you say of me in your yesterdays number. The press constantly takes great liberties with my name: but, I believe, the public will bear me witness, that I am patient with these liberties, and do very rarely complain of them. Even with your frequent and gross and influential misrepresentations of me I have borne uncomplainingly: but I can be silent under them no longer. So you have, at last, been compelled to admit, that I was present in the House of Representatives on the night of the passage of the Nebraska bill, and voted against it. I wish you had made the admission a year ago. Had you done so, I should probably have been saved the necessity of making a thousand oral and written answers to those, who have questioned me in respect to my vote on that bill. As it was you, who, more than all others, created the well-nigh universal belief that I was not in the House that night, your early correction of your misrepresentations would, pretty certainly, have done more to dispel such belief than could have been done to that end by all others. Late, however, as your admission has come, I am nevertheless thankful for it. Over-burdened as I am with labors, I rejoice in the prospect that no more of my time will be consumed in giving such answers, as I have referred to. My more joyful prospect doubtless, in the esteem of some, is, that I shall now be restored to good standing, as an anti-slavery man. But let me here say, once for all, that I care not a farthing for their opinion of my anti-slavery character, who judge of it by my vote against the Nebraska bill. That was the most popular vote I ever gave, and all the Northern members, who voted against it, afforded about as much proof, in so voting, of self denial, as they would have done, in submitting to the necessity of eating strawberries and cream. I add, that the credit which people give them for "backbone, " on account of their having voted against the Nebraska bill, shows that the people have not yet imbibed the first true idea of the brave and stupendous and self sacrificing work of abolishing American slavery. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.