Mississippi Democrat

Secretary Walker

We some weeks ago noticed that Mr. Walker had been charged, among others, with receiving the "constructive mileage" at the close of the last session of Congress. Under the circumstances (Mr. Walker having been nominated as a cabinet officer the first day of the Executive session, and having in his pocket the commission for his successor,) he would have been peculiarly reprehensible; and we are glad, for the credit of our State and our party, to meet with the subjoined authoritative contradiction of the charge from the Washington Union. As to the other charges, ("Native Americanism" and "religious bigotry," ) we never heard that such accusations or intimations were made against the Secretary; and our own impression is, that these latter accusations are but things of straw, manufactured by the venerable editor, the unenviable knight of the seven stars, to be "brushed away" to the glorification and benefit of the Secretary. We hope the Union will go a step farther, and let the country know who did and who did not receive mileage—for imaginary nocturnal trips home and back; and that the next time it gets in a communicative mood, it will tell us what Mr. Walker has done with that Senatorial commission, and Mr. Jacob Thompson's private letter:

"We may as well here brush away some of the other charges against Mr. Walker, which have been urged from other quarters. It has been intimated that he received his mileage as a Senator at the special session in March last. He respectfully, but without any censure (expressed or implied) of others, declined receiving any portion of the mileage. He is charged with "Native Americanism" in his principles. Mr. Walker has always opposed this heresy; and when it was attempted in the Senate to prolong the term of naturalization, he encountered the project by introducing a bill to reduce the term of naturalization to two years, as originally fixed in the first law upon the subject, during the administration of Gen. Washington. He has also, as Secretary of the Treasury, conferred several appointments on naturalized citizens. It is, lastly, intimated that he is a "bigot in religion." It is true that Mr. Walker, at an early period of his life, expressed a preference (which remains unchanged) in favor of the Methodist church, but he is no bigot. He has appointed men of all religious denominations to office—Catholic, as well as Protestant."