The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1850-11-22
THE NASHVILLE CONVENTION.


was SO understood by the steel clad barba
rams of the dark ages. 1t is a virtue tina
has IN every age won the admiration o
poets and orators, statesmen and divines-
those who worship the living God as wei
as those who bow to stocks, stones. and iEt
IwlnklIng hosts Of henyen. But. alas fol
Us! we have lived long enough to see the
pink Of chivalry, the flower of southern
genlIlity, disregard this noble trait. ane
once and again violate common courtesy
and pulicness. The press of Tennessee
with singular unanimi'y. exclaimed against
the first Conventions; they denounced the
results of its delibera,lon.; they declared
the people satisfied with the compromise
measures; they deprecated the holding OF q
second Conyention within our limits. Some
Of our distinguished citizens who were
members IF the first, have in effect mega.
Nved their own action, and ask to be eX.
honera,eG from further censure. Hardly
any man of note would dare appear in the
second. Those coming from other STATES
must have known that Tennessee does not
sympa'hize with dsanionists of any school.
With these facts looming up as visible as
our mountain tops. we might have been
spared the unenvinbe noioriety of furnish.
hat 49, k.,,
Of disorganizers and poli,icn moun'cbaEks,
alike incapable Of a great or good action.
Thus far We have been unable to gather
what the members regard as b1ing the re-
suit Of their Herculcnn lnbors. 1t would
hilnrd us pleasure to lay the proceed ngs
before our readers, especially the various
sets Of resolutions offered; hut their length
and numbers forbid, if their foolishness
would not. 1t is our deliberate opinion that
more falacies, falsilies, tnd absurdilies
have no, been brought to light in so shor,
\ time, since the world began. A Missis.
sippi resolution alleges "that the exercise
If puwer delegated to the general govern
ment can be resumed by the several States.
it may seem 10 them TO be proper
and necessary" Under the original fede-
raj compact among the colonies. this doc
trine might have been true. The delegates
then assembled in Convention or Congress
as it was ndifferentIy called, were author.
iscd 10 devise ways and means Of common
safety and defence. and could lay down
rules, but could give them no penal sane
,ons, by which they were to be enforced in
the differen, States OF Colonies. Such rules
are like articles of agreement, but they are
not laws. Under the present Constitution
the general government has the power TO
enforce the laws, md every statute has its
penalty, which the President is sworn TO in.
Aict. if it is not observed. The law Of Cen.
gress is the law Of tie land, and no citizen
has he leas, right to cvade or disobey. A
State is composed of individuals, and is
therefore bonLd to the same allegiance and
fidelity. Hence it is impossible to resume
any power delegated to tho general govern.
ment, unless by consent of Congress-, or by
force. And those who attempt resumption
by force. must calculate on totally annihi.
la,iug the present order of things. That
is the scope of the Mississippi resolution.
The South Carolina resolution SAYS:
"secession by the JOINT action of the slave,
holding States, is the only efficient rene
dy," sc. This is the object Of the Conven.
ton undseuised. 1t was the object of the
first. No true hearted Tennesseean can
view It without modification and disgust.
This is the sentiment propasaled by these
self.sacrifcing missionaries. They are the
men 10 denounce fana,cism in our midst,
and ntlame our citizens to rebellion. They
have not succeeded-,hey will not succeed,
though they should. like certain prophets
of old, call upon Baal unit! they become
frantic, and cut themselves with knives to
attest their sincerity. The Conventionists
proper have "damn'd themselves to ever
lasting fame" so far as this world is con.
cerned at least. They deserve as they will
receive the execraton OF all patriotic men
The monsters engaged in the Rye House
and Gun Powder Plots were aiming at regal
and that is some mitigation in
the eye Of poslerity. Benedict Arnold Gin
ned Blu, once. and died the subject of most
pungent remorse; but these dIsunionists
have twice left their homes, made safe and
happy by the fostering care Of the govern
ment-have twice travelled hundreds oil
miles to spring mine that would not only
cloud their own future, but blast the dear
est hopes Of twenty million more, and hans
pail over the civilized world. We say 10
the rising generation. hand them down to
pos,erily!
FIRST ARREST IN lLLINoIs.-Three slaves
tina, had escaped from Missouri, were nr.
rested in Illinois under the fugitive slave
law, and carried back to ST. Louis.
"MIpDLE TENNEssEEAN This paper
ha. changed hands recently. Mr.. Horne,
the former talented editor, having retired
on account OF i'll health. 1t was on able
shoot while under his chm rpe. and his sue .