The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-08-19
Tho Tennessee Election and the Admins
aratiOn.


tration.
There is no one Of the recent elections whose
result has been looked for with a more general
solictude than the election in TENNESSEE.
Many circumstances conspred to invest it with
extraordinary interest The local position Of
the State, surrounded by slaveholding Com
monwealths, renders her readily responsive to
the appeals of the corresponding interests and
sympathies of the slaveholding section. Great
efforts, moreover, have been made to draw her
into the ranks of the Southern malcontents.
With this view Nashville had been selected
as the seat of their convention; and Mr.. RHETT
in his speech reporting its results to South
CAROLINA, had boosted that "TENNEssEE
qcheeled into line in t,co days" 1t became a
matter of interest to decide how much truth
there was in this bold assertion Of Mr. RHETT
and to understand distinctly how far the people
ofTENNEssEE were willing to endorse the action
of her citizens whose course had authorized it.
Had TENNESSEE wheeled into the line Of
secession, rebellion, revolutionl The Ameri-
can people looked TO the ballot-boX for a re-
Spouse to this question; and it has proclaimed
a conclusive answer. TENNESSEE has indig-
nantly repudiated the Nashville Convention
and all who were concerned in its revolution
airy and reasonable operations. She has again
"wheeled into line;" but it is into the line of
the Wines and of the Union.
But aside from the testimony it was to bear
TO her fidelity to the Constitution and the Union,
the contest in Tennessee was important in
view merely of the questions of political
power and preferment involved in it, The
Legislature which has just been elected must
fill the vacancy in the Senate Of the Uni
ted States, which was created on the 4th of
March last by the expiration Of the term of the
Hon. HOPKINS J.. TURNEY. In March, 1853,
the term of Mr. BELL will expire, and it may
devolve on the same body to fill that vacancy.
1t will also be their duty to pass an act for re-
districting the State, in conformity with the
statute apportionment Of representation under
the recent census; and TO establish new districts
for the election ofSenators and Representatives
TO the Legislature of Tennessee, 50 as TO ap-
portion the representation among the counties
Of the State agreeably TO its present population.
These arrangements will last for ten years, and
will probably determine for that period the po-
litical ascendancy in the State; so much so, in
deed, that if the Opposition had succeeded,
they would undoubtedly have made their sue
cess good for the entire term
There were still other points Of interest in
this election besides those to which we have
thus alluded; and perhaps there is none Of
greater prominence than the fact that this was
the first election in which the issue has been
made up with distinctness and precision on the
Compromise measures and Mr.. FILLMORE
Some weeks since the Democratic journals,
which believed that the Democratic candidates
would succeed, laid great stress upon the fact that
Governor CAMPBELL was proclaiming in every
county of the State that he was emphatically a
friend Of President FILLMORE and that he staked
his political fortunes on those of President FILL
MoRE's Administration. We apprehend that
these journals will hardly deem it worth while
20 refresh the minds Of their readers on this