Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-06-07


hermit. il would be impossible to transpose TO
oaoer al the strong, common sense, ana patfiouc
;a,s n. nrssented or the felcitous Illustrations
hv which he enforced them. Still less would it
he practicable to give te the reader an Impression
of the earnest tone, the impassioned manner, and
the patriotic feryor with which MIR. Stephens ap-
pealed to his felow-citizens to beware Of the mad
folly OF continuing in this Know-Nothing organ
izaton. He stood4like a Prophet, warning them
of the evils to their country, their whole country,
but especiallyto the South, that must result from
the performance of Know-Nothngism. He
paid ajust and eloquent tribute to those true me
of the North who had SO long and SO periodically
stood by the South in her struggles with Adolf
tionsm. He pointed out who it was that had
voted in Congress with the Southern. delegation,
to spare the South from the Wimot Proyiso;
that badge OF inferiority and degradation, with
which shewas tmeatened-that had relieved her
from the Missouri compromise restriction, and
opened Kansas to the influx of her ctizens-and
aided her in the enactment of the Fugitive Slave
Law. He referred by name to the noble exer-
tons of Douglass and Richardson, of Illinois, to
protect the Constitution and the rights of the
South under it, and who had sat up with him two
days and two nights without rest to secure the
passage of the Kansas Bill He stated that
these are the men at the North that Northern
that of all the Northern men elected to Congress
since the passage of that Bill, there was not one
Know Nothing who had voted for the measure
not one who was not hostile to it--that of the
forty-one Northern men who had voted for it,,
twenty had been defeated on account of that
vote, and that the twenty that were left were
the friends of the South-that it was our duty to
| stand by to encourage and to cheer them. The
danger to our rights was not at the North, if we
/ L. L., a. %
| ourselves. We had friends in every Northern
| State-patriotic and true men, who would stand
by if we would stand by ourselves, and be true
| to our own principles. There were true men
| even in Massachusetts. There were one hundred
| guns fred on Boston Common when the Governor
recently vetoed the bill to remove Judge Loring
| from office for issuing warrant to restore a
| fugitive slave to his owner. But there was not
a Know-Nothing gun among them. They were
fired by the true men of that State, who still fell
| the spirit of nc that blazed ON Bunker Hill
| There were true unconditional men in New
Hampshire. in Connecticut, in New York, in
Iowa, many in Illinois, and that our policy was
not to Join the Know Nothngs; who were fight
ing these men, but to stand by our friends there
and soon they would rally again, and gain
strength. From twenty-one, they would swell
up to thirty, to forty, to fifty, to one hundred in
Congress. They would stand by us and our rights
and with us save the Constitution and save the
country.
| Mr.. Stephens concluded by saying that re-
viewer of his letter had said his late letter woul(
prove his political winding sheet. If the people
of the 9Th Congressional District willed it, hi
was ready to go down to his political grave. II
doing so, there was only one winding-sheet ht
preferred above all others to be wrapped arount
him. That was the Constitution Of his country
Next to that, he desired no better winding sheet
to be wrapped around him than the principles o
that letter. and he wished his eptaph to be, "Hert
lies one who never deceived f.iend or betray
| even an enemy"
| Mr.. Stephens beautifully compared the en-
trance of this order from the North into the
South, to the entrance of Satan in the form o.
the subtle serpent into the garden of Eden, witt
lie in his mouth, calling on Eve to eat of the
fruit, for in that day she should not surely die.
| He concluded amid great cheering.
| Such is an imperfect sketch of this eloquent
speech, in which we have been compelled tc
| prune away many of its beauties, and in ar
abridged report to impair the strength of its argu
ments. We were forcibly reminded, while Mr.
Stephens was speaking, of an event in the life
of the great Roman orator, to which there is {
beautiful allusion In q recent literary address by
the Hon. F. w. Pickens, of South Carolina. Il
was at the time when Anthony was attempting
great change in the form of the Roman Gov
ernment, which escaped the observation of the
people. that Cicero came forth from his retire
ment to warn them of their danger. Unaidet
and alone he pointed it out, but they needed no
his warning voice, and the destruction of the
Roman Republic was the consequence. Let the
reader make the application to our own times ant
circumstances.
Dir. Toombs was then called for, and respond
ed in most eloquent and impressive speech, nnt
in his happest manner. He fully conceded in
Mr.. Stephens sentiments, and uttered splendi'
eulogium upon the principles of American liber
| ty, civil and relg ious-upon the noble feature o
religious tolerance which characterize our insti
tutions and the wise policy of inviting to on
shores foreign emigration.
We regret our space will not enable US thi
morning to give sketch of his very interesting
speech.
Mr.. Thomas, of Ebert, responded to loud call
for him in few appropriate remarks, which wer
| we'll received, after which the meeting dispersed
| in high spirits and in good order.
Some called out for SAM to get up, but Sal
felt SO completely demolished he could not rise
and had not word to say. He had probably
heard of the Virginia elections.