The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-11-08
SLAVERY IN TENNESSEE.

There is more moral independence in Ten
nessee than in any slaveholding State, unles.
we except Kentucky and Missouri. Indeed
although there is more out-spoken Anti-Slave
ry in Kentucky than in Tennessee, we believe
that the tone of feeling among the people gen
orally, and the politicians of the old parties,
more healthy and manly in the latter than the
former. 1t will be recollected that four of the
Tennessee delegates to Congress voted agains,
the Nebraska Bill.
The following article from the Nashville
Banner explains itself 1t will be seen that
Colonel Ramsey has not demeaned himself sc
| far as to recant, retract, or even to apologize
| for the Anti-Slavery sentiments which he ex
pressed twenty-one years ago. We could wish
that the Faulkners and Summers of Virginia
had equal manliness but it seems that it re-
quires less pluck to fight duel than to stick
to ones principles amid popular odium. Mr.
Faulkner has, for some months, been attempt
ing to evade the laws, in order to get shot al
Mr.. Boteler. 1t would be thousand times
more honorable and courageous to stick to the
noble sentiments of Freedom which he avowed
in 1882.
COLONEL RAMSEY.
The election for Secretary of State, Comptrol
Ter, and Treasurer, by the Legislature, takes
place to-day. With view to iDjure Colonel
Ramsey, the Secretary of State, who is can
didate for reelection, the Union and american
| reproduces report of the proceedings of a
public meeting, held twenty-one years ago, at
Knoxville, to consider the proprety of abolish
ing Slavery in this State, in which proceedings
Colonel Ramsey participated. The Union and
american republished the same report a few
days before the election, in 1853, on which oc-
casion Colonel Ramsey came out with the fol-
| lowing ertinguisher:
From the Nashville True Wing of July 2s 1883
To the Editor Of the True Wig:
In the Union and american of this morning.
certain sentiments expressed by myself and
others, at public meeting at Knoxville, in
1884, are published, with the avowed purpose of
duplicating Major Henry, through his friend
ship for me, in whatever may be thought OBJ
Jectionable in the proceedings of that meeting.
l will not attempt, at this time, any vindication
OF the abstract sentiments uttered by that meet.
ing, only so far as to show that they were at
that time the sentiments of the State, and that
they were substantially re-qDirmed Jy the Con-
rention which assembled short time thereaf
ter. A number of petitions similar in sentiment
to the resolutions of the Knoxville meeting.
were sent up to the Convention, from different
parts of the State, signed Unfortunately by
shareholders and non-slaveholders, asking that
body to incorporate into the new Constitution
some plan for the gradual and conditional
emancipation of slaves. These petitions were
all referred to committee appointed to delib-
crate and report upon the subject. In that re-
port, the committee, in arguing against the
plan proposed in the petitions, utter this strong
affirmation of the main abstract sentiment of
the Knoxville meeting: "The committee do
not understand the Convention as DENYING the
truth of the proposition which asserts that
SLAVERY is AN EVIL. To prove it to be
GREAT EVIL is AN EASY TASK; but to
tell how that EVIL can be removed, is uues-
ton that the wisest heads and the most benevo-
lent hearts have not been able to answer in a
satisfactory manner" See Journal of Conyep-
ton, pages 81 and 38.) In another part of the
report, the following consolatory language is
used: " But the friends of humanity need not
despair; the memorialists need not DREAD that
Slavery will be perpetuated in our highly favor.
ed country" And again: "If misguided IA
natics an those parts the United States ,chere
Sarery does not nOU erist will only refrain
from intermeddling in a matter in which thew
have no concern, and in which their interior
ence can do no possible good, and may do much
positive evil, Slavery, WITH ALL IT'S ILLS.
will be extinguished as certainly and speedily
as the friends of humanity have any reason to
expects" and the report, after elaboratelv set
ting forth the inefhciency and inexpediency of
the plan proposed by the memorialsts, con.
cludes with, 80 premature attempt on the
part OF the benevolent to get rid of the EVILS
OF SLAVERY would certainly have the eff
fect OF postponing to a far distant day the &C.
complishment of an event DEVOUTLY AND
ARDENTLY DESIRED BY THE WISE
AND THE GOOD in every part of our be-
loved country"
This report. containing the abstract sentiment
THAT SLAVERY is AN EVIL, nav. that 1T
Is A GREAT EVIL, accompanied with MANY
ILLS, and that its ABOLITION is AN
EVENT DEVOUTLY AND ARDENTLY To
Be DESIRED BY THE WISE AND GOOD
IN EVERY PART OF OUR BELOVED
OoCNIhI, was adopted by the authorities of
our State, while standing in their biobest Tol;t-
| zeal attitude, and under all the sanctions and
solemnltles of a sworn deliberative BODY. bv a
vote OF Al affirmative to 10 negative votes.
(See journal of Convention, page lOOO Now.
what higher vlndlcation can auv Tennessean
desire than Is to be found in the utterance Of
any sentiment, side by side with such of her il.
lustrous dead as Alexander, and Blount, and
Burton, and Cannon, and Cheatham, and Ca.
hal, and Cobbs, and Huntsman, and Mckinney.
and Webster, and Weakly, and other no less
distinguished living cotemporaries Fulton. and
Fogg, Gordon, and Humphreys, and Ledbetter.
and Loving, and many others, all of whom voted
for the report? And to impute any unsound-
ness to MAJOR Henry, upon the great Southern
question, because he voted for me after NV par
uclPancy IN the Knoxville meeting, would be
as unjust to him as to impute to the Democrat
&c party the same unsoundness, because they
elected and reelected one of their partv who
had been IN the Convention and voted for this
report, TO distinguished Office in the State
or 10 charge the same unsoundness on Presi-
dent Pierce, for comforting unon this sana in