Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-01-14
A STATE CONYFNTION.


Fast Tennessee and one from Giles county-in op-
position to the holding of State Convention.
We have printed other communications heretofore
on the same side, and, so far as we recolect no
communication on the other side. We therefore
accompany these articles with the explanation,
that, SO Ear our correspondence is concerned the
weight Of numbers is in favor Of a Convention
- e have published all we have received against
convention. and have reserved the arguments IN
favor Of ore for use by ourselves when the neces-
sity seemed to require it.
1t is certainly true, that, with quite as much
ananimity as we have ever seen manifested on
similar occasion, our party desire and expect AN
DREW Johnson 10 be candidate for re-eiection
We hear no dissent from any quarter. Ii the
only use Of conventions was to PICK out Candidates
and settle conflicting aspirations, we might well
dispense with one on this occasion. Our candi.
datehas already been selected by the party, and We
hear Of no rival aspirations.
And vet We have never, in all our political ex-
perience known the time when we should have
been as unwilling to dispense with State Con-
vention as now. The trick Of the opposition, now
SO palpabla to break down the democratic party by
4 secret combination, imperatvey demands an eff
Gent organization; and we know of no way in which
this trick can be 50 well aided for our usual con-
yent,on TO be waived The most persistent and
constant efforts are making to coax democrats into
these secret lodges; and the most careless ought
not therefore, to be permitted to forget that his
party is an actual National and State organization.
Perhaps we might make little something of tenn
porary advantage by initiating the devices of whg-
gerry, but such advantage would be purchased st
the cost of serious future disasters.
The fact that the wings are not going to hold
convention, but will let Col. Gentry run as an in
dependent know-nothing- temperance candidate,
in the interest of the wing party, affects our opin
ion in regard to our own best course not partl-
Gle. We have always considered the tricks and
frauds and humbugs OF whlggery as evil practices
TO be Stunned, rather than good examples to
be inflated and were never less disposed to follow
those practices than now. 1t is true that wing
gerry makes no contest with us upon a single issue
which divided the parties even two years ago
But il IS assang in secret the principle Of religious
and political freedom, and making war upon the
fundamental principles Of our Government We
wish TO meet it by an open and organized eff
fort and 10 show our faith in democratic principles
by a bold and frank defence Of them.
We are expressing our own individual views,
and shall he sorry to come in conflict with the
opinions ofany of our friends. But we have never
been more fully convinced of the propriety of a
certain line of policy than of this; and, being thus
satisfied, we owe it as duty to our party 10 ex-
press our views. We believe that, to dispense with
our organization once is to imper it in all time to
come. We must insist that State Convention
shall be permanent institution" or we can have
none at al, because there probably never will be
time when tae entire party will agree as to its
necessity" We regard one as necessary now,
If for nothing else, to keep up our organization.
This organization-"t this old house-n the Ian
Quage Of the Macon (Ga, C7elegrap6-is something
more than q mere mass of brick and mortar, and
we owe it to the past to take OF it. It's like
Z homestead and every nook and Granny of it is
full of sacred memories. 1t has come down to Us
from former generations. In foul weather, it has
,Lol;ered US from the storm and in fair weather it
LIS been made vocal with many merry making,
r9t only by US but by those who went before US.
.-., --elt tsA "Ai5 nave LSCSINSu HIduJ d CdhIO4
sao ..om he enemy, aad the time was, and We
.-r, the Ume viii come again, when in the whole
garrison 10. a single traitor could be found. We
belong to the Democratic household, and, if every
one o. cur Old comrades leave US, we sba! lodge
LJssa to the end, and be cook, bOtte-washer, and
landlord all in one. We would not exchange the
old place as stands, for any of the fancy speci-
mems Of architecture which are going up around
rs, and even i should fall down, rather than take
rooms in ANY Of the new tangled Wing and Know
Nothing rayrrus, we shall build shanty of some
II the sound P .auk remaining, and pace the Demo-
cratic platform, solitary and alone