Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-05-06

SIGNS OF THE TINES We intmated yesterday
our belief that a crisis is growing up out oil inc
slavery controversy which will require the united
exertions Of sI good national men, OF all sections
of the Union, to protect the country from con'u u
sion, and perhaps disruption forever s ar
alarnists but we deem it due to the timely iolt. ILL;
ton of a well defined and patriotic pupno 49, -,
ment upon this question, that consefvaliEo ;,h
everywhere should see the tone and purposes VIZ.
which northern anti slavery agitatorS arc -
ously prosecuting their neianons schelneS'- A'"'
Wig.
What 81 subiect is here presented to every citl-
zao Of Tennessee, for profound meditation and re-
ACTION He is distinctly informed, from quarter
that MAYER before announced it, that crisis is
Growing up that threatens convulsion and dis
runton Of this country for everl Why, the DEM
oeratic party has been saying so for years In her
conventions and in the speeches OF her public men,
the warning has been often given, and by every
imploration they have exhored the country to look
to it and prepare for the coming storm. In the
two canvasses of Gen. TRoUsDALE, this was partic-
ularly the case What was the reply Ct the wing
press of the State? With no remembered excep-
tion. thew rejected the warning and more than in
timated that all the democrats Were saying on The
slavery question was a false and decetful clamor
gotten up only to injure the wing party and
strengthen themselves in the approaching elections
They were not contented with this: They intima-
ted, nay, they sometimes boldly asserted, that the
democrats at heart were aiming at disunion, and
called on the country to watch and put them down
as traitors to the peace and integrity Of these States
For years, this downright denial of danger to the
South was kept up by the wing party, and 1t
seemed impossible to impress the contrary on the
public mind. At length, however, the last Presi-
dental election was approaching, and 1t become
impossible to conceal the true state Of the case any
longer. Mr. GENTRY in addressing the wing con-
vention two years before, (when Gov. CAMPBELL
was nominated,) had boldly proclaimed that the
wing party could not hod together longer than one
more Presidential election and that it was doubt
full whether it could harmonic even that long
That there was an irrcconcilable division Of senti-
ment between the northern wings and the south
ern wings on the various slavery questions, which
must sooner or later lead to the disruption OF the
party. When Gen. ScoTT received the nomination,
over the heads Of Mr.. FILLMORE and Mr. WEBSTER,
Mr.. GENTRY could contain himself no longer. He
proclaimed that what he had feared and prophe-
cied two years before had already happened; that
the wing party had become denationalized that
through Seward, Gen. SooTT had received the NOM
nation; that Seward, by a combination of circum-
stances had the absolute control of the wing party
NORTH and was in fact the wing party; that Seward
WAS an abotonist and 50, by a union Of the wings
north with the abolitonists and free sellers, the
most imminent danger was impending over the
constitutional rights Of the south
We take no time to recount the angry collisions
produced by this detection of Mr.. GENTRY and Mr..
CHR1sroPnER H. WILLIAMS. All remember that Gov.
JONES and Gen. CULLoM were so indignant that
they hurried away from Congress, then in session,
and canvassed from one end of the State to the
other in order TO break the force of Mr.. GENTRY's
and Mr.. WILLIAMS speeches. and restore the wing
party TO its integrity in the State. The contest be-
came exciting IN the extreme, and on one occasion
so personal that rumor said If must and would re-
suit in an affair of honor between Gov. JONES and
Mr.. GENTRY.
But we hasten to results. Mr.. GENTRY, having
10 other wing ticket to present to his wing of the
wing party, and not following up his blows by &C.
ing out and sustaining himself by public addresses
after his return home was horne down in the con-
test Gov JOINS and Gen. ZoLLrcorFER, by whose
course.in the convention Gen. SooTr had received
the nomination over FILLMORE or WEBSTER, proved
too hard for him. Even Mr.. BELL, who was ru-
mored to have fully sympathized with Mr. GENTRY
in the early stsges of his movement, came home
Just before the election, made his triumphal entry
in the State, and gave the last finishing blow to
the downfall and expulsion Of Mr. GENTRY from the
affections and confidence Of the wing party in the
State Still it was evident TO all observing men,
that, although borne down by Gov JOINS and his
colleagues in the work Of destruction, Mr.. GENTRY
had not failed TO make a strong impression on the
wing mind of the State Few would vote against
Gen. SCoTT, but hundreds and thousands cast their
votes for him, a0iG4 much doubt and aoaeaSjaess.-
Everywhere they heard Mr.. GENTRY denounced as
a deserter from the wings; as having broken off
from them from pc sopal motives of hostility and
jealousy against Gov. JONES &C. sc. Still, the /
facts were so numerous and strong, brought for |
ward by Mr.. GENTRY, that they felt uneasy and dis
satisfied with the vote they were almost compelled |
TO give to Gen. ScoTT, no other whig ticket being !
presented to their choice.
This slight recurrence to the past Is necessary |
rightly to understand the present posture of affairs
in Tennessee. After the vote Of the State cast
for SoorT, in spite of all that Mr., GENTRY and Mr..
WILLIAMS did do, Mr.. GENTRY retired to his Sab
ine fields" with the only privilege left him "of |
praying for Rome" We say, in spite of all they
did do not in spite of all they might have DONE and
ought to have done, if they expected to keep their
necks from under the iron heel of Gov. JONES and
other leaders of the wing party. They ought to
have presented Fillmore or Webster ticket
rallyug point for their wing of the whg party; or
they ought to have gone out boldly and met Gov.
JONES and Mr. CULLoM on the hastings, and pro-
claimed that it was better to hare no ticket at aR than
to have like them, an abolition and tree-so6 one.
Had they done this, they would have had some
claim to the respect and even the gratitude of the
true friends OF the South. But neither of these
things would they or did they de- and thus, by
moment Of Tesolaton, lost their places in the whg
party, and permitted the vote Of the State to be
cast for ticket which they had over and over
pronounced to be emnently dangerous to the peace.
safety, and prosperity Of the South
But let us mark the striking chance tbot h..
taken place in the then state Of affairs T,a I'll.
we think. will show that Mr. GENTRY hos -. -