Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-07-29
For the Nashville Patriot.

a cOltectlOD OF ueaf Two tIVusauu lEtetueu
assembled on yesterday (25th) to listen to the
addresses of Gen. Harris and Gov. Brown.
Gen. Harris led off in speech of two hours,
the greater part of which was directed to
prove proposition utterly opposed to the in
telligence of the country, that Willard Fill
more, mot an abolitionist, was at'heart strong
ly affected with freesoil procivities. To estab-
lsh this proposition numerous references were
made to votes given by Mr.. Fillmore many
years ago in favor of receiving abolition petit
tions. Gen. Harris endeavored 30 strip from
the brow of Willard Fillmore the wreath of
honor which the whole country have, with
unparalleled unanimity, accorded him, of heart
lily sapctioning the compromise measures, which
resulted in the pacfcation and preservation of
the Union. To establish this novel discovery
in political history, he produced the astonsh-
ing fact that Mr.. Fillmore referred the question
of the constitutionslity of the fugitive slave
bill TO the consideration of his legal adviser,
Attorney General Crittenden. Gen. H. infer
ed from this that Mr.. Fillmore was opposed to
the bill, or at least undetermined in bis own
convictions upon this point, and but for the
fortunate circumstance of his having a pro-
slavery Attorney General, the present fugitive
law, which did so much to soothe the South
ern mind, would never have been signed.
Most profound conclusion! Most logical Sc
quence! Most striking exhibition of magnani-
nifty and gratitude to friend and patriot who
braved the fierce opposition of his own section
of thousands of his long cherished friends,
who resisted the educational prejudices of his
youth and of his early manhood to preserve
the integrity of our happy Union, and to per-
petuate the glorious heritage OF our fathers to
unborn generations! Gen. Harris could con-
ceiye no reason why the Attorney General
was consulted on this most exciting and im-
pOrtant bill, but that of irresolutlon or opPo-
sition GU the part of Mr.. Fillmore. This is the
extent of his charity which should think no
evil-this is the return which he urges South
ern democrats to make to that selfsacriticing
patriot who periled popularity at home, and re-
sisted the almost universal convictions of the
North, to give quiet to the country and to Sc
cure the constitutional rights of the South.
Could ingratitude go farther? Admit that
Mr. Fillmore was in doubt upon the cOnstltu-
tionality of the fugitive slave bill, did he not,
in yielding his doubts and convictions to argu-
ment and truth, exhibit a noble devotion to
the Constitution, and patriotic determination
to sacrifice all personal considerations to Sc
cure peace and quiet to the country But TO
proceed with Gen. Harris. After attempting
to excite doubt upon the nationality of the
principles of Mr.. Fillmore, he proceeded to
show that the Northern democracy was the
only party upon whom the South could rely in
resisting the encroachments of abolition tanat-
icism. In order to place the Americans North
in the category OF enemies to the South, he re-
4 - i l. L.,
cans who have been driven from the Nation
al American party in consequence of their ops
position to the rights of the South, and who
are now acting in opposition to Mr.. Fillmore
and in favor of Fremont If the democracy of
the North should be judged by the rule which
he applied to the Americans, in what attitude
would it be paced9 Are not thousands, nay
hundreds of Thousands of democrats still claim
ing their party cognomen, acting at this time
with the boiling Americans, and denouncing
their lifelong associates of the North as
traitors to the old Jetfersonian land marks of
democratic equality and fraternity This was
about the sum- substance, and extent of Gener-
al Harris's labOred defence of sectional demOc-
racy. The effort was utterly abortive; not the
sli ghtest enthusiasm was manifested by the
large assembly, and | entertain no doubt that
the convictions Of every reading democrat Of
I the broad nationality and pure patriotism Of
Mr. Fillmore was just as firm after, as they
were before listening to this effort to dispar-
age him in the estimation of those who, when
he retired from the office he so highly ilustrat
ed-hailed him with almost unanimous accla-
nation, "Well done, good and faithful SER
want"
Gen. Harris is gentleman of decided abili-
ty, and argued his points with courtesy. 1t he
4 |, u, IL
mocracy it resulted from the intrinsic weak
ness and rottenness of the cause he espou>es,
rather than from lack Of tact, eloquence and
political information.
Gov. Brown replied in speech Of two hours.
In few moments he tore away the fmsy
veil of sophstries which his opponent had
thrown over the true issues, and marched
boldly up to the great questions which the
country is now called upon to settle, and which
are agitating the land from the center To its
circumference. Gen. Harris declared the pres
ent contest to be purely sectional one. Gov.
b. denied it, and deprecated in thoughts that
breathed and words that burned" the attempts
of abolitionism North, and democracy South,
to bring upon the country the direful evils and
the appalling horrors-the inevitable conse-
duences of sectional contests and geographical
parties. This was the Pandora's box, against
which the farewell address of the great Wash
ington labored to warn the American people
Ii it were true that the contest for the Presi-
dency had degenerated into q struggle for a
purely geographical supremacy between the
two great sections of the country, the death
kne of the Union would soon be sounded
Neither section would ever yield to the tri
umph Of party achieved upon such grounds
But it is not true, said Gov. b. There is y ct,
a. L.,
dence-a glorious Union party. Its principles
and its aims are embodied in the persons of
Fillmore and Donelson, and the gorio1s EN-
blem of our nationality is yet destined to float
for ages to come over our broad aud expand
ing confederacy,n without stripe erased or
polluted, or a single star obscured." The great
heart of America still throbs, and the march
of the sons of Revolutionary sires is still firm,
to the music of the Union.
Gov. b. portrayed in colors Of living light
the twistiicatiOns, the tergiversations and po-
litical obliquities of the sage of Wheatlsnd."
He was a second edition OF the Northern man
with Southern principles" and has received
the hearty approval and endorsement of his
brother, the "sage of Undertook" Mr.. Van
Buren, has long been traternizing with Mr.. Blu
ehanan He kaOtos his man, and in his recent
endorsement of the Cincinnati nominee he
emphatically declares he niU do. Ought not
the endorsement of Buchanan by this arch
traitor to the South excite the suspicion of all
true Southern menl We cannot do justice to
the speech OF Gov. brown without extending
this article to an unreliable length. Suffice
il to say, that he made mastery defence of
Mr.. Fillmore and his administration; aud estab-
lished by the highest democratic authority, and
by the records of the country that he had
saved the country from the inconceivable Ca
lamities of disunion. Gen. Harris made
futile attempt to parry the blows which told
with snch fearfnl effect on his Marty. and (fnv