Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-09-02
Dad be did not support the OomprOniss Of


is now their most active ally and champion?
We have read the speech which his new
Democratic friends are distributing by the
thousand over the State of Tennessee, and
we cannot find in it one solitary reason
which can bear the light of examination.
The point which he dwells upon with the
most plausibilty, is that portion of the first
platform of the American party which
stated that, 'the american party haring
risen upon the ruins and in despite of the 0p-
position Of The Wig and Democratic parties,
cannot be held IN any manner responsible for
tie obnoxious acts and Uiolated pledges of
either" Mr.. Jones owed it to himself and
to the truth to acknowledge that the ex-
preston which are thus quoted were stricken
out of the platform before the nominations
Of the American party were made. But
upon the supposition that these expressions
form still portion of the American creed,
we are at loss to conceive how they can
justify the Indignation with which they are
repealed by Mr.. Jones as an assault upon
the memory of Mr.. Clay. No one knows
better than Mr. Jones that Mr.. Clay on
numerous occasions expressed his fear that
the Wing party had been disorganized by
the influence Of such men as Seward and
Giddings. 1t was this conviction which
induced the sage of Ashland to express his
preference for the nomination of Mr.. Fill
more in 1852-an expression which he
would not have made if he had not felt
that the nationality of the Wing party
could not be maintained in the existing
state of the country, if an administration
pledged to the support of the Compromise
as final settlement of the slavery ques-
ton, were forced to take leader selected
by men who were opposed to that measure.
But Mr.. Jones instead of manifesting def
erence for the opinion of Mr.. Clay on this
memorable occasion, was amongst the most
active in thwarting it. Instead of repelling
the influence which he knew had been most
effective in opposing the noble exertionS of
Mr.. Clay in passing the Compromise, he
was amongst the first to court that inhu-
ence.
Instead, therefore, of charging the Ameri-
can party with an intention to assail the
memory of Mr.. Clay, we think it far more
just to say that Mr. Jones himself becomes
his accuser when he takes ground in favor
of Democratic leader, who not only OPP
posed Mr.. Clay in every prominent measure
of his life, but most especially in the Com
promise of 1850, which Mr.. Jones charac-
teriSed as essential to the preservation of
the Union.
As Mr.. Jones processes such extravaganza
devotion to the memory of Mr. Clay, he
cannot have forgotten his celebrated letter
dated Ashland, Sd October, 1851, in which
be specifies for condemnation the organiza-
ton of the Wing party then existing in
New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio-that
organization out of which he foreSaw would
come, partially, the very evils which are
now affecting our country. We make the
following extracts from that letter:
"You refer, gentlemen, to resolutions and
addresses adopted at conventions lately assem-
bed around US, in which we have seen with
regret as well as alarm that the question of
adherence to the Compromise is avoided or
evaded,' and you justly deprecate the tendency
of these resolutions. have not been an mat
tenlive or Indifferent observer of them, and
with you deeply regret their adoption. I
uish that these respectable bodies could haze been
less ambiguous, and more erpLicit, in declaring
their determination to acquiesce an and abide
by great measure Of peace and compromise,
Which, forming an epoch an the progress Of oar
country, tOds intended TO reconcile and restore
concord and trdternal feelings among our diui-
ded cOuntrymen. THERE VAS NO Ne
CESSITY TO RESERVE Il RIGHT TO
DISCUSS TO MODIFY, AND TO RE-
PEAL THE OBNOXIOUS LAW Such
right existed without any express reservation,
not only as 10 that law, but as to all laws, and
as to the constitution itself, which has iucOr-
porsted in it the right of amendment, and
occasions when q spirit of moderation should
prompt forbearance to exercise that right
Ii more were intended than meets the eye,
more than to proclaim the theoretc right of
discusson-if it were designed to announce the
right Of nnremitted agitation, TO continue the
distractions OF the country, and, finally, If pos
sible, 10 repeal the fugitive slave lsw-p0triOt-
ism and harmony must condemn the unIoiSe
course, Os .frdWgh. NTH tho most miSchieuOus
and peritOus consequences"
Many persons at the North had avowed an
inVincible hostility to the fugitive law, and
even declared their intention forcibly to OBJ
struct its execution, and bad appealed to a
higher law, which, as they commended, was
paramount to all human legislation. These as.
tensibe positions toere whOLly irrecORciLa6Le NTH
pdtriOtiSm, or even with the existence Of regu-
lar government itself.
Now, we put it to the candor of all
truthful and honorable men to decide how
far Mr.. Jones was just to the memory Of
Mr.. Clay when he put aside Mr.. Fillmore
in 1852, and took nomination in his place,
dictated by the higher law influences adj
verted to in the above extract, and we
would appeal to the same spirit of candor
to support us when we declare our convic-
ton that Mr.. Jones departs further and
further from the admonitions and counsels
of Mr. Clay, when he takes Mr., Buchanan
as his preference for the Presidency in the
present canvass.
If Mr.. Clay could speak out as he did
in 1851, against the DISCRIMINATION
brought upon the wing party by its fellow
,L;- nth tha ultra frea soilarS of the