Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-07-14
mnrs OF the Record.

! with Great Britain; and that however positive the
opinions may have been at the time of their express
sion, his record will exhibit more bold and reckless
contradictions of sentiment, made, evidently, to
catch the popular breeze at the moment, than that
of any other American politician OF any cele-
brity.
The Southern Democracy may rs well open their
eyes upon the fact that many Of the leading South
er,l Democratic not in Congress advocate to day the
s0IatteT sovereignty doctrine and have conceal
ment about it. Others Of that Democracy have
Welded to the doctrine but afraid to Rvow it.
! The Southern Democrats now in Congress swallow
Buchanans heresy in favor of squatter sovereignty
because they know Cass, Douglas, Toucey Peck
! George w. Jones, Letcher, Cobb. Stephens all
for the doctrine and mean TO maintain It, Shall we
hear the Southern Democracy next declaring squat.
ter sovereignty to be sound Democratic doctrine?
! We shall see. But TO the letter of Mr. Buchanan:
THE SANFORD LETTER.
WAsHINGsoN, August 81 lS4S.
: DEAR SIR: have just received yours of the 18th
! inst in which you submit to me the following para
graph and ask whether il contains accurate YER
sion OF the conversation, between US, concerning
nv Berks county letter on the occasion to which
! you refer:
| Happening to meet Mr.. Buchanan at the Pres-
dents levee, Friday evening, called his atten-
ton to this letter, and asked bun if he intended to
a Territory in uuOrganized capacity had the
right TO control the question of slavery in such Ter
ritory. He declared that no such idea had ever
been maintained by him; that the construction put
| upon his language by Mr.. Yancey was perversion
! of its plain aud obvious meaning that in his Opin-
ion, the inhabitants of a Territory, such, had no
political rights, [although they possessed all the
| private rights of American citizens; that they had
no power whatever over the subject OF slavery; and
thew could neither interdict establish it, except
! when assembled in convention to form State con
stitution He further authorized and requested
| me to make any public use Of these declarations
that might think proper, to- orrect any impression
! which Mr. Yanceys construction of his language in
! the Berks letter might have made"
With the addition which have inserted between
brackets this statement is substantially and almost
| literally correct, according to my recollection.
! In my letter TO Berk county of 25th August,
; l647, had said, "under the Missouri compromise
slavery was forever prohibited North of the parallel
of 36.degrees 80 minutes, and South of this para-
lei the question left to be decided by the PEG
| Pile" What people? Undoubtedly the people of
the Territory assembled in convention to form a
State constitution and ask admission into the Union:
and not the first adventures, or "frst corners, 4"
who might happen to arrive in the Territory
bled in public meetidg If doubt on this subject
could possible exist it is removed by the next
ceediug sentence of my letter | proceeded to
state: Congress on the admission of Texas,
adopted the same rule etc. And what was
this rule? ''The Joint Resolution for annexing Tex
as to the Unitee States approved March lst l845
answers the question in the following words: "And
such State as may be formed out of that Porion of
said Territory lying south of thirtysx degrees thir
ty minutes, north latitude, commonly known as
the Missouri compromise line, shall be admitted
into the Union, with without slavery, the peo-
pie of each State asking admission may desire " Such
was the description OF the people to whom refers
red in my Berks county letter.
ANY other construction of the letter would ren-
der it essentially inconsistent with itself. Having
urged the adoption OF the Missouri Compromise,
the inference is irresistible that Congress- in my
opinion, possesses the power to legi-lste upon the
subject of slavery in the Territories. What an alb
serdity would it then be, if whilst asserting this
SOVEREIGNTYPO YER Nv CONGRESS,
lchich poDsT from its nature must be EXCLUSIVE,
should in the very same breath also claim this
identical power "fOr the population OF Territory
in an unorganizedlcapacity?"
In conclusion, desire to reiterste and reafirm
every sentiment contained in my Berks county LETT
ter / cling to the Missouri Compromise with great
er tenacity than ever and yet firmly believe that it
will be adopted by Congress.
Yours, very respectfully,
JAMES BUCHANAN.
T. SANFORD, Esq.
foregoing letter with those set forth in the follow
ing extract from his letter of acceptance just pub
shed:
1.-THE agitation on the question of domestic sa-
very has too long distracted and divided the peo-
pie of this Union and alenated their affections from
each other This agitation has assumed many
forms since its commencement, but it now seems to
be directed chiefly to the Territories; and judging
from it's present character think may safely
hat ia n
fnality I" The recent legislation of Coz gress
respecting domestic slavery, derived, as il has
been, from the original and pure fountain
of legitimate political power the will Of the
majority, promises long to allay the dan
gerous excitement This legislation is founded
upon principles, ancient a. free government it,
self and in accordance with them, has simply de-
,Iared THAT PEOPLE OF A TERRITORY, LIKE
THOSE OFA STATE, SHALL DECIDE FOR
THEMSELVES, WHETHER SLA VERY
SHALL OR SHALL NOT EXIST WITHIN
THEIR LIMITS"
So late, then, as lS4S Mr.. Buchanan believed
that Congress possessed sovereign and exclusive
power to egisate upon the subject ofslavery with
in the Territories.
That is exactly the doctrine of Wilmot, of Gid.
dings Grow Greeley, Weed Van Buren Dix, and
Co., of this day We defy the astutest Of the De-
mocracy to detect and expose shade Of real differ
ence between the power of Congress as claimed by
Buchanan in the foregoing letter, and that power
as this day advocated by the Black Republicans.
The Southern Democracy are a nice set Of birds,
truly to be constantly talking Of the rights OF the
South, and OF the want of nationality Of the Ameri.
cans They have nationality, haven't theyS They
protect the rights Of the South, don't theyy
Accepting squatter sovereignty AS Democratic
doctrine; walowug with the Buffalo platform build.
ers of lS4S, aud acknowledging them integral
part of the Simon Pure Democratic national party,
and adopting as the candidate for the Presidency a
political man who has vbrated between the Wmot
Proviso and squatter Overeignty-"everything by
:urns and nothing oug"-the claim Of the Southern
Democracy 10 a longer continuance OF Southern
confidence, must rest upon the idea that the peo-
pie have not intelligence enough TO detect their
want of honest and Straightforward reetitude in the
political chart by which they wish to steer. The
Southern people may be deluded aud led away by
iavorte who are false, and by party names; they
may be induced TO abandon their interests for party
purposes, bnt we intend they shall have the most
perfect record OF James Buchanans public lie that
has ever been exhibited OF any living man. They
will have uone but themselves to blame when they
afterwards discard Fillmore to take Buchanan
Wash. Organ
OSE HAPPY HEARr.-Have YOU made one happy