Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-09-23
[Correspoudence Of the Patriot
Haskell at Galfafin.

the Patriot would be pleased to hear IRON the
meeting on yesterday at this place, / am in
duced to drop you line- 1t is not my intention
to attempt description Of the effort Of the impas
stoned orator of the day. We write under no par
ty enthusiasm. Nothing but the deliberate con-
yictions of our mind shall be permitted to mipgle
on the present occasion. No party prejudice shall
arouse US to an act of misconception as 70 the eff
fort of the gifted genius that held some fifteen hun
bred or two thousand persons bound for period
from three to fouE hours. ~
At the hour appointed Gen. Haskell commenc.
ed his address to an earnest attentive polite and
highly attentive audience. The orator for the space
of an hour sporting amid the luxuriant fields
of his vast subject. Here strong feature was pre-
scented, there bright fash of sarcasm wit; again
be arose upon cloud of beauty and hoated amid
the wide expanse of his exuberant Imagination;
gradually he drew his remarks to the current of
thought that was to hold spell bound the minds OF
his hearers. II is needless to tell you that the sub
ject OF his Grafton the necessity Of our Union,
it's value, it's priceless honors and its heaven-born
glories. That Union be showed at this period was
peril!ed Tor the sake of party aggrandisement
On the one hand the great Northern movement
of the republican party that has struck fifteen glo-
rious States from its banner and erased rom its
history the memories of Camden, Yorktown and
New Orleans, threatens our nationality, and in its
successful career extinguishes the hopes of human
ity. On the other hand the democratic party has
arrayed itself in direct opposition to the republican
on the great question of slavery which now looms
up in the. distance like cloud surcharged with
aVenging destruction On the part Of these parties
no concession is admitted, no compromise is allow
ed, mutual adjustment is tolerated. The triumph
OF republican FremOntism Is the overthrow of
southern institutions. The triumph OF democratic
Buchananism is the overthrow OF the north and to
them the crushing out of freedom here and there.
These two parties narrow down our national exist
ence to the triumph Of one and the subjugation of
the other party. And this presumes the triumph
OF one section of the Union and the subjugation Of
the other. The champions in the field and
around them crowd the fearful columns, the inn
furiated ranks. After having thus set forth the
perious condition of the country, the orator then
proceeded to unfold the history of the past polti
cal course OF the democratic party, commencing
with the earliest introduction of this fearful ele
meDt into the of national politics. He en-.
deavored to show that that party, by systematic
effort has contrived to precpate hisfearfu issue
on the country, by dragging into the contest a
question so awfuy nfammatory 10 its nature as the
present. On many former occasions the same par
~ has so managed to ride into power on the waves
of popular excitement aroused by the agitation OF
the slavery question that the mirds of both the
northern and southern portion of the Union have
become unsettled and ready almost to draw that
dark line across the continent OF America that must
soon after become crimsoned by the blood OF kim
dred citizens. HsVng showed that the democrats
c party is responsible for this fearful crisis as well
:Or all the former perils that have arisen from
this question, he proceeded to show that they are
now and have ever been wholly mpOtent TO adjust
any OF those difficulties. That when the waves of
popular excitement had been raised for political
plumber; that when no one of them could say
peace, be STILL" the great conservative statesmen
OF the whg party called i'll to allay the raging
storm he was most fortunate in showing that tie
spirit of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and destructiveness that
has actuated the LocofOco party, and which now
moves it in all its members, is wholly res ponsble
for the present alarming condition Of the country.
The General was most whitening in his expose Of
the Janus-faced policy Of that party which holds
face to the north and another to the south and is
bent upon the spOils of Office regardless OF the
glory of the Union.
He then discussed the characters of the aspirants
to the Presidential Chair with master hand. On
this branch OF the subject the genius of Haskell
happily displayed in some OF its most pleasant char
acteristics. He was relentless, when he descended
like continued of electricity upon the hapv
less heads of Buchanan and Fremont. He left
them scared and blackened corpses attractive only
to the vultures of official spoil But when he turn
ed aside to Willard Fillmore, then the genius of the
orator burst forth and shed radiance of light and
love around. His subject glowed with an interest
that carried away the minds and hearts Of his pa.
triotc hearers. The memories OF Bunker Hill Sara
tOga, Yorktown, and Kings Mountain, OF the me-
morabe retreat of the Father of his Country
through New Jersey, when the tracks Of our patri.
OTIS crmsoned her snow clad plains. Then manv a
heart reviewed the price of our glorious land or
blood bought Union, and relapsed into the past,
amid the scenes when the sober calmness of Wash
lngton guided to its haven OF the ship Of State.
He then most graphically sketched the fearful
breakers that now threaten our well treighted bark
and showed how her sides were opening 10 the
waves while she driited mercilessy in the hands of
pratical crew on qucksands and breakers He
then proceeded to show that the conservative spi'
rit OF this country, alone, preserves from
melancholy wreck the laundering bark That a
spirit which above all sections, high into the
region OF moral justice, discharging with camness
the duties enjoined by the Constitution, alone can
say e our treasure He then pointed TO Mi.lard
FIJI lmore as the political Moses that can alone lead
forth the conservative element of the nation and
Iuell the antagonstic seconalsm now in full blaze
in both sections OF the country.
It would be impossible to give any adequate des-
crpton Of an effort iraught with all the great ee-
ments OF oratory, poured forth in one unceasing
flow for hours. The grave, the gay, the pathetic
and ridiculous, were obedient at his will. Never
was any audience more thoroughly delighted aud
renewed in their resolves to stand by the man that
had led the ship OF State so safely through the
storms of 1850.
The General left abiding confidence among
his friends that Mllard Fillmore will ain bold the
helm, il his friends true TO him. to themselves,
aud their country.
would gladly review his powerful arguments
against the Buchanan doctrine OF sQuatter soves
regnty, his Ostend Conference Association and fill
clustering attitude before the word, but time will
not permit Only those who have beard Haskell
can estimate the power of his weapons when welded
with his skful arm. Where he goes the spirit Of
his chief will burst forth with renewed life.
A SPECTATOR.