Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-04-03
q NASHVILLE:
THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 1855.
The American Platform and the KAN
SaS-Nebraska Act.


dresses itself to the task of showing that
the February platform of the American
party is not so sound on the slavery ques-
ton as the June platform. We have at
tempted, and we think successfully, to es-
tablish the position that it is sOunder. To
fortify this position, we brought to cur aid
the admission of the Union and american,
on the 18th ult., that the February plat
form "rery nearly copies the Kansas eJras-
ha) act" and the further admission, on the
Dist ult., that it "CoPIEs THE PRINCIPLE OF
THE Acr"-the principle Of the act being
the principle of nOn-intervention on the
subject of slavery" the ''test (as the Union
and American declares) Of Democratic
souudness every where" But, the Union
and american alleges that our use Of these
admissions was unfair, inasmuch as we fall
ed to quote its charge that the February
platform in another place denounces the
repeal of the Missouri Compromise, which
was one of the main features of the Kan
sas-NebraSka act, and the very feature on
which Southern men most insisted" We
disavow any unfairnesS. We wished to
establish, and did establish, according to
the Union and American'S admissions, the
isolated fact that the February platform
adopted the living, breathing, active prin-
ciple of the KanSas-Nebraska act; and
were willing for the public to take the
argument in regard to the "denunciation of
the repeal Of the Missouri Compromise"
for what it was worth, attaching all due
weight to the acumen of our neighbor
But he appears to have no relish for this
mode of doing business. Well, if it will
give him any more satisfaction, we will give
his position in his own words. Here it is:
While we say that the language embracing
embracing popular sovereignty in the Kansas
Nebraska act, is "gery nearly copied" by the
recently adopted RrOU Nothing platform, and
this popular SOUereignty" doctrine is the true
doctrine for the country, we say at the same
time, that the Know Nothing platform has in
volved itself in bunging inconsistency, aOorse
than If they had not copied that language at
all; for while in one line it admits the princi-
pie to be right, it virtually in the next line de-
clares the principle to be acr0ng, by assaiIing
that feature of the act which repeats the Mis-
souri, Compromise line The Missouri Com
promise assumed to Congress the power to le-
gslate upon the subject of slavery in the ter
ritories The Kansas Nebraska act denies that
power, and, therefore, repealed the Missouri
restriction and transferred the power to the
people in their sovereign capacity. The Mis-
souri, Compromise was denial of the doctrine
Of popular sovereignty. The Kansas Nebraska
act establishes and enfOrces that doctrine. The
Missouri Compromise was an exercise of the
power of intervention, upon the part of Con
gress, in the question of slavery in the terrific
ries. The Kansas Nebraska act denies to Con-
gress such power, and therefore, establishes
the doctrine of nOa-interventiOn.
The position of the Union and A0lsrioan
is, therefore, briefly this: The February
platform, in the 18th section, adopts the
principle of the Kansas-Nebraska act, but
vitiates that adoption by denOuncing the
policy Of the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise in the 18th section. We
agree with our neighbOr that the It'll sec
ton adopts the principle of the Kansas
Nebraska act, but we disagree with the
latter clause Of his proposition. The spe
cfcations of the 18th section, as we have
heretofore remarked, are useless and I'M
necessary and do not meet our approba-
tion but they are a mere expression of
sentiment touching the policy of measure
1ohieh as aoquiesced IN, and the reinforcement
of which is agreed to. Viewed in this
light, the February platform is sOunder on
the slavery question than the June platform.
But, viewed even in the aspect in which it
is presented by the Union and american, it
should be regarded as the sounder of the
two; and we shall endeavor to prove this
by that journals recorded opinions. On
the Goth Of June last it declared the June
platform not only "refuSed TO sanettoH the
prinaple of the Nebraska bil," but charac-
terized it as an "Obn01OuS act" and "rio-
lated pledge" Now, the Union and Ameri-
can says, the February platform "copies the
principle Of the Nebraska act," but also de-
nounces the main feature of it. Both plat
forms, then, having denounced the act, are
equal on that pOint-but the June plat
form having "refused TO SANCTION" whilst
the February platform capped the principle
Of the act," the latter, on this point, is a
step in advance OF and that much the
sounder than the former And right here,
let US say, once for all, that anxious as we
were to preserve the substance of the 18th
section of the June platform, we prefer the
18th section of the February platform a
hundred-fold. This preference is based
upon its adoption of the principle Of non
Intervention on the subject of Slavery-a
principle which recognises the equality of
all sections o! the Union in the territories,
aud denies to Congress the power to pro-
hibit or permit slavery therein, placing all
power over the question in the hands Of
the sovereign people in the organization Of
their State government. 1t is the recog-
milton of this principle, North and South
and that alone-whch can diSarm the
fanatic aud extract from the slavery ques-
ton all that is Of evil tendency. If the
Union and american honestly desires to see
the country restored to quiet, instead of
Iabor;p,r IN r,iStifv or narvert Intentionally