Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-06-16

freesboro. His own party approved it, and the
democracy generally approved it, and he would
not further defend it. He gloried in the bill,
and his competitor might settle his opposition
with his party friends, as best he could. He
voted for the Assessor Law, thinking it best for
the interest and credit of the State: but it had
not worked WELL and he was for its repeal.
The time having expired Mr.. HArToN sat down
and Gen. HARRIS took the stand to reply and
Mi. HATroN closed the discussion by a rejoinder,
each of half an hour
Gen. HARRIS ran rapidly over the points which
Mr.. HattOn had made. Did sign the Memphis
bond petition, but was opposed to it with the
omnibus bill. 1t was not the policy of alien
suffrage that he was defending, but the principle,
that the States had unlimited power over the sub
Ject of the qualifications of voters This was
the issue. He read from Judge Taney's opinion
In the bred Scott case to show that the States
had that power, and from the Con. Art. l, sec. 2.
His notification resolutions were but the ex-
preston of an opinion; and as it turned out that
opinion was correct and true Why deny the
right of free expression Of opinion? He en-
dorsed'the Northern democracy on all questions
of danger to the South, but does not profess to
endorse all the opinions of any one man. He
had heard nothing from the Capital about alien
suffrage; he was not under the control of any
council or clique. He did not know how much
Iowa and Illinois had been benefited by the
public lands; but Tennessee was situated differ
ently-if she had lands she could not sell them
faster or higher than the government This was
the expiring effort of Know Nothngsm, for life
and its passage was not hoped for by Mr.. Bell.
The swamp land actlmited the donation to lands
not tillable, and upon condition they should be
drained. 1t is not true that rich dry lands were
given, as Mr. Hatton stated. (Read LIST acc. of
the Act.) Mr.. Hatton referred to Gen. Jackson
as authority, but Gen. Jackson had vetoed land
distribution bill, and recommended graduation,
as contended for by him (Harris)
The rejoinder of Mr.. HATToN, was terse vigor-
Gus, pointed and powerful. He repeated the
charge of notification, and explained the differ
ence between temperate expression of opinion
and the dictatorial character of these legislative
resolutions, determining the constitutionality of
an act of Congress, and binding the State to
that construction-thed difference between an e1-
preston of individual opinion and notification.
He referred again to the Memphis Bonds and
showed how Gen. Harris had changed front upon
| the subject. He referred to the land question,
and showed the follacy of "the mathematical
argument" of Gen. Harris, the answer being
three and a third cents, for each individual.
Showed how other states had been benefited,
and how Tennessee might be. He drew a pic
ture of railroads and increased commerce; of
school houses, and happy intelligent children;
Of cultivated population, and the general pros
perity. He referred to the question of State
power over voters; took up the opinion of Judge
fancy, read by Gen. Harris. Said that was not
question before the Court, not alluded to by
the other judges, who all delivered opinions. 1t
was what all lawyers knew to be an Obiter die
tun, and binding on no court under heaven, and
Gen. Harris knew it to be such. Judge
fancy himself on previous occasions, when
that question was before him, had held the
reverse of that now attributed to him. Gen.
Harris had denied that there were dry lands in
the swamp land" grant, and had read the first
section of the Act to prove it. He knew what
he was doing when he made the statement He
then read the third section of the same Act, pro-
viding that the lands shall be surveyed in sec
tions ranging from forty to twenty-four hundred
acres. IT, in these surveys, the greater amount
in any should be wet land the whole should
be counted as wet land in other words, if
there were thirteen hundred of wet and twelve
hundred of dry, the whole should 60 as wet
land. Under the operation of this section, hun
| drpd9 Of fba hast drv bod
passed. And so his position was verified. He
then passed to the question of Alien Suffrage
showed its practical operation, and denounced
the doctrine that aliens of every name and ma.
ton, should come into this country, which it had
cost us so much to build up, and which was our
own by the blood of our fathers, and take pos
session of the ballots box, and to guide us in our
affairs, was most odous and dangerous it was
a most Infamous doctrine, and smeled to heaven.
(Here Gen. Harris demanded an explanation,
and some words ensued-which will be given
clsewhere-when Mr.. Hatton was proceed ing,
Gen. Harris pushed him from the stand towards
the front, and jumped down after him. There
was great excitement for some minutes but the
parties were soon separated, and after a few
minutes, and the excitement had somewhat SUBJ
sided, Mr.. Hatton assembled the stand and re-
sumed) Continuing, he said, he believed he
had yet five or six minutes to speak He would
devote that to foreigners. He had too great a
regard for that country which his ancestors had
helped to make free, to see it tamely given up
to the Ignorant and unprincipled foreigner. He
had too much reverence for the memory Of that
ancestry, whose blood had gushed forth under
the strokes of foreign arms, upon southern soil,
and which had tinted the blue waters of north
ern lake, to see it desecrated by the hands which
had sought its life and overthrow. He continued
this strain for the remaining five minutes, giving
utterance to burst of pathos, which, for beauty
and power, has rarely been surpassed during
which the entire crowd seemed to hang in
breathless suspense.
This closed the proceedings of the day or
our own impressions, ETC., we shall speak in our
next issue.