Weekly Clarksville chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 185?-1857, 1857-07-03
THE SPEAKING ON SATURDAY.

Messrs Zollicoffer and Quarles address
ed quite large audience, in the Court
house, on Saturday afternoon. Gen. zol-
licoffer led off-discussing the subjects of
squatter sovereignty, alien suffrage, demo
cratic Inconsistency and land distribution,
and sustaining his positions by an array
of facts which his competitor utterly failed
to rebut, where the attempt was made, but
failing to make the attemptin but few in
stances. The facts and arguments on
these various points, are familiar to our
readers, and therefore we shall not attempt
n recapitulation in this connection. But
as the speech of Mr.. Quarles was a novelty,
We propose to notice some of its points.
In reply to the overwhelming proof of
democratic inconsistency adduced by Gen.
Zollicofer, Mr.. Quarles took the position
that the consistency of party must be
tried by its platform, and not by the in
dividual acts and opinions of its members;
and illustrated by saying that to arrive at
the faith of particular church, you must
look at its creed, and not at individual
opinions So far as it goes, the COMPARE
son is good; but suppose member enter
tains opinions, and is guilty of acts not
sanctioned by that creed, and he is ar
raigncd for the offense, does it suffice for
his acquittal, that ne points to the confess
sion Of faith, and under it claim to be a
good Christian? Certainly not In like
manner, the Cincinnati platform can not
make consistent democrats, nor a national
party of those who think and act with and
against every tenet of that humbugging
political creed. The President is for in
tcrnal improvements, and Mr. Quarles is
opposed, yet he claims that the platform
makes them both democrats AS well
might he contend that the Unitarian and
the Trinitarian are both Christians.
Gen, Xolicoifer charged that, at other
points, Mr. Quarles defendcdalien suffrage;
but here he ropudatcd it, saying it was
not in the platform, and that a democrat
was at liberty to go for, or against it, as
he thinks prope,. For this change of rear
to front, the General made due allowance
--supposing that, here, Mr.. Quarles ex-
pectcd American votes, and did not desire
TO arouse that party by the maintenance
of so mOnstrOus a doctrine His appeal
to Americans was quite earnest, and en-
bracod the strange suggestion that, as Gen.
ZolicOfcr is not the nominee of the party,
the members are free TO vote against him
and on this ground hopes for many Of
their votes. This idea is based upon the
assumption that Americans have no princi-
pies to uphold, and that their votes are
given in accordance with the commands of
conventions. But we believe he will find
himself mistaken, to very great extent,
in his calculations; and will find that
Americans are not TO be Influenced by his
other argument that, as Gen, Hollicofier
IL in too small minority to carry any
measure through Congress, there is no use
in clcctiug him. This amounts 10 the as
scrtion OF the doctrine, that, if man can
not effect, at present, the great ends he
aaims at, he mayeE we'll do what he believes
~ be wrong 90 do right, and to make
no eT8rt to accomplish, in the future, the
good he proposes for the great interests Of
his coun,ry,9
Cu H., sticct Of Distribution, Mr..
%