Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-12-08

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lay, by the election of Mr.. ORR, of South
Carolina, Speaker, and Mr.. ALLEN, of Hi
nOis, Clerk. There were two hundred and
twenty-one members of the House present.
Mr.. ORR received l28 votes, being pretty
much the full strength of the Democracy.
The Republicans supported Mr.. Grow, of
Pennsylvania. The Presidents message
will be communicated to-day.
Mississippi SenIimeDI-The Fighting
Line Defined.
The radical opinions of John G.. Calhoun.
on the subject of slavery and of State
rights and State Sovereignty, carried South
Carolina far in advance of any of her sis
ter States of the South, as well in a keen
appreciation of imagined wrongs, as in a
bold and defiant declaration OF remedies.
The assumption by the notification conven-
ton of 1912, was in fact and substance
that the State was superior to the Federal
Government, and that any State possessed
the right and the power of terminating its
connection with the other united States at
pleasure. But these doctrines were scout
ed by the other States, North and South,
and she has stood alone, for a quarter of a
century, the solitary herald of "peaceable
secession" The progress Of fanaticism at
the North, has necessarily found its echo at
the South. Mississippi Alabama, and
Georgia have wheeled into line, but in the
rear file, with South Carolina But with
them, peaceable secession gives place to
the idea of violent disunon, and this idea
is propagated and enforced under the
plea of unfolding and defending the con-
stitutiOn!
Gov MCWHLIE, of Mississippi, in his re-
cent inaugural address, argues at some
length the question of slavery, reiterating
the positions of Mr.. Calhoun, and concludes
by defining the fighting line" The Gov
ernor is a high-toucd, honorable gentleman
and has been one of the most moderate of
all the immoderate men of that State.
Assuming that he correctly represents the
sentiment and feelings of the large major
ity of the people, by whom he was eleVat-
ed to the chief Office of the State, we give
the concluding part of his inaugural He
recites the fact that the North has a large
majority in the House of Representatives,
a majority of two in the Senate, and the
power to elect President, saying that it
els our duty to be prepared for any contin-
gency," never losing sight of that axiomat-
ic truth laid down in the Constitution of the
United States, "a well regulated militia
being necessary to the security of free
State, the right of the people to keep and
bear arms shall not be infringed," he pro-
ceeds:
"The late decision Of the Supreme Court in ref
erence to the negro status, rights in the Terri
tories and the recognition of the duty of the Fed
eral Government under the Constitution, to protect
US and our property, there is the end of the argu
ment, and of the law and beyond it there is no APP
peal but force. II these rights, thus established
should be invaded or denied to u.s. can there be one
man in the South, so very coward, or so much a
traitor, to fail in their vindcation, even though
that vndiCatiOn may come through the Instrument
tality of lead and steel? If we are true to our
selves we will not falter The Constitution has
has fixed the point at which resistance tyranny
becomes duty. 1t has said to power thus far but
no farther; it has made quarrel just, it has
! marked the fighting line, from which we can take
no step backward but with uishonOr. This is all
that the constitution or laws do, the balance is
for ourselves. Let then BE- prepared eternal vigi
lance and sacrifice is the price of liberty; no peO-
| pie ever can long be free who are not military in
their habits and ready defend their nstitu-
tons and laws. We as people enjoy the peculiar
privilege of bearing arms, and being the defenders
of our rights and liberties. II we should ever
be deprived OF the one or lose the other it will be
because were unworthy of them, and had not
the courage to d iend them. It is however, not
only our privilege, but il is GU bOunden duty, as a
free people, to cultivate military spirit and to OBJ
tain military knowledge; in thissVieW of our duty il
will be my study TO effect a thorough organization Of
the militia Of the State. This | would feel bound
to do, even though there WAS no immediate danger
| menaciug us. But situated as We now are, with
danger the most immn ut, il is absolutely neCessa~
! ~ TO our security and the permanence OF our IN
stitutious. That the overthrow Of our social organ
iZatiOn Is the liked purpose OF very large number
Of the people of the nOnsaVeholdng States, is be-
| yond doubt. IL the late presidential election it
l was fully manfested--and they had well nigh sue
/ ceeded; as they had carried eleven out of sixteen
of those States. They are now preparing for ano-
Their struggle. They teach hostility TO aud our
institutions in their schools, they preach it from
pulpits they print it in their books they proclaim
federal governments. Their course is onward
and believe can only be arrested by force or fear.
You might as well reason with Il mad-man a a ia
matte How canyon approach transceRjentalist OF
the higher law school-WbO has law OF his own
paramount TO the constitution of his country-and
a religion boiler than that OF the biblcl 1t cannot
be done, and lfeaT that act upon false premises,
when encourage the expectation that this ianat-
icism will die out or recede from its purpose. God
grant that il may be So but such expectation is
not justified by the teachings OF the psst-all his
tory shows that such ianatical organizations have
| generally succeeded in their purposes, had TO
be crushed out by force and strangled in their own
| blood. The former We never Can permit-ior the
latter let be ready; our curity a State, aud
| the prrmanence OF the Union depends upon the
| nrmuess aud concert Oi the South. Let Us not by
/ our supiueness, invite agsresson-but by thor
| Ough arming and organization convince our assail-
Ruts that cannot Be attacked with impunily, but
| the contrary, that fully ready, aud wis
ling and able to take Of ourselves in the Union
! Il We cam out OF Il if must"
! Secretary stanton, Senator SIIdeIl, GOV.
| walker.
| Correspondence n. Y. Tdbuae)
WAsHIMGToS, Tuesday, Dec. /, 1857.
A letter has been received from Secretary Stan
/ ton uy the President recalling his resignation As
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