Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-06-13
MILTON L. BENTLEY,
]. NJ. HAMILTON,
B. NJ. MOORE.
MAURY COUNTY, June II, 1857.
.NTLEY, j. NJ. HAMILTON, and B. NJ.

MAURY CoUNTY, June II, 1857
To M1IToN L. BENTLEY, ]. N. HAMILTON, and B. M.
Gentlemen IL have th honor to acknowledge the
receipt Of the communication which, a committee
Of the Lawrence county Democratic Convention you
have addressed me, of the 9th inst, informing me
that the Democracy Of Lawrence desire to know my
opinions of the present political parties Of Ten:
nessee, and Of the issues Of the present contest;
also, my opinion of the course Of the Hon John
Bell, IN the Senate of the United States
It has not been my habit to engage actieely, IN
the contests Of the opposing political parties Of the
State for State officers. My private pursuits have
not left me leisure, neither have my tastes led me
| to participate, actively, in these conflicts.
I am, therefore, sensible of the fact, that my
opinions are not as generally known to the people
as are those Of our party who have occupied public
positions, or who hFe, as politicians eanvaased the
| State.
1t is almost superauous for me to say-what
| presume is generally knoWn-that l am now, and
have ever BEEN a Democrat-national in my attach
ment the Union and Of the stre est sect Of strict
constructonists in political opinion.
/ am Democrat from the conviction that the
| principles of that party those most consistent
with our Republican form Of Government-that they
are best calculated to promote the happiness of the
people, to deyelope the resources Of our country,
and to perpetuate the blessings of free institu
tons, by holding together this great confederaoy Of
| States.
believe that party is the chosen instrumentaliy
Of Him whose providence may be seen in all our past
history, guiding nation to wise conclusions and
safe measures in times Of peace, and TO glorious
/ deeds in time of war
What great measure of national policy was ever
| conceived what foot of national domain ever
acquired what war, in redress of national wrongs,
was ever declared, except by this party?
In all the struggles for popular rights, it has ever
been foundthe advocate for civil and religious liberty
In the great sectional conflict just past, inEbich
/ the madness Of Abolition fanaticism arrayeI
against the Constitutional rights Of the South, it
| was the party which threw itself into the breach,
planted itself upon the Constitution, and by its
| harmony, power and patriotism, rolled back the
! beating surges which threatened to overwhelm the
/ South, and to rend the Union asunder.
have said that l a strict constructOnist be-
| cause believe that the permanency of the Union,
and its value to the people, whose rights 1t was IN
tended to secure, depend upon holding the Federal
| Government strictly within the powers granted
within the compact Of Union, and that every depar
ture from these powers must result in aggression upon
| the rights secured to the States.
In this brief and imperfect sketch Of the princi
PIES policy, achievements and past history Of the
Democratic party is to be found the reasons Of the
/ faith that is in me.
Entertaining these opinions, it is almost needless
for me to say, that utterly opposed to the par
ty in Tennessee-originally known as the kn0W-Hot-
! believe that its original organization, and the
principles it professed were both at war with the
rights of the people and the principles of our Gov
| eminent.
Its hidden midnight meetings-its secret signs and
oahs-might be tolerated as the means of resisting
the tyranny of an oppressive desPotism, and such
political societies we know have existed in the des
| pOtic governments Of Europe; and we also know
from history, that wherever such societies have had
strength enough to Oyerturn the despOtisms they
were intended resist they have led to revolutions
| bloodshed, and anarchy, infinitely worse than the
despOtisms themselves.
In Governments a single arbitrary vii lHaRforcing
an obnoxious order decree, is infnitel refera-
| BILE to the maddened frenzy of armed mob, bound
together by secret oaths, with objects at with
| the rights of others and the liberty Of all Such
Wers the teachings Of history
What is the experience Of this country, in regard
to this party? Does 1t constitute exception to
the teachings Of history in other countries? Look
| at Baltimore, New Orleans, Cincinnati St. Louis,
| Louisville, and other cities, with their streets
| drenched in blood, and answer my question.
do not know, nor do 1 care, whether the fault is
all in them. Admit if you choose, that the oppos-
ing party, OF naturalized citizens foreigners are
as much to blame the know nOthingS, ii does not
| alter he question.
| Whenever men constitute themselves the Judges
Of the rights of others, and set themselves above
the law, whenever force is resOrted to to execute
their lrH resistance will follow, in free Govern
! ment and blood shed must and will be the conse-
quence. 1t has always been so, and will continue to
be So until the stronger shall enslave the weaker
/ party.
It's known that the old Wing and Democratic
parties have had thousand hard fought conflicts
that they have contested every inch Of ground in
every State in the UniOn and yet no such violence,
no blood-shed no mObs ever dsgraced our large and
| pOpulous cities during their conflicts.
Those two great political parties, after the most
exciting conflicts submitted, with patriotic cheer
fulness the decision of the people at the ballot
! box. There were doubtless abuses of the ballot
box, by individuals of both the old political parties,
as have no doubt there have been since; but it is
the province of law, not of armed mobs, to punish
! corrupt and unworthy men, who thus abuse the
most sacred rights Of freemen. If the law itself
! be defective, ft should be amended. If its ad-
ministration be abused, that should be corrected
| byla law.
All free Governments must necessarily be
upheld by law and all attempts to amend defects
or to correct abuses, either real imaginary, by
armed mobs are destructive of the principles of the
Government, and must be put down. or revolution
and bloodshed is the inevitable consequence.
My objections, therefore, to the organization of
the Know Nothing party, rest broad national
ground-that is in the tendency Of all such polit-
cal organizations to usurp the province Of the law
and the powers of the Government; to make armed
mobs the arbiter Of peace, and to introduce blood
shed and revolutions.
/ J LiLia- ara in nv
The object sought to be accomplished by the prn-
ciples professed, was to embody public sentiment
against HaturaJzsd citizens and persons protesting
the Catholic religion, and to create physical force
strong enough to overaWe and put down all oppo
sItion to themselves at the ballot box. This pur-
pose itself unlawful, even if it could be accom-
pllshed without violence; but it must be manifest
that no free people would submit to be thus bereft
Of their most Ualuea constitutional rights with
out resistance, to the blood That general revo-
luton and bloOdshed did not ensue is solely atribu
table to the patriotic fOrbearance of the Democratic
party and to the confidence it had in the patriotism
and Intelligence Of the American people, who they
believed would, sooner or later see the danger of
this party, and put it down by peaceable means
The Constitution Of the country guarantees to
every free citizen the utmost freedom of religions
opinion, and expressly provides that no religious
tests for Office shall ever be required It also pro-
vdes for the admission of foreign born persons to
the rights of citizenship These were sthe rights
assailed by the Know Nothing party. 1t did not
propose to change the constitution and legally to
deprive them Of these rights, but to effect the same
result by embOdying public sentiment against |
them, to exclude them from Office, and from the |
ballot-bOX and with armed organizations, bound /
together by the most solemn Oaths to enforce their
11H, and thus, IN tact practically to digraRcdise
treemen Of foreign birth or of Catholic faith.
Such violation Of law and Of the Constitutional |
rights of eemen, could not but result in resistance
and blOodshed 1t has ever been our boast that our
country was the home of the oppressed and the
asylum Of liberty, and that here all men were per-
mitted to worship God according to the dictates of