Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-06-30

% The present Administrative Of the General Gov
eminent avOws the policy Of compromising all ex-
istng dissensions, maintaining the Constitution in
violate, oultivatng and preserving peace both in our
domestic and foreign relations far as Il NAV be
done consistently with the rights dignity and honor
Of the country; and they ask the confidence of the
people in the sincerity Of these professions. and
their competency successfully to maintain and CARR
them out"
This is a fair exposition Of the general outline of
Mr. Buchanan's Inaugural We can readily under.
stand why Black Republicans should oppose sncb
an administration, but il would seem dif6eult for
Southern men to find pretezt for opposing an ad-
ministration whose policy is 50 wise conservatives
and national. It would, at least have been bnt far;
if the administration bad been allowed a short tTia1
for the purpose Of testing the sincerity and honesty
/ Of is a7OWed policy. But our opponents have NO,
waited a single moment; their opposition is an
nounced in the same breath il which thew apnrova
its declared policy. It is assumed that the adr5inis
tration is not sincere in laying down its policy and
that 1t VIII not be faithful in carving il ON, IT,;
assumption is not based upon any alleged de6cisncv
IN the personal honesty or capacity Of Mr. Bucbon
an, or his Cabinet not word of distr1st es - O.
one Of them, is uttered; but our opponents saw No.
prominent Democratic leaders have heretofoya dif
Tered on questions Of internal policy; such as inter
nal Improvements, rivers and harbors. protectiva
tariffs, sc, and because they have thus differed "a
to the details Of measures ii is concluded tbot tbo
administration ought not 10 have the confidence of
4 the country, but ought to be opposed and broken
/ down Opposition on such grounds under existing
circumstances, was so palpably unreasonable tbot i
deserved only 10 be characterized az factions If the
administration is not entitled to the conf5a,,o 80
the country, because it is dependent for suDnort on
men who differ TO the details of the measure erT
merated, IN what condition do our opponents stand
! 10 urge such objection and on what rround ran
! they claim the confidence Of the country Their
address informs what their have been
though 10 does not inform Of the present name nv
! which they choose TO be known Because The Dor,o
cratic party scomposed, they saw Of s4dscordant
Materials, they "appeal TO all those whether Am,
orleans, Wings or Democrats in their past oartv os
sociaions, to rally together in a new but nameIass
party, and ito unite in vigorous opposition agq;y
ing all MINOR points Of difeTeRce" If the Democrat
&c party Is not worthy OF confidence because some
OF lis leading members in the application of general
principles on which they agree, entertain different
| views why should our opponents, made up Of Know
/ Notmngs wings and Democrats, heretofore antago-
nstic on all great questions, and now only united
Tor the sake OF opposition, be entitled to popular
/ confidence? But, said Mr. NJ this ground If on
position IS too papably pretext to command re-
| spect,
Mr.. y. then turned to the past history of the De-
mocIatc party, and challenged for it the full conf
i uenec OF the country on account of its antecedens
lie SAID that IN every great issue which had arisen
! involving the integrity Of the Constitution. the
equality OF the rights Of the different sections the
honor of the country in conflicts with foreign natiop
| or the acquisition Of territory the democratic
party had been found true to the best interests and
| TO the glory Of the country They resorted 10 no
secret organization and revolving oaths to bind
their members TO think alike on mere details. but
| when either the honor of the country in oeace or
- %" fhs ',2.-tcn:r -c- Z = ,
ISSUE they acted in concert from pure patriotic mo-
| tlyes and purposes The government had been under
democratic control during the larger part of its ex
! Istence-every law On the statute book, which had
contributed to the elevation and pprDetuitv Of tho
| ma Was nv fbo M
confidently claim that to them was to be attributed
the present rneXampled happiness and prosperity
! and glory of our country. There was nothing more
absurd and unfounded than the pretext on which cur
opponents ulstrus the sincerity and honesty of tie
administration and Of the Democratic party. Ii was
insult to the intelligence Of the people who have
so recently placed the administration ia power. TO
| oppose it on such grounds.
He said, that although our opponents embrace few
few other than tie late Know Nothing or American
party, 1t was manifest that they had exhumed as
their great leading question for the canvass one of
those obsolete and 50 obnoxious measures" of the
late Wing party, which they CURLY and summari-
~ repudiated in Of their platforms in 1855 He
didnot see how any truly national man cOull allow
the question OF distributing the proceeds O. pub
lie lands to be the controlling issue in the present
canvass; but our opponents seem disposed to get
away from the distinctive principles Of Knew Moth
lnglsm, and TO ignore their late anti-Nebraskaism
as nothing but opposition, however unreasonable.
Sdllely lIleLuy he was sure they could have
invented or dug up from the charEal house Of dead
measures, more impracticable issue than that OF
distribution.
There was much in the present, as well as in the
late relations Of the two branches of the opposition
which deserve to be carefully noted and studied He
had alresdy alluded to the past harmonious conci-
dence between the Black Republicans and Know
NOthings IN their common opposition to the Demo-
cratic party. That coincidence was at present quite
as harmonious-the one rallying its forces on anti
slavery sectional grounds, and the other on land
distribution sectional grounds. It is worthy of re-
mark that the Southern branch of the opposition
took occasion in their platform protest ganst the
further agitation Of the sectional question of slave
ry but present for agitation the land question which
Is quite as sectional and most as exciting as the
slavery question We have this remarkable specta-
ce-tnere are but two questions on which it is pos
sible TO array one section against another and the
two wings Of the OppostiH have selected these two
questions to hold together their respective adherens
1t IS not at all certain that in the formation of our
Government the subject Of the public lands was not
| the cause Of more embarrassment than that of
slavery. Mr. Clay understood the sectional charac-
/ ter Of the land questiOn-he was aware how sensi-
tive the new States were as to any interference with
| in their boundaries Hence both of his distribution
bills contained large bonuses 70 thenew States by way
Of conciiating the people Of those States Mr. Bell
was equally aware how sensitive the new State peo-
pie are, and he, too, sought when ne introduced III,
late bill to appease them by giving the assurance
that ne had always favored liberal grants for their
benefit, and that his bill did propose to interfere
with similar grants ia future. Our OpIoaagts a die
North agtate the slavery question: and the effect is
| to array the North against the South-our oppo-
ncnts South agitate the land question: and the eff
feet is to array the Old against the New States The
Northern States are stronger than the Southern and
therefore, if they can be combined in Presidential
struggle, the candidate Of the strong section may
succeed. The old States are stronger than the new
and they can De combined the Presidential canGi-
date of the old States party may succeed The De-
| mocracy has to meet both wings of the opposition
in their respective feds-the anti slavery wipc has
| already succeeded in getting the ascendency over
| the Democracy in many Of the old States at the
! North If the old State party can now succeed in
putting down the Democracy in a few Of the South
States the two wings will he able to compromise
and harmonic for successful Presidential canvass
! in 1860
/ That the distribution bill was intended for a
/ Presidential rather than a Congressional question,
1 Mr.. n. said, was fairly deducible from Mr.. Bells
/ own remarks When he introduced the bill he con
! coded that its passage hopeless Why then in
/ troiUce it Mr. Bell knew that such Dill could
not pass the Senate during the next four years
! Some issue was necessary on which to weaken the
! strength Of the democracy in the Southern States
Some issue must be gotten up in Tennessee on which
the public mind could be drawn away from Know
| Nothingism and Observation-Disclosures. These sug-
gestons looked clearly to some future object He
would not say that they proved the existence Of a