Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-07-08
WEDNEspAY MORNING, July 8, Iss7

MR.. BELL ADVOCATING "ALIEN SUFFRAGE"
When the Know NOthings conceived the idea of
making hobby for the canvass out of what they
call "alien suffrage" they ought to have taken
the precauon to have examined the record of their
leaders before placing themselves in position to be
made ridiculous. This they did not do but went
it blind, as the saying is, and have the sat
isfaction of holding them up be laughed by the
world.
We have heretofore quoted the resolution for
which Gen. ZOllieoffer voted when a member of the
State Senate in 1885, declaring that all the ''inhab
itants' Of territory had a right to vote while in
territorial condition. 1t is plain and emphatic. We
have also quoted portion of the speech made by
the same gentleman in Congress in advocacy of the
Kansas BILL in which he shows that this feature In
the territorial bills, which Know NOthingism calls
"slien suffrage" has been almost uniformly prac-
tised from Washngton's administration to the pre-
sent We have also given that portion of Mr.. Bells
speech relative to this very feature of the Kansas
bill, when the Clayton amendment was being dis
cussed in which he Mr.. Bell deprecates the policy
of Southern insisting striking out the " alien
suffrage" feature. We have referred to the fact,
also, that this provision in the Kansas bill was
AlbcIdl COpy Vi CAduoc Ii Inc washington
BILL which was voted for by Mr.. Bell and approved
and signed by Willard Fillmore. Surprising that
our readers will remember these facts, we merely
fer to them without recOpying them. We desire to
clnch the argument against Mr. Bell by furnishing
the public with other fact and will then turn
to something more worthy of their attention
In 1850, when the country was threatened with
the agitation of slavery, various plans devised
for its settlement. Mr.. Douglas proposed plan ;
Mr.. Clayton, of Delaware, proposed plan; Mr.
Clay proposed another Mr.. Bell was unfavorable to
them all-would vote for neither-but finally intro
duced one of his own, embraced in a series of reso-
buttons, the last of which instructed the Committee
Territories to report bill in conformity with the
spirit and principles thus set FORTH the 4th and 8th
of which copy below, from which it will be seen
that Mr.. Bell uses the word {" inhabitants which
the opposition press say embraces aliens free ne
grOes, and Indans-wherever he speaks of the adop-
the regulation of their internal policy They
read as follows:
4. BeS0lged, That all the territory now claimed by
Texas lying north of the 34th parallel of the north
latitude, and which may be ceded to the United
States by Texas be incorporated with the territory
Of New Mexico, except such part thereof as lies
east Of the Rio Grande and south of the 34th par
allel Of north latitude, and that the territory so
composed form a State, TO be admitted into the Union
zohsa the INHABITANTS thereof shall adopt consti-
tUti0, republican in FORM with the consent of Con
gress, &c.
s. Resolred, That the INHABITANTS Of any Ter
Titory Of the United States, when they shall be
thOrised by Congress TO form State Constitution,
shall haze the and EXCLUSIVE poI0er to regulate
and ADJUST all questions Of internal State policy, Of
whatever nature they may be, controlled only by the
restrictions expressly imposed by the Constitution of
the United States.
Now, according TO Know Nothing logic, if this
does not embrace d" aliens, free negroes and Indi-
ans" should like to know what does. 1t certain
ly proposes 60 much farther than the Kansas bill,
which only invests with the right of suffrage % citi-
zens of the United States and such others as have
declared on oath their intention to become citizens,
and who have taken an oath to support the Consti-
tuition of the United States and the provisions of this
act, and these are only authorised to vote at the
first election, the qualification of voters in all sub
sequent elections being left to the determination of
the legislature of the territory.
And Mr. Bell and Gen. Zocoffer are the leaders
of this faction that trying to create cOnfu-
sion and get up an excitement over what they drawl
out as "a-l-i-e-n suffrage" Certainly the country
cannot continue to respect the political consistency
of such men, or have any other feeling than pro-
found disgust at their efforts to deceive the masses.