Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-07-10
CORRESPONDENCE.
HARRIS AND HkrToN.

N.
BLOuSrF1LLE, July 2. 1857.
DEAR DUKx1NGFoN This has been gloriolis day
for the Democracy. The candidates for Governor
spoke here, Hatton opening and Gen Harris closing
the discussion. Never did the citizens Of Sullivan
witness a more complete and overwhelming victory
than that achieved by Gen. Harris. We had sup
posed that, at all events, Hattoal Sas atolsra5gs
match for Gen. Harris, but such is not the case He
would be ne match for him even If his eause were
equally meritoriOus; but with cause SO utterly
defenceless his case is indeed pitiableo one ~ q
Col. Hatton consumed almost all his time in talk.
ing about distribution and alien sufraeeo these
together with few incidental remarks upon ques-
tons of State policy, were the staple Of his speech
He read garbled extract from a speech. made by
Gen. Harris while in Congress- upon the Missouri
restriction, to the efe,t that he Gen. n, would
regret to see the Missouri Compromise uioiated By
miserable bubble upon words, he attempted to
leave the impression that Gen. Harris was friend
of the Missouri restriction and opposed to its repeal
When the truth is, as Gen. H. remarked, that the
very next paragraph from the clause which he read
expressly and distinctly declares that restriction
Unconstitutional. And moreover, the whole speech
was an argument in favor of the passage of the
New Mexico Territorial bill which did scualy repeal
the Mssur restriction fora space of several hundred
miles This effort only harmed himself-itrecoiIed
upon him. In like spirit and with like success,
he attempted to fix upon Gen. Harris notification
doctrines and advocacy of the right of Congress to
giee away lands. All of these charges were as east
ly exposed. - -.l IN ~. ~ - 80 49,. &,
= Z
Gen. Harris began by arraigning his competitor
for attempting play double on him by claiming to
be the candidate of tvo parties, while he was in
truth s'Oorn member of secret order, pledged to
prescribe every man who dared to act Independent
of that order The repeated cheers of his audience
attested the telling effect of Gen. LIS remarks upon
ispointi He next proceeded to the land humbug
He professed only to discuss and expose the inn
praOticability of the scheme and to show how ruin
Gus the policy would be if practicable He had been
accustomed 20 devote some little time TO an EXPOSE
ton of the uncOnstitutonaity of the policy but to-
day he would content himself with merely reitera-
ting his position, and remarking that he was sup
ported in it by almost every leading statesmen of
the last half century, Of all parties. Gen H. then
proceeded to show how vast and insuperable were
the obstacles in the way of carrying out such poll
cy; how utterly impossible it would be peaceaby to
divide the lands what fatal consequences must in
.evitably flow from the conflicting interest of the
different States; how, in all human probability, dis
cord and civil strife would result from the attempt.
But, overlooking for the argument sake its mpract
cablity, he proceeded to show how utterly ruinous
to the South it would be- how fatally it would OPP
crate against all Of her interests agricultural
region. Again he examined the effects it would
have upon the rich and poor men respectively,
showing coneusively that in the end it would prove
nothing more nor less than vast monied machine,
owned and controlled by horde of speculators-an
inexhaustible source of fraud and corruption. goo
But how comes it that his competitor had spoken
an hour on this topic! How came it in the canvass
1t had been discussed again and again years ago
The verdict of the people had consigned it to the
tomb fifteen years since, and there it had slept in
peace and quiet until this canvass. NOW it was
brought into the campaign, and for what? Simply
and solely for the purpose of making political CAPT
tai -a. HT " -'l7 h. -,... ,.,
Gen. H. next proceeded to take up the history of
the Know Nothing party-its Organilation-the ma
ehinery by which it obtained its ends-its history
the victory it had achieved in eecting abolition
Congress, returning abOlitOnists to the u S. SEN
ate, and all its many odiOus acts. He defed his
competitor to point to single act of his party
that was even respectable in point of nationality
Turning to the history of the Democratic party he
passed upon it one of the most eloquent eulogiums
that have ever heard delivered. a--
1 have thus run hurriedy some of the points
in speech which is pronounced by the best of judg-
to have surpassed any thing of the kind ever heard
here before. am aware that have not done half
justice even to the few points which have noticed
But the people Of Sullivan viii give report St it;
in August next that will do justice to its high merit