Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-04-21
NASHVILLE:
TUESDAY, APRIL 81, 1857.


upon the kanSaS-N ebraSka Dill, Tor the po-
litical capital necessary to carry them
through the elections of the ensuing spring
and summer. Their life and success de-
pend upon their ability to SO Intervene
this question with unreasoning abuse of
"Know nothingism," as to divert the pub
lie mind from the true and vital issues which
now depend before the country. Squatter
Sovereignty, alien suffrage, justice and
equality among all the States in the dispo-
sition of the public lands, and the extension
Of the naturalization laws are to be thrust
aside, and ignored; and q subject in which
they can play upon the feelings and appeal
to the sectional passions and prejudices to
be substituted in their place. Already has
the programme been distinctly laid down in
this State, and every effort will be made to
conduct the contest according to it. The
hobby has been led out, and Bombastes
prepares to mount. The Kansas Nebras-
ka bill, heretofore so powerful, must be the
cynosure of all eyes, the devotional object
of all hearts. Over the mountains and
along the plains from Carter to Shelby and
back again, the cry goes up from every
stump, the wall issues from every press,
that the monster Abolitionism is rampant
in Tennessee. The people are expected to
fly to arms, to become really and seriously
alarmed for their homes and fresides, and
to come up to the polls under the delusion
that their lives and fortunes and sacred
honor are at stake. 1t will be charged
and persistently and continually repeated
from now until August, that the leaders of
the American party in this State arc the
secret allies of the Black Republicans, that
they are led on by JOHN BELL, who, it will
be asserted, is and has been for years fgur-
ing for the Presidency, and who has allied
himself to the abolitionists for this
purpose; that the end and ultimate aim of
Americanism everywhere is to coalesce with
the Northern freeSoilers in 1860, to de-
feat the democracy at any and every cost;
that the American party South is but
mischievous faction, whose success in this
contest would lead to the most disastrous
consequences; that in order to avert ca
lamity so terrible, it is the duty of every
patriot to rally to the standard of democ-
racy, as the only party in the country
which possesses the power to save the
Union from inevitable destruction. Such |
is the outline. The lights and shades will |
be made up of petty charges of proScrip-
ton, secrecy, dark lanterns, oatbs and all
The other thick-coming progeny of distor-
ed reason and sickly Imagination
These are the means to be employed to Sc
cure the predominance of democracy. 1t
'emains to be seen whether the people will
permit themselves to be luled to repose
lpon great questions of State and national
policy, and be led on wild crusade, the
motive to which is founded in a hot lust for
power and plumber, and the result of which
cannot but be deleterious to the best in
terests of the country.
Let us then, in the outset, briefly con-
slider, what we are invited to discuss
What IS the Kansas-Nebraska issue, and
chg should it bs held up as the paramount
ssue in the coming convass2 To arrive at
a correct answer, we must recur to the
history of the measure which gave it birth.
In 1920, during the first violent outburst of
the difficulties between the North and the
South-occasioned by the application of
Missouri to be admitted as a State into
The Union, with constitution recognizing
md protecting slavery compromise was
presented, which at that day was thought
10 be fair and equitable, and which was
agreed to by the representatives of the
people of both sections and became law.
It provided that in all States thereafter to
De carved out of territory lying North of
he line of 36 deg. and 80 min. north lati-
ude, belonging to the United States sla-
Tery should be prohibited, and in those
outh of that line, slavery might or might
lot exist at the option of the people of the
erritories. By this arrangement, the
south obtained Missouri, which lies wholly
Iorth of the line of SO : 80. With it she
ested contented until the Mexican war
.dded an immense field to our public do
main, lying on both sides Of the Missouri
line. When in 1850 the SUBJ
ect of erecting territorial governments for
! large portion of this new acquisition,
Utah and New Mexico, the difficulty again
PRESENTED itself, and gave rise to a fearful
truggle between the two sections. The
anatics Of the North insisted that no other
lave states should be admitted into the
Union, the more moderate, that the Mis-
ouri Compromise should be extended to
he Pacific; aud still very few, were will
ing to leave the whole subject to the peo-
lie Of the territories themselves. A new
was effected, whereby the
'rineple Of non-intervention was Inaugural
ed, and the people were left free to fash
on their institutions to suit themselves,
without any legislative interference on the
art of Congress. Some other differences
we're adjusted, the fugitive slave law &c,
which it is unnecessary here to discuss. In
he compromise Of 1850, the whole coun-
ry acquiesced, at least so far as the nom
principle was concerned. A