Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-07-20
The Underground RaIIrOad-D
&c Docunanfs.
BEW4RE or LNPOSITTONI

BEH4RE or LMPOSIIIONI
Wereceived by mail last Friday from friends
in Humphreys and Haywood counties, copies
OF democratic document, which, we presume,
IS being circulated in all portions of the State.
1t is an anonymous production having nothing
to Indicate either its parentage or place of
birth. 1t goes out like the foundling whose
mother is ashamed of the issue of Der illicit
amours, and lays it at some neighbours door to
be taken in and cared for. The design of this
precious bantling is to iRjure Bob Hatfon; but
we apprehend little danger of that The thing
is so full of perversion and misrepresentation,
it defeats itself We shall brand sample of
its contents, and turn the whole over to mer-
tied contempt. Under the head of 'sTAe Dis.
tri6ution Question" we find the following:
In order to direct the public mind from the obi
Gus doctrines Of the Know Nothings Mr. Hattou
has seized upon the old question of distribution No
one knows better than Mr. Hauon that thaS distri-
button Of the public lands is wholly impractic4ble
The Democratic party have always opposed it and
from the extracts below the peopl- will what
Henry Clay, John Bell and James c. Jones think
Of Mr. HattO'ts policy.
What is the object of this paragraph
Clearly to induce the belief that Mr. HattOn
has "sezed upon the old question of distribu-
ton, that is, the 'dstribation of the public
lands, and that Henry Clay was opposed to
! it. This is the OF jet, or it has none.
Now, let US see the extract from Mr.. Clay,
| which is introduced to show that he was OPP
posed to "Mr. Hatton'S policy" Here it is:
| 'Tn making this inquiry, the first question which
presents itself s, whether it is expedient to pre-
| SerUs the existing duties in order accumulate
surplus in the treasury for the purpose OF suisse
| quent distribution among the sew raj States. 1
| think not. II the collection for the purDOSe of
such a surplus is to be made from the pock, Is OF
one portion OF the people 10 be ultimately returned
to the same pocke the process would be attended
with the certain loss from the charges for collection
and Ui tie loss also Of int,reSt wuLe the none, is
| performing the necessary circuit, and it would
therefore unwise II 1t is to be cole cted from
portion of the peoplr and given to another, it
would be unjust If it is to be given tn States
an helr corporate capacity. to be used BIZ them i,L
their public expenditure know of principle an
tie constitution uhch authorizes the Federal Gov
RIM ut to be, such col ctor for the States,
II or Of arg principle Of safety proprjety hich
admit- of the States OrcUnlhg such recipients of
grataity from the General Government"
The document says this is from speech made
by Mr.. Clay on the 18th of June, 1882. Mr..
! Clay made no speech on the 18th of June,
! 1882 He did make one on the I1th of jan
uaIy, 1892 Gas the reader will find on refer
ence to Gales & Seaton's Register Of Debates,
of that date,) and the above extract is taken
from it. But, what is Mr.. Clay talking abouI2
Is he talking about the policy of distributing the
proceeds of the sales of the public lands, or the
| lands themselves No-he is talking about
the distribution Of monies collected under tie
operation Of the Tariff for the support Of the
| g0Uernmenu And yet this document has the
amazing etfrontery to endeaVOr to impose up
on the reader The belief that Mr. Clay referred
10 "Mr. HattOn's policy" of distribution !!
! This attempted fraud might be denounced as
wicked were it not so silly as to expose its own
defOrmity. Why, on the 10th Of April, 1882,
Mr. Clay made a report in the United States
Senate in favor of distributing the proceeds of
the sales of the public lands amongst the
States, and during the session engineered
through, bill carrying out the recommends
tiops of the report.
! Having thus given a sample of the contents
of this Democratic document, and branded it,
we pass it over to the conductors of the IN
| foreground Railroad. It is made up of just
such Misrepresentation and perversions as
the sample, and no one but an incorrigible
blockhead can be deceived by it.