Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-06-03
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 1857.
Hon. JOhn BeII and the BIunders of the
Union and American.

Hon. j ohm BeII and the BIunders of the
Union and American.
On Tuesday last we completely demolish-
ed the position of the Union and american,
that Col. Bells an ''adUocate of the consttu-
t'On0t pO,0er Of Congress to prohibit SLAVERY
IN the Territories; :" and that Gen. Zollicof
fer, in declaring that the theory that Con-
gress has such power is more dangerous
to the South than the open efforts of abo-
litionism, poured a broadside into the
Bell party" We cited our neighbor to
the expressed opinions Of Col. Bell, show
ing that he occupied no such position as
was assigned to him. We quoted from
each of two speeches he made in the Sen
ate in 1854, upon the Nebraska bill, in one
of which, speaking of the Missouri Com
promise of 1920, he said:
"Tbe power Of Congress to impose perpetual
restriction uron slavery over any portion Of the
territory of the United States, strongly ques-
toned the time Of the adoption OF the measure;
and looking at the question as one of constitutional
pouer, I ogree 'ciM ma Southern friends, that NO
SUCH POWER CAN DE fairly deduesd from any grant
| an the constitution"
And in the other, speaking of the same
measure, he said
GAS have already said mot in this debate,)
I thought there was no Oarrant an tie constitution
to authorize its passage"
Here is positive proof from the record,
that Col. Bell held the opposite of the oPIn-
ion our neighbor fundamentally attributed
to him-that he, indeed, agreed with Gen.
ZoIIicoffer on the constitutional question
and it followed, of course, that the latter
could have been firing no "broadside" into
Col. Bell or his friends.
What has our neighbor had to say, since
we exhibited these proofs Has he de-
MED them That, he cannot do? Has he
tried even to construe them adversely? Not
he. He is as silent as sun-fsh upon this
record demonstration. He Staggers and
reels about, under the force of the blow,
and feebIy rallies under the argument that
they differed radically" on the Kansas
. Nebraska bill, and that in that Il" conflict "
Gen. ZoIlicoffer expressed the opinion re-
ferred to, and that he must have intended
to apply it to Col Bell. Why, the opinion
referred to, was not expressed in the de-
bate on the Kansas Nebraska bill at ALL 1t
was not expressed in the same Congress in
which the bill passed, but about two years
after that struggle, and in a different con-
nection altogether.
Our neighbor throws out another un-
founded statement, which we will here cor
rect. He says that Gen. Zolicoffer throw
ing himself into the KanSas-Nebraska con-
hct, "boldly charged the enemies Of the
Kansas bill, whether they resided North or
South of Mason and Dixon's line, a0ere the
enemies of the South" He did no such
thing On the contrary, he expressly said,
in his Nebraska Speech, there are doubtless
many patriotic and national men opposing this
BILL" and again he said, pending the late
election for speaker have here taken
by the hand, national gentlemen a0hO UOted
against that bill and who stand with me
against further agitation" have taken
by the hand here gentlemen who voted
against the Kansas-Nebraska bill, who, |
believe, are national, patriotic men. The
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fuller
for whom l have cast my vote from day to-
dav, would himself, had he been member
of the last Congress, have voted against
that bill" So much for that blunder Of
our reliable neighbOr.
But to return When Gen. Zolicoffer
made his declaration, touching the advo-
Gates of the constitutional power of Con-
gress to prohibit slavery in the Territories,
our neighbor asks-"TO 1ohOm did he referP'
We can tell him to whom he referred. That
declaration was made in the midst of the
contest for Speaker, and just after Gen.
Zollicoffer had shown that the whole dem.
ocratic party were supporting for Speaker,
a man, (Mr. Richardson, of Ill., who had
declared that if bills which left the local
laws of Mexico to operate freedom into the
territories acquired from Mexico were de-
feated, then he tOas "for bills Nth the VA
mot Proriso," for, as he said, "there a0as no
constitutional difficulty IN his road" Gen.
Zollicoffer had just asked Mr.. Stephens, Of
Ga, a warm supporter of Mr.. Richardson,
evil he not concede that he Mr.. Ste.
phens, was the advocate, and not only
the advocate, of the power of Congress to
introduce or prohibit slavery in the terrific.
ries, but that he contended, upon the floor
of this Honse, that the only means Of har-
NOM between the North and the South,
was the erercise of this pO1Oer by Congress.
He had Just exhibited Mr.. Richardson's
startling position and language, and then
it was that he concluded his remarks with
the bold general declaration that-'the
4, theory that the Congress of the United
4 States has the constitutional power to draw
geographical line through the public ter
ritories, and to say where slavery shall ex-
list, and where slavery shall be prohibited
forever" ''has done more damage to the
constitutional rights of the Southern States
of the Union than the open warfare of the
abolitionists upon the institutions Of the
South" Does our neighbor now begin to
understand ito toh0m Gen. Zolioofsr refer
reSF II he does not we will give him an
other article, in which we may throw food