Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-05-06


to have pursued the course of the only daily
paper, in this city, which did not cooperate
in the invitation to Mr.. EVERETT. that is, to
have remained silent, if they could not praise
or approve.
But we have said that the course of a por-
ton OF the country has been unjust, as well
as undignifed and ungenerous. We proceed
to make good our assertion in the last men-
| toned particular. Mr.. EVERETT is charged
with having signed an address, predatory to a
subscription list. for a testimonial to the
craven Senator of Massachusetts, on the Oc-
| casion of bis well-deserved Gaming by our
| gallant beloved and lamented BROOKS. CALLED
| by wanton and unprovoked insult to his ven
| cradle and absent kinsman and to his mother
State, in which address highly disparaging
expressions and vulgar abuses were used to-
wards that chiyalrous, but now departed
! spirit and other expressions were freely in
dulged in, deeply and justly offensive to the
| South. We conccde the charge to be literally
| true and willingly add that were it actually
| true, we should have been the last to have in
| vited Mr.. EVERETT among us, no not as ''ora-
! tor patriot or statesman, nor As CICERO of
| America, iaudator Of WASHINGTON, high priest
of the Union, apostle of charity, or friend of
| mankind'-all of which religiously be-
| levc him to be, and are neither ashamed nor
| afraid again and again to proclaim him. We
| proceed, however, to give the explanation,
| which satisfied US and also satisfied the most
extreme Southern Rights gentlemen of our
/ city, and procured their signatures to the in
| vitatiOn to Mr.. EVERETT. This explanation
we have often contemplated making public
| ere now, but we withheld it only because we
| knew il would he diStaSteful to Mr.. EVERETT
| to give it at time when it would have worn
the aspect of conciliating hostility and court
| ing welcome. Bat. as the gifted orator and
| distinguished patriot has been welcomed alike
1
been cordially invited to every other Southern
State. even with the supposed blot on his
| escutchcon, there is no longer any dellcacy
| involved, nor any danger of alarming the
sensitive nature of Mr.. EVERETT, in making
the proper explanation, especially since the
| ''fire in the rear'' has been recently opened on
| him with increased violence.
Shortly after the chastisement of the das-
| tardly SUMNER, in the Senate Chamber, by
| the impctuous Brooks, sundry citizens of
| Boston determined to get up subscription
| for testimonial to the cdned calumniator,
by way Of consoling him, we suppose, in his
crest-fallen condition and most pitiable plight,
and prefaOry address was attached to 1t.
! With numerous, or at least several signatures,
already appended, it was brought, by one of
| the signerS. to Mr.. EVERETT, when he was
| sick i'll bed and under the confusing influence
| of an anodync, and he asked to subscribe
| the testimonial. Seeing the signature of the
| Mayor of Boston and Otht rs to the paper, and
not surprising that it contained ought Of
violent or offensive character Mr.. EVERETT
signed without reading it, and in entire ig
norance of, if not actually miscd as to its con-
tents On seeing the paper in print, he was great
ly panied. mortified and chagrined at perceiv-
ing the Incorporate and vul gar lang to which
his name had been uncOnsciousiy attached,
and he soon after addressed Il letter to friend
in Charleston, explaining and regretting the
uUtDWaF1 uIS1HOWluR
sentiments contained in the paper. Here the
matter rested, without further explanation,
until our visit to Boston last autumn, tn re-
store the remains of the gifted LEGARE to his
mother soil, when we called at Mr.. EVER IT'S
residence, as well with view to the delivery
of his Grafton on WAsHTNGTON, in this city, as
To the object Of our mission, but we failed to |
him, as he was then absent from Boston. |
We subsequently, called on and had a deeply |
interesting interview, however, with distin- |
guishod and bosom friend of Mr.. E. in whose |
house and whose arms the lamented LEGARE |
brcathed his last, and. in the course of con- |
vcrsation. we CHANGED to mention our dsap- |
pointment at NJ. Els absence, especially in
reference to renewed invitation to him TO
visit Charleston, and also allude to the eX-
PLANTATION, given above, of Mr.. +. IS signature
of paper offensive TO South Carolina,
which our distinguished host fully confirmed,
adding, substantially, "Sir, / can tell you,
what is much more to the purpose: not only |
did my friend, Mr.. E., sign the paper, under
the circumstances stated by you. but he went
much f;'rthcr. He made it point to express
his discomfort to the gentleman who had pro-
cured his signature to the document, and adj
dressed Il letter To Mr.. SUMNER himself disa-
vowing the sentiments, contained in the eXccp-
tionable document, to which his (Mr. Esq
seeming sanction had been uGcOnsciously
given" We add further, that the proposed
,,in1, I'D "a tlItpn nd has
never been presented or purchased
The foregoing explanation is now given,
when its motive cannot he suspected. and
that motive is simply to tell truth and do
Justice to an eminent and patriotic citizen;
and we deem it due to Mr.. E. to add that,
although the facts of the explanation are con-
iirmed by Mr.. L. himself, their publication is
10y him, and made of our own
motion, without his privity oI consent.
1t may be that the ASSISTANTS of Mr.. EVER
EFT may say that it is no their i@uit tha'i h, y
were allowed to remain iii ignorance OF the |
explanatory statement, now given; but while |
we are willing to admit this as palliation of |
dscourtesy and injustice, we hold ii to be no |
acauittal ~ the many and distinguished |
names, signed, without distinction of party |
to the invitations, given to Mr.. EVERETT, at
both Charleston and Columbia, ought to have
been received as an assurance that there was
IA satisfactory explanation of the supposed |
and seeming offence, and, a. an invited guest
alike of the commercial and the poslitical
metropolis of the State, he ought to have been
held sacred. by the laws and rites of hopitality,
from insult of offensive reference, on the oc-
casion of his visit, especially when that visit
was hallowed by its double and disinterestcd
mission of patriotism and bcnevolence. The
man. who by the power of eioquence, has
attrart@l crowded audiences, to hear his
WASHINGTON address, repeated between seven
ty aud eighty times, III various cities and
towns in the Union, and in several of them
thrice and his often repeated Charity Address,
at "A dollar head Tor admission, and who
has thus contributed about FIFTY THOUSAND
DOLLARS to the noble PROJECT of the pur-
chase and conn .craioI of Mount Vernon, rs
a national shrine a PROJECT conceived and
carried out by patriotic and gifted daughter
Of the Palmet to- State. and upwardsOf TWELVE
THOUSAND DOLLARS to sacred charity, Is one
against whom insulting dcnunciatlon cannot /
be levellcd without injurious recoil.
We trust that the ceusure. unjustly incurred
by ourselves, and the vindictive assaults,
made on us. for the prominent part we have
horne in Mr. Everrtt's invitation and reccp-
ton here will prove our apology to our Illus
trious friend, for doing him the justice of the
foregoing explanation.
We NAV perhaps, take another opportunity
To answer certain unfounded charges against
Mr.. Everett. accusing him of aboiitionism,
trut Il vv-soiii-s.a "a tLa Snmnsr
school, For the present however, we content
with saying, that we know him to
hold the institution of slavery To he legal
one. entitled To the protection of the Constl-
tuition and to he neither sinful in itself, nor
To havcbccn n conservative O d
Line and Fillmore Whgiu the last contest for
II 81 nj hat alt lss