Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-04-24
10 me hnOXFllie NAehhs) Oitl
DEGENERATION.

DECOMPOSITION.
In the short history Of these United States, Dis.
solution has often been named and threatened and
gloomily foreboded But as often has the Union
been saved. Once every four years this Union has
been supposed to be in imminent peril, hanging,
trembling, on the brink Of Dissolution and chaos
but still it was saved it has seemed to hold lease
renewable forever totes QUOTES Some Wing Cur
tins, or Democratic Codrus has always been found,
devote himself for the Union, and the Gulf closed
and the danger was overpasJ
Can this 20 on forever? This periodic fever and
chill from four years to four years-this quartan
ague of the body polite must il not at last wear
out the Constitutiong The danger, indeed, is now
mostly laughed At The pitcher has gone to the
well so often and returned whole, that It has come
TO be regarded as immortal vessel The Union
has been SO easily and naturally saved that there
are forty thousand men each Of whom is willing TO
undertake and contract for saving IL. 81 have
saved the Union three times myself" said to US a
gentlemen in BostOn-''next time it has got TO be
saved, somebody else must do it.
southerners are fain to believe that the North
could not exist at all without the aid Of the South
and as for NOrtherners theyare seriously Of opinion
with Senator Wilson, that tithe South cannot be
kicked out" The other day, clustering Banks, Of
Massachusetts,, speaking Of the Kansas question in
Congress, eKclaimed-''As for the talk Of Dissolu-
ton dehantly trample that under my feet
What is specially to be noted is, that whenever
there has been q supposed danger to the Uni n,
that supposed danger has GLUIyS arisen directly
out Of the anti -slavery agitation at the NORTH
always either from the matter Of slavery ITSELF OF
some commercial territorial interest thereon de-
peuuing And further, that the ti.savery agits-
on is in its origin and its working, piece Of for
eign machinery expressly OontriVed and sci in mo-
ton by foreign enemy namely, England) to this
very end-the dissolution Of the Union.
If the supposed danger sometimes arose from
other and various questiOnsf it were not ever and
always slsyery-slavery-Or if the threatened plane
Of cleavage las geolOgsts say we're variable, run
ming at one time North and South, again East and
West and again diagonally-if the split we're not
Always on 8 certain line Of latitude-and if the
process of disintegTatiOn did not follow foreseen
and long fOretOld cOurse-one might hope that the
great manifold interests, and the noble memories
and associations which cluster round and consecrate
this Union, and the Of security against all the
rest Of the world which cordial and equal fedora
ton has given us-that all this together would be
too strong for disturbing causes, and so the Union
WOIld still be saved every fourth year, and her
youth be renewed like the eagles.
But consider the nature and elements Of the sup
posed danger as it looms upon now. The rendi
ton Of fugitive slaves, that fundamental condition
Of the Union, is st last matter Of history. The
commonwealth Of Massachusetts, dismisses and
disgraces any Of her citizens who shall presume TO
act as federal officer in such case-dsbands and
dishOnors any Of her State militia who shall turn
to sustain in such the United States Mar
shall and the law Of the land. Soon every Northern
State will nullfy that portion of the Constitution
The Churches are flying asunder because North
ern Christians cannot recognise Southern Chris
tians as Christians at all.
DissentiOns, specuatOns and statistics, exhibit
ing the working Of the Union and the capacities of
each section for self sustainment, are occupying
attention than ever before; and there are pro-
baby few persons at the South, able TO read who
have not studied and laid to heart Senator Ham
mOnd's late speech.
The Supreme Court is to be recognized This
s idle threat but the calm discrimination Of that
party in the Union which feels that il is fast acqui
ring the power to do what it has announced. Then
the Constitution is to have new reading and
slaves are no longer to be property by law.
The Southern Commercial Convention has be- |
come a Southern political Convention, as was pre- |
dicted, and indeed inevitable. The call, which we
publish to day, invitation to take counsel wheth
er the Union can be longer maintained, is worth
maintaining.
Most persons at the South including all the wises
heads have betEought them that il does not become
the South to hold apologize, defensive and de
predatory attitude any longer-thst she has her own
high destiny TO fulfil, her form of social life to
assert and establish in the face Of the world; and
that to this end she ustvndcate her right to supply
aud augment her labor power by bringing negroes |
from that great nursery Of slaves where Providence
breeds them for her use. But the exercise of this |
right is by the United States laws piracy.
The property of the Southern States then will
shortly be robbery aud receiving of stolen goods -
Their religion is already held to be paganism or
atheism-their only hope and dependence for their
future in this world, piracy Here, and hereafter
they are doomed, outlawed, damned
And all has befallen just as We we're told. Wash
ingtOns Farewell Address earnestly aud pathetically
warned his cuuntrymen against sectionalism and
foreign influence that is against the slavery agita
ton, and British intrigue. Calhoun, with a cheer
lees despOndency-as one seeing she evil clearly
enough, bat no help, no remedy earth or heaven,
made il clear that the North lV0uld gain the power
over the federal Councils which Seward says is al
ready WOn--snd mould make use Of it to reorganize
the Supreme Court, that is to turn the Law upside
iOWn:-he showed how churches were dividing aud
must 60 TO divide; how alienation and hostility
would grow and spread until the two sections became
Two mortal enemies trying to live in ore house and
sit at one table
Yet there is nothing to hinder these two nations to
be friends, If they we're once separated They have
no quarrel with one another except that they are
coupled together, while each happens to BE- going
different way. II the Union we're dissolved phian-
hrOpists would steal more slaves, and the under
ground railway would suspend; for, in fact phian-
hrOpists steal slaves only because there is fugitive
lave law TO be dehed and broken, only to provoke
md humble the South, and show how powerless she
5 with her Constitution al her back. But they are
pretty well plagued with free negroes at the North
already, and would gladly cooperate with the
southern States TO prevent the passage of any more
On the WhOIe, often as the Union has been saved
does seem as If there were some real danger at
asst. The man in Boston who has saved it three
lines had better step forward again. and do his very
lttermOst. He will have to strip to the work this