Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-10-06
Address of John w. Forney.
IN VINDICATfoN OF THE PRINCIPLE OF PoPULAH
SovEREitiNTY, AND IN REPLY TO THE assaults
OF THE LECoMProN ORGANS.
The Cruises for he Speech in Hoskins District.

| the Senate, and when the fact had become
notorious that the moving cause of the sur
render of the principle to which we stood
| committed in 1856. was the threat of secession
coming from certain politicians, in three or
| four Southern States. mot the people Of these
States. but the politicians and managers.) the
most unexampled prescription was restored
| to for the purpose of intmidating those who
agreed with Judge Douglas, and Governor
| Wise, and Governor Walker, and to compel
| them to take sides with the Administration IN
| it's unexpected metamorphosis. ~
| | returned. after nv interview with MI
Buchanan, still anxious TO maintain friendly
relations with his Administration: but was
| soon convinced that unlrssI debased my man
hood, and recalled all that had said in favor
| of the Cincinnati platform and the doctrine
| of popular sovereignty, i would be called
| upon to bear the hrunt of a violent collision
And from that day, from January. 1858. up
to September, when | spoke at Tarrytown,
there was no calumny too vile to be coined
| and circulated BY the organs of the Admins
| tration against the journal of which am the
| owner and the editor, and the gentlemen with
| whom / am proud to cooperate in this great
cause. Every friend who had been appointed
TO Office, and who still dared to sympathlse
| with me- in my struggle for principle. was
! elected from place. | was denounced not
only as false to my party, not only as false
! to the issues of 1856, but was declared ITO
be under the pay of the Black Republicans
| and to cap the climax, the same Admlnlstfa-
ton organs were kind enough to allege that l
| had proved myself ungrateful to james Buch-
| ananSby refusing to follow him In MS betrayal
! of Democratic principles.
| Appeals were made to postmasters through
| out the country to attack me in my business,
| and to leave no effort untried to cripple my
| enterprise. In word, there was an ingen-
| uity of prescription, fertility OF talsehood,
| a recklesSness of persecution, which induced
ME more than once to inquire, in the language
| of Governor Walker, whether indeed 1--WE
| were living in the last year of American In
! dependence. or the first year of the American
monarchv?'' / saw the basest wretches--men
who had never been recognized by the Dem
| ocratic party in this State, and who. in 1856,
| had scarcely an opinion to ayow, ready to 60
! for Fremont or Fillmore saw these men
! not only clothed with the power of the Fed
! eral Administration, but authorized to speak
| in denuncidtiOn of men who had created 1t.
saw the money Of the Federal Government
| expended TO break down the regular organ
| ization of the Democratic party whenever
| and wherever that organization was not COM
| mittcd to the scandalOus Kansas policy of
! that Administration. | saw Senators turned
| into spectators in order to induce them to
| desert their written and spoken promises to the
| people; | saw Representatives purchased TO
! betray their constituents. as Southern slave
! holder purchases his slaves: saw newspapers
openly and actively engaged with me on the
! side of conscience and the constitution
| threatened or bought into silence or acquiCs
! cence: witnessed an era of official despOtism.
| and an organization of official insOlence, such
as had il taken place under an opposition
Administration. and against the Democratic
party. would have hurled that opposition into
| perpetual obscurity.
1t was in vain that patriotic Democrats in
| all parts of the Union, North and South, East
and West held up their hands in terror at
this abandoned spectacle 1t was in vain that
| Wise, of Virginia, protested, that Douglas
protested that Packer protested, that Ban
croft protested. that Ryerson protested, that
Knox protested, that the nearest and dearest
friends of Mr.. Buchanan prOtested-the
| crusade went on. i SAW the Democratic party
of Illinois, standing under the flag which
marshalad us in the great victory two years
ago. traduced as traitors to that flag; L saw
| STEPHEN A. Douglas leading the regular or
| ganzation of the party to daily conflict
| with the avOwed enemies of that party, and
vet attacked front and rear by the Admins
tration; | saw Hickman contendng against
| the mercenary hosts Of Office in his district,
Haskin struggling against the custom-honse
in his, Montgomery with the regular nomin-
alton at his back opposed by the officials in
| his, and John G.. Davis upholding popular
sovereignty in his, against frantic horde OF
| mercenaries; and it seemed to me that silence
| on my part would be grievous cowardice. Ac-
cordingly | spoke as did.
So mnch for the causes which induced me
to pronounce my TarrytOwn speech.
| INTERVIEW WITH THE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES To
| ACCUSATIONS.
visited Washington early in December of
! 1857 and had an RteTUie1O Of some three hours
Nth Mr. Buchanan on the first ddy Of the meeting
of Congress at its late session.
What the object of that interview was, may
be imagined from the fact that no other subject
could hire been discussed bet,cee the parties for,
hare said in these remarks, and the columns Of
The Press tciH shoe had cause Of public differ
eaoe 9th Mr.. Buchanan beyond that Of Kansas.
We had long since ceased to talk about pri-
yate matters. Not only did the conversation
as detailed take place, but, as the many friends
to whom / related it after left the Presiden-
f;al mansion, will remember, many other
things were omitted in the statement which
gave at Tarrytown. Among Others the Pres
| ident said TO me, III you and Walker and
| Douglas will unite in support of my Kansas
| policy the people of Kansas will vote at the
! election which is to come off on the 2lst De
| cember:" (that election, it will be remember
ed. having been called under the auspices OF
the minority legislature, for the purpose OF
| puttinr through the Lecompton Constitution,
and was held under circumstances of fraud
| and infamy which will not soon be forgOtten)
He said further. Il know that you have the
strong side of this question. know thatyo
can CARR Off the people, but | appeal to YOU
| to stand with me, because if do not adhere
| To my new policy, Alabama. Georgia aud
Mississippi will probably secede from the Cn-
ion'' 1t is probable that the memory OF MT
| buchanan will be stimulated when he reads
| these sentences. As for the Washington I'm
ion, whether it speaks for him or not, in the
above extract, | am unable to say. II II
does. the memory of the President is most
defective.
As to nv Offering advice to Mr. Buchanan,
| have only to remark: while Mr.. Wendell, oil
the Washington Union, was unknown in the
political world and while the editors OF that
same paper were coming calumnies against
the President, my advice and counsel TO him
was not only gladly and kindly received. but
earnestly solicited. / spoke freely to him
at all times when he was not President. as
did after his election and his installation.
| Another fact in connection with this inter
view with the President l may mention, and
| il is this: that one or two days after it trans
pired, returned to Philadelphia, and whilst
sitting in my Office in Chestnut street, was
visited by an old friend from Southern New
York whom | had met in Washington, and
who called on me to say that he had been de-
sired by the President to stop over and see
me, and to assure me that he (the Presidentl
Intended to make his Kansas policy a test
upon the Democratic patty and that no mar
would be tolerated by his Administration whC
did not approve and support this poiiey.
The Union goes on to say, speaking OF the
report of the Cabinet meeting:
''The story he tells of the Cabinet meeting
| is, like the account of his own conversation
wholly fabulous We venture 10 assert thai