Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-03-24
Union, we find the following significant and

suggestive statements: |
"For more than twenty years class of pol |
iticians have labOred zealourly to create an |
irrcconcilable antagonism between the free
States and the slave States. This has been
done by persistent and malignant misrepre-
sensations at the two extremes; and has been
successful to that extent,that the two sections
are positively more ignorant of each other
than they were when the controversy COM
menced.
at has been repeated on every stump in the
North that it was the settled purpose OF the
slave States to force slavery into every State
and Territory of the Union.
Then. on the other hand, the South have
been I'D to believe, taking The language OF
few crazy abolitionists as their authority that
there is settled purpose in the North to over
ride every constitutional barrier, and TO use
its power TO strike down the institution oil
slavery; that the northern people have been
banding together for years, in regular siege,
against the rights of the South"
To what .class of politicians of the South
does the official organ of the present Demo
cratic administration refer, as having ''labor-
ed zealously' ''for more than twenty years"
"by persistent and malignant misrepresenta-
tions'i''to create an irreconcilable antagonism
between the free States and the slave States?'
What "class OF politicians" of the South
does the official organ of the administration
thus charge with taking advantage of "the
language of few crazy abolitionists" to lead
the people of the South to believe ''that there
il settled purpose at the North to override
every constitutional barrier and to strike
down the institution of slavery?"
1t is to the Democratic politicians of the
South alone that the official organ can have
reference, and it is against them that it makes
these charges! Are the charges truef
Would The official organ of Democratic adj
ministration dare to make them. if it believed
they were susceptible of contradiction from
any respectable source?
But why have they not been made before
Because the Democratic party at the South
was going up and the Wing party going
down by means of what the Union, in effect,
charges to have been persistent and malig-
nant Misrepresentation on the part of De-
mocratic politicians at the South, of the views
and purposes of the Wing or Opposition par
ty at the North.
Why are the statements upon which these
charges are made against Democratic pollticl-
ans OF the South. by the official organ of the adj
mnistration--why are these statements now
made by the official organ? Because it is appa-
rent that this systematic agitation of the slav-
cry question by the Democratic politicians
of the South has resulted disastrously to 'he
party'-having rent the party in twain be-
cause the country, as is now seen, is In I'M
minent peril of being divided into two Sec
tionaI parties; and because the speedy iorma-
ton of Southern organization, soon to give
place. if il succeeds, to a Southern conJederacy,
| is known to be in contemplation among
Southern Democratic politicans-som OF
them of high consideration and commanding
influence in the States where they reside.
We have said that, under the agitation of
the slavery question. and the deception prac-
ticed upon the people of the South in respect
to the alleged soundness On the slavery ques-
ton of the Democratic party at the North,
and the alleged unsOundness and even abb
olitionism of the Wing party at the North,
the Democratic party at the South went up
and the Wing party went down. At the
North precisely the reverse was the case.
There, under the operation of the same excit-
ing cause, the Democratic party went down,
and the Freesoil or Republican party went up!
The effect upon the Democratic party at the
North of the course pursued by the Demo
cratic politicians at the South was feclingly
described a short time since in the U. S. Sen
ate by one of the Democratic victims--Sena-
tor Stuart, of Michigan, who has been super
coded by Republican.
what" asked Mr.. Stuart, "has been the
result Of this great slavery controversy
Almost every man (DemucraD OF prominence
i'm the Northern States has been cut down:
and cut down-why? Because the creed Of
the party was wrong? No, sir; not because
| an argument could be made against the doc
| trnes Of the party, but because our oppo-
nents (the Rcpublicans) could point to South
| ern (DemOcratic) papers advocating extreme
opinions at war with the principles OF the
party: because they could point to Southern
| (Democratic) statesmen and politicians adyo-
eating principles at war with the creed OF the
party; and claim that that was the intention
of the party. and not the platform itself.
That is the reason, and as men belonging to
the Democratic party have fallen, man after
man, in the warfare in the Northern States,
they have been built upand strengthened IN the
South; and you can scarcely point to dis
trict in the South this day that is not repre-
| scented by IA DemocratW
Six years ago, there were but three Free
sellers in the Senate, and five in the House OF
Representatives. Now. there are ttoeaty.fUr
Republicans in the Senate, and in the next
House of Representatives they will number
considerable over one hundred; and these, OF
course, are all from the free states, while from
the same States there will not be more than
thirty Democrats
Should not these results warn the people OF
the South against n continuation of their sup
port of the Democratic leaders!