Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-06-29
SPEECH OF b. w. HAxwe0p, EsQ.s
Before the DemOerafic Cfub Of HashvflI.
Tuna. loE0.

itosl content, in which are involved questions Of
3 natipual IS well az local charaetsr.s But hsforeI
proceeding nponths examination Of these questions
desire to glance for & moment at the position Of
the two partieswho are Row claiming your support;
upon the one hand We behold the Democrats party
with its candidates standing upon its plat orm Of
time hen bred plesprinciples which we're pro-
claimed BY the sage Of Monticello the creed Of the
Democrats rsriy-Which has borne them triumph
ant through every coniesf--princiPles which with
cred the stio arm Of Federalism, vanauish the
| Wing party, ard caused the temple Of Kuow Moth
| ingism 10 eTumble at their spprOaeh-principles
which rule in triumph, and wave their proud ban.
ner over the destinies Of the nation.
Upon the other haod, We see party without col
ers; party without organization, without creed,
| without parallel In history, without a model and
without name. What is its hisloryl The Wing
| party msee its last contest in $50. new organi-
zation was formed. known 70 US as the Know Moth
iDgs, who he'd their councils at the heur of mid
night and in which they conspired the o7erthrov Of
! the two old parties. Successful in striking down
the Wing atty, they buried it, and Is the ciods fell
in on the eotin, bridging forth that hollow sound
which causes mouroers TO weep, net tear was she'd
not sigh was heard, they erected no monument
sacred 10 its N m0ry, but high above the grave
ro=tel "obroSions acts and violated pledges" What
| if the noble CLAY had lived, and tlus beheld
his once great and glorious party struck down by
! tie parricdsl hands Of its own sOAss
/
No more 'midTong elouis agaln, Z
| Views his IN feather on the fatal dart,
Which winged the shaft that quivered In his heart
But death spared him the pain of seeing his party
thus stricken down, buried, an d honorel by those
! WHO we're once preu 10 follow in its ranks The
bril- fancy of this party transient; its glory
| ephemeral; fortune r. fused TO favor them longer,
an most disastrous defeat awaited ths N. II then
became accessory for them to present for The coz
slie1atisn Of the American people new issue; &C
cor ingly they were summoned to meet ia council.
In their midst stco their great heh-priest, JOIN
BELL, who, wi his politically aslute mind. sug-
| ges;ed what should be their future policy, Twas
then they were seen approaching the grave tf the
Wing pariy--but howl Not ! Ee christian child,
al the grave Of parent, to kneel at the tomb and
10 silent prayer to heaven hold sweet communion
! with thgt departed spirit No; they had come for
no such halIoWed purpose; but to riffs it of its be-
ried hopors aod wrapping themselves in its mantle,
they addressed you upon questions Of distribution,
| IN Ter the name and style Of the American aud
| Wing party Fortune still recessed to favor them,
and dsfeat that followed sealed forever the fate
Of Samy 4.
Yet strange to say, We find this same party in the
field, with capdidaies claiming your support after
having disbsHded their organization aud discarded
their name, What can be their hopesS They can
not hope for any modification of the Datursz alton
laws; their fear of the foreigner and Ca holie has
abatsd; their intense American feeling has subsidized;
in fact, they have lost their political ideDtity-ad-
| vocatiRg no measures, but simply opposed to Dem
ocracy. Since the death of Sam, did l believe in
the transmgration Of souls, / should certainly
think they we're possess, ID Of his spirG. It's
true that Sam, N his nuncupstive will, left claim
10 two or three Congressional Districts in this State
The heirs pirsnt live. one In Lebanon, whose
title to the Fifth District viii prove equally defect
i've as his claim to the GubernstOria Chair another
at Knoxville whose title must fail for the want of
equity upon its face; the other, Clarksvile who,
~
ocraey, cannot inherit. What the objects and
| purposes CT this party? They tell Us they the
Union pary-the great conservative element. They
tell US, further, they for peace aud dePrecate
the agitation Of the slavery question. Let US test
their honesty by their actions. If they love the
Union, they should strive at least to preserve one
national party; but instead Of this, they seek
ing to destroy the only one, and thereby bringing
about that issue which they seem much to dread.
For in the absence of any national party, as mat
ter Of course, the sections become arrsyed the one
against the other. Their process Of perpetusting
the Union, by encouraging and strengthening the
Black Republicans, exclusively sectional party,
and refusing to cooperate with the Democracy,
who st least have claims to nationality, is one l
cannot comprehend. They attempt TO escape con-
vction Of a want of honesty in their love for the
Union by insisting that the Democratic party is
not national, from the fact that "three out of
the thirty seven Democratic Senators, and nine out
of fty-eigbt Democrats in the House. voted gainst
the admission of Kansas with slavery COnstitu-
ton This is the poor apology for their actions,
and will not excuse them. When the Wing party
in existence, it sided to some extent, IN keep
ing down sectional agitation; but now the Whole
responsibility rests lpon the Democratic psrty. The
preservation of equal rights amCnK the States de-
ponds upon it, and its nationality be preserved
Tley tell us they are for peace, and deprecaie the
agitation of the slavery question If they are for
peace, why seek an alliance with party IN Is
! Wagng upon the rights of porlioa Of the sis
ter States Of this Union 1T least alliance far
the great lights of their party and their leading
journals concerned the evidences Of which meet
the eye at every turn? and presume it will be IN
necessary for to read them on this Asion, as
you are all familiar with them. What are the OBJ
jec and purposes Of this party, with whom an al
lance is sought and over whose victories S1u hern
0ppOsiiionists much rejoice? When this Union
was formed it was formed by non slavehOldDg AMI
slaveholdiBg States For the sake Of the Unien each
Stale made concessions; an equal participation in
the benefits arising from it. aud equal rights to all
the States, guaranteed The non-slsVeholdiDg
States further agreed that rights Necessary 10 the
protection of Southern institutions should be se-
cured in the Constitution, which agreed II. and
thus he Union was formed. But sooner had it
been done, sooner had the grave closed over
these nebe sires of the revolution than these their
degenerate sons false to the eobfltnee reposed in
them false to the CONF act entered iLt) ty their
fthers, false to every principle Of honor, immedi-
6te sought to destroy, TO render null and OF +
feet ihoss rights which were the great c1nsi Ter
lions of the federal compact the compromises AI;n
led 10 the very existence of the Union Fur b, T.
they have organized powerful party, whose aVow,d
purpose il is 10 wage uuseasiug upon q pOI-
tiGl of their sis States They have pledged ia, III
selves to never vote for the admission Of al, tler
State whose Constitution recoguiz slavery though
the whole people Of such State should ask It. Th
have told us chat they will violate their oaths If
necessary by refusing to give effect, by legislative
action, to those rights recognized in the Constitu-
ton and which they may be sworn TO support Nor
shall Southern nstitu ions sprG I'D anoht inch
OF trriory, though it be the common property of all
| the States. Further, we hear ourselves anaIh ms
tied upon the floor of Congress; listen to their
bitter Impressions who. moistening their tongues
10 the calculated gall of their own impure hearts,
| seek TO stain our isir escucheon. lis then, when
| Southern Senators and Representatives fired by
manly spirit Of resentment. rss from their Seats
and, hurting back these insults and inputatons in
to the teeth of those who gave them utieVance at the
same time making personal application of such
| epithes as they deserve, and to which none
would submit but coWardly paltrOons, they are
| charged by portion Of their constituents at
home as sgitators of the slavery question for
party purposes. l would ask him who seeks
to charge the Democratic party with section
al agitation to point TO the first instance of agrees
sion upon the rights of the north by the Southern
States, tell me Of the first wrong perperated up
on them. Il cannot be done. Yet, when we defend
our honor and insist upon our rights, we are charg
ed sgitators Sir, 90 tell those Black Republic
cans with whom your leaders seek an alliance. that,