Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-01-26
See First and Fourth Pages.
Opposltion Conventions

Among the various reasons assigned by the Know
Nothing organs, for deferrlng their State Conven-
ton until the Democratic Convention hsd assembled,
it was urged that it not proper for opposition
party to take the lead in laying down their platform
and nominating their candidates. Now it would
seem to rs that if our opponents had any principles
and believed them goou and wholesome for The eoun'
try, they would hesitate to declare them to the
world at any time. In putting off their Convention
until the Democracy have taken their position they
acknowledge that they are controlled alone by mo-
tives Of opposition TO the Democracy, and that they
are determined in advance, whatever policy the
Democratic party may pursue, TO take the opposite
side every question. This exactly thefOOish and
unprincipled course against which Gen. ZoLLIcOF-
TER warned them in his speech on the Kansas and
Nebraska Bill. II is moreover admission in this
instance, that they have no measures which they
wish to carry out no objects which they wish TO
accomplish except the defeat of the party now in
power They will allow us to assemble and announce
our principles and then they will come together
predetermined to oppose them.
Their complete and entire Indifference with re-
gard to principles is strongly manifested by their
action in this Congressional District. few days
ago it was proposed by leading organ OF the OP-
position to allow Gen. QUARLEs to take the field
without a nomination Now the Know Nothing par
~ having been disbanded and their peculiar doc
trines abandoned, and Gen. QUARLEs, when last
heard from by the public, having continued to avOw
himself Democrat on all questions which divided
the Wing and Democratic parties, the opposition
organ referred to- has actually pie ged itself to the
support Of man for Congress, who if sincere in his
declarations and consistent in his principles agrees
with the editors of that paper only on one ObsO-
l,te and extinct issue But we now fRd both the
opposition papers in this city, and their friends in
various couu lies in the District simultaneously de-
claring themselves in favor of holding Convention
on the I4th day of March next, to nominate a can
didate for Congress. This meeting will take
place three days before the Democratic State Con-
venieu on the 18th of March, and two weeks before
she opposition Convention on the 29th Of March.
They will nominate q candidate on he l4ah, and on
the 29th they will come together to determine what
he shall advocate. They viii have man standing
before the people for their surages utterly bare Of
principles destitute of a creed and ready to accept
any faith which his party may prescribe for him.
Now, suppose Gen. QUARIEs shall be nominated on
the l4th His whole political course has been in
opposition to the doctrines and tenets of the Wing
party. He must Immediately divest himself of
every article Of faith he ever advocated and
stand in state of political nakedness for two week.
waiting for the Convention to clOthe him. If,
however, he should be unwilling to expose himself
to the country in this ridiculous condition. if he
should refuse to throw off his mantle of Democra-
cy in advance he will be compelled to turn his coat
in the face of the whole people after the State Con-
vention The Convention on the och will either
be compelled to make garment to fit the man or
the man will be compelled to fit himself to the
garment In either case there must be a gross
disregard for consistency, which the blindest par
than cannot fail to perceive If the party have prin
eiples and are sincere in their advocacy they are
false to themselves in nominating a man whose
whole course has been at war with them. If their
candidate has principles and is sincere in their ad
voosey he cannot abandon them at the bidding Of
the Convention.