Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-09-13
Right About, Face!

Having exhausted their dictionary of hard
words, and probably also the patience of their
readers, in denouncing Hon. JOHN BELL as a
traitor to the South, as an ,pen enemy TO her
institutions, as in league with the abolition
lists, as an abolitionist himself aud SO forth,
certain democratic organs are now Growing
over the fact that there never was greater
mistake, and the prospect that the Republicans
will repudiate Mr.. BELL The Washington
Constellation, has seen some exception taken by
some Republican journal TO certain phrase
ology used by Mr.. BELL in his late great ma
tional speech in Memphis and hastens there
upon to conclude that the Republicans are
deeply mortified and disappointed :" that
" they mourn. but are indignant; they will
never have anything more to say to him
IBELL j" that " they thought that ne was
pure, patriotic and courteous; but they find
that he is nothing of the kind; that they have
been nurturing a viper which has stung them;
and they have resolved that never more in
black republican mouth shall the name OF
JOHN BELL. of Tennessee, be mentioned in
connection with the presidency and "a fusion
of the Opposition From being the blessed
of SEWARD. GREELEY, WEED, &c, according
to the Constitution, Mr. BELL is now the most
violently accursed of them. OF course the
organ of the administration would have both
statements to be implicitly believed. And
to reconcile its fragrant inconsistency that
paper afirms that Mr.. BELL, pending our
home elections, was counting the +" tusion,"
and since the elections have shown that the
people would not tolerate - fusion " he
now processes contempt for the black repub-
licans- The Constitution does not stop 10 rec
oncile its hypothesis with the alleged fact
that Mr. BELL is still desiring and intriguing
for the presidency. 1t matters not how far
it may carry its own disqualification, pro-
vided it can make the appearance of having
proved Mr.. BELL to be either knave or a
tool.
The simple truth is that the Constitution
wholly misapprehends Mr.. BELL, or is de-
termined to place him in false light be-
fore the country. There is no man in the
nation who has devoted talents of eminent
craftsmanship and life of toll to the public
service, who has shown himself more uniform
aud answering in his support of what he
believed to be the true interests and glory of
tn Republic; who has exhibited less of in
trigue aud trucking for temporary applause
or mere personal advancement, than Mr..
BELL If he has committed errors of judg-
ment in the course of more than thirty years
of labor in the public council he has never
be guilty of the criminal articles of the
demagogue, before the people. He is now
what he has been, statesman of exalted
ability, pure patriot, national man in all
his feelings and impulses. He is such man
as the exigencies of the times require to be at
the helm of State. He has never set himself
up as a candidate for the Presidency. and
striven for ii as does the candidate for beat
constable, as is the fashion with some at the
present time. If he shall ever be placed in a
position to rescue that high station from the
low estate into which it has fallen of recent
years. ii will be by the voice OF the patriotic
and unsectional masses of the people. He
believes, like CALHOUN, that the position of
Chief Magistrate is respectable but there are
Others infinitely more so. The assault of the
Constitution, or of any or all other organs of
cliques or factions or persons, North or
South. will never have the effect 10 canse him
TO swerve from the path of patriotic duty.