Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-05-16
From the Chronicle.
The discussion at cIarksvi1e


The candidates for Congress, in this district.
opened the canvass here last Monday. About
IL o'clock the Courthouse was filled with
restless and enthusiastic audience, each party
seeming perfectly satisfied with their can
didate. Gen. j. NJ. Quarles took the stand
and in a few handsome introductory remarks.
said that he would proceed at once, TO the
present canvass. He then said that he de-
signed to hold up before the people of this
district the Administration of Mr.. Buchanan,
and show them its many misdeeds and faith
lessness to those who had placed it in power.
He charged that Mr.. Buchanan was seeking
imperial authority, that he desired Congress
to vest him with the war-making power-that
he had asked for an appropriation Of thirty
millions of money to be placed at his disposal:
by the constitution Congress must declare
war-the President was the Commander-in-
Chief the Army and Navy. But when he
seeks the war-making power he desires to be
no less than an Emperor. This portion of his
speech was enforced with great power and
eloquence and was received with earnest ap-
plause by the audience. The speaker then
charged that Mr.. Buchanan had, in "a mes
sage to Congress. recommended Bankrupt
law applicable only TO Banks-thus endeavOr-
ing to invade the sovereignty of the States
bringing them, as it would, under the imme-
date control of the Federal Government.
This was violation of State Rights and II
the policy of the President were adopted
every State of the Union would be brought
to its knees before the corrupt administration
at Washington. Mr.. Quarles then said that
his opponent was a strict constructiOnist of
the constitution, and he called upon him to
know where Mr.. Buchanan and his party, got
the power, from that instrument to place in
the hands of the President the war-making
power and the authority to invade the rights
and sovereignty of the States. He asked
what more power has Louis Napoleon than
that asked for by Mr.. Buchanan, through his
mouth piece, Mr.. Slidell? This was "a new
point raised against the Democracy and many
curious and enquiring countenances could be
seen among those present
In this connection Mr.. Quarles proceeded
with discussion of the extravagances of the
administration, showing that it costs the peo-
pie more than Eighty million OF dollars per
annum to keep the wheels of the Government
moving, under the administration of Buchan-
an when Mr.. Polk carried on a foreign war
with little more than half that amount. He
showed the various items of unwarrantable
extravaganza of the administration, and
charged that every single appropriation was
voted for by majority of the Democratic
members of Congress, except for an appropri-
alton for the Ocean mail line of Steamers. In
proof. of those charges, Gen. Quarles threw
down the public records of the country. Civ
ing chapter and verse;" and challenged con-
tradiction. He stated nothing which was
not founded upon the records of the country
and no successful defence could be made
Among other things he stated that in order
to let the people know his opinion in regard
to the admission of new States into the Union
he held the doctrine that Territory should
be admitted into the Union when its popula-
ton is sufficient to entitle it to member of
Congress, aud not before, and that he woald
vote to admit any territory into the Union
when it appears that the territory applying
for admission has ouch population, either
with or without a slavery constitution.
These are only few of the topics discussed.
Suffice it TO say, our candidate is doing the
work assigned him nObly, ably. The speech
made here was one of the ablest we ever
heard. The triumph over Dr. Merees on
Monday augurs well for brilliant victory.
After Gen. Quarles had concluded his
speech, of an hour, DR.. Menees rose and spoke
an equal length of time. He was evidently
unprepared for such speech as be was called
on to answer. and proved this fact by not do
ing so. The DR.. is a fine looking man and is
said to be a good physician. and would do
better in his profession than in speech max
ing, no doubt. His manner is bad, labOrs
hard in speaking. and is very boisterous. he
is in the hands of man who will give him no
advantage to make any capital whatever. 1t
is due the Doctor to say that he followed, as
well as he could, the line of argument laid
down by Gov. Harris, showing very clearly
that he is democrat in all things. He is
courteous and gentlemarly in his bearing. In
his speech he argued the record of his com
petitor, endeavorin to show inconsistency in
his political life. Gen. Quarles in his rejoin
der said that when the Doctor charged that
he O. had once been democrat, he would
inform him that John Bell, Gen. ZollicoffeT
and many others no less distinguished, had
once acted with the Democratic party, and
that all grdet men sometimes changed. But ne
the Doctor had commenced war upon his
consistency. he would examine his record
while member of the last Legislature, and
see If he had done nothing wrong. he then
charged that Menees had voted for q law re-
quiring every vagrant, who has no visible
means of support, who may want to go into
any other county in the State, has first to OBJ
tain written permit from some Magistrate
in his own county, thus making it difficult
for such characters to leave our neighbor
hoods. That Dr. Menees, whose party wa'
opposed to Banks and were in favor of hard
money currency. had. in the Tennessee Legs
lature, voted to increase the capital OF the
Bank of Tennessee five hundred thousand
dollars. These and many other votes were
charged against him, which seemed TO aston
ish the Doctor, little looking for such a re
tort The most of his rejoinder was taken vi
in defending his course in the Legislature.
We can assure our friends throughout the
District that they need fear nothing. Oul
candidate achieved the most signal victory
we have witnessed for years. in the very frs
engagement, and be will do it to the close o