Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-03-12
Wanted Z

A competent eXpounder OF the Cincinnati
Platform. Mr.. WEBSTER was regarded the
great expounder of the Constitution Of the
United States. His vast powers. could they
be found in a Democratic embodiment. would
be wholly inadequate TO any consistent and
satisfactory exposition of the Cincinnati
Platform-any exposition that would not be
repudiated promptly and indignantly by
very large proportion Of those who profess to
stand upon it; and who, politically speak
ing, habitually swear by it.
We note that, among the resolutions adopt
ed, few days ago, at a county Democratic
meeting at Raleigh, Shelby county, in this
State, was the following:
We adhere to the platform made by the Ma
tional Democracy AT the Cincinnati ConVen-
ton, May 1856, and We r cognize "a Demo
cratS all who stand upon it, and IN good faith
abide 10y its principles. .--
Why, that is what all the opposing, quar-
reiug fragments of the Democracy, who are
ready to tear each others eyes out, say.
Different ard opposite interpretations of this
platform are every day given by different
sections of the Democratic party, and even
by ind viduals who helped to make 1.-THE
interpretations of one section being denounc-
ed as intolerablc heresies by another section !!
A simple declaration, therefore, of adhe-
renee to the platform. unaccOmpanied by any
Interpretation or explanation thereof, a
mounts to nothing, and when thus made
must be taken to have been intended to mean
nOthing-except perhaps hunLJuQ.
The Hon. ALBERT GALLATIN Brown. one of
the Democratic United States Senators from
Mississippi, was at Cincinnati. when the
platform was made, and must be presumed to
know as much about it, and to be as compe-
tent judge of lis worth. as any body can be.
Let us see what he thinks and says about it.
In the course Of the great debate which took
place in the Senate, on the 23d ult., Mr..
Brown said:
"All this Kansas difficulty could have been
avoided. if there had been Just very little
amount Of firmness, and may say honesty, at
Cincinnati Now sir, took the proposition
there, borrowed from the report of the
Senator from Illinois, that no State ought to
be admitted into the Union, with a less
population than ninety-three thousand. four
was r jccted. and the meaningless nonsense put
into the platform, which stands there now.
do not rant any mors;uch plat
forms"
Mr.. DOUGLAS in the course of the same de-
bate, said Il" If you, mfr. BROwN1 repudiate
the doctrine of non-intervention, and form
slave cod, by act of Congress, when the peo-
pie Of Territory refuse it. you must step of
the Democratic pIattorm, that is, the Cincin-
natl platform a. Mr.. DOUGLAS understands it.
Mr.. DAVIS, of Mississippi, Interpreted Mr..
BUCHASAN's letter, accepting the Cincinnati
nomination. by the platform" which Mr.
BUCHANAN referred to in the letter; but Mr..
Dis Interpretation of the platform" was at
war with the Interpretation put upon it by
Mr.. DoUGIAsl
The Richmond Enquirer argues that Mr..
BUCHANAN. ''by accepting the Cincinnati plat
form-by promising to take no plank rom
it, nor add one to it," utterly rcpudiated
and denounced protective duties in every
shape and form" But the President then
understood, and now understands the, plat
form" in very different sense from the
Enquirer and the Southern ID, mOcracy gen
orally. Who il to decide between them? The
great party want of the day, therefore, man
ifcstly is. true and satisfactory exposition
of the Cincinnati platform Who will I'M
dcrtuke the job? May we not hope that the
Democratic State Convention of Tennessee,
which is shortly to assemble in this place,
will undertake the task? If they do not,
may we not at least hope, that should they
have occasion TO refer to the Cincinnati
platform" they will explain what they meant