Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-02-26
Kentucky OPPOSITE ion State COnven-
ton.
ADDRESS AMP RESOLUTIONS.


This convention of delegates. to organize
State opposition to the further rule Of the
seifstylcd Democratic party and to propose
such an opposition by all good men through |
out the nation, will state some OF their OBJ
jeetions to that party:
l. TT Is ESSENTIALLY A DIsUNIoN PARTY.
Tt hugs to its embrace many avowed dis
uniOnists. who, if they do not control, have
great influence over the party; who, by con-
slant agitation of the slave question. for sin
lister purposes, are rapidly driving the whole
ration into two great sectional parties, as the
precursor of dlsunion.
The modern Democracy, at the time OF its
organization, found the nation comparatively
free from sectional strife. The feeling OF |
patriotism and loyalty to the Union prevailed
throughout the nation. Disunionism existed
no where, or, if harbored in the breasts OF
few, it was carefully concealed. Now aYowed
disuniouists may be found ia every locality.
Under the rule Of this party. all real patriot
ism has died out in the breasts OF large
masses Of our countrymen. Its later career
has been signalzed Ivy nothing 50 much as
angry sectional strife. engcndering the bitter
est sectional animosities We have factions
in the North and in the Sonth openly denoun-
cling the Union in the severest terms that
hatred can invent and avOwing its dcstruc-
tiOn as their principal aim.
On the eve Of the last Presidential electiOn,the
conduct, public speeches, and published let
tiers of many of the leaders of the party lett
little room to doubt that there an organ
izrd reasonable conspiracy to seize the gov
eminent and break up the Union by armed
force if the election went against their party.
One of the Governors published his intention,
in that event. TO march on Washington,
seize the government by force. and to meet
the opposition Of sixty thousand Union
loving men in Virginia. By dTmi'g Ter SIdUeS
Another prominent leader, who il now ENJOY
ing seat in the Senate with the fall approx
al of the party, in published letter declared
that any resistance to the enterprise by the
Union mcu of North Carolina should he
crushed by ''tte sUiG attention Of vigilance com
nlinees;" lin other words, by murder and
assassination. "The domestic neishhorhood
civil wal, :" which the Governor of Virginia
said he anticipated, was To be carried on by
these Democratic conspirators against their
Uuion-loving fcllow-citizcns in the one state
bv the aid Of armed slaves and in the other
by organized bands Of muTderers and as
sassius The unrehuked public avowal OF
snch atrociOus purposes sufficiently prove tie
di~IoyaIty. not merely Of the leaders them
selves. but also oil large portion OF their
followers. 1t is not to DE believed that these
men would have formed such conspiracy or
avowed such purposes unless they ielt assuI-
ed that they would he sustained 10y their
party in the South Such belief is ample
proof of the general diffusion OF the disunion
sentiment with the great body of the party
il the South. The existence OF this formlda-
Llc conspiracy, though frequently charged, 1t
is believed none Of these men ever pretended
to DENY. These facts and the industrious
circulation for years past, by leaders OF the
party, of pamphlets, speeches, and essays,
directly advocating disuuiOn as desirable Tor
the South abundantly sustain the charge
that it is essentially disunion party. Bat
whilst calling for condemnation on It's leaders,
il is by no means intended to include the
mass of their too cOniding followers, and
especially in Kentucky, who we fOndly
proudly hope and believe are unlainted with
disuniOnism, and who will scorn any party
domination leading them to that result.
1t has destroyed the conservative elements
of nearly all our State constitutions, and
gave evidence through the utterance Of some
of its most influential leaders Of an intention
to attack the Federal constitution III the sam.
way. but for the disastrous check which the
party recently received.
Through its carly chief and other leaders it
proclaims its eXccrable dogma that no
majority of the people can give permanent
protection to minoriIics or individuals against
the unjust aggressions of party maJorities 10y
means OF InclF great GUN ilat'S,
their written constitutions. In this land Of
constitutional liberty, to this nation OF free
men who were taught by the great founders
of the government, that constitutional liberty
was the only liberty worth the having, the
party proclaims through the official Messages
of its President this new dogma. destructive
of the stability and value of all constitutions.
1t proclaims through him the doctrine of the
understandable yO,rcr Of temporary putty m9J0riies
:. h.a ned IN
even fair and reasonable mode prescribed
by a constitution itself for it, own alteration,
President Buchanan says: 1.-The will of the
majority is supreme and irresistible. II can
uumakc constitutions ut pleasure" lie
argues at length TO prove that maJortlcs
cannot be confined to any particular mode
however reasonable, in altering revolving, or
remaking constitutions.
Another influential leader, one who might
he selected as u specimen incarnation of the
principles Of modern Democracy, said in the
Senate. THE Importance oi stat constitu-
tions in this country has been greatly eX
aggcrated. In their declaration of general
principles, they but repeat The common law
which our fathers brought with them, and
which would be law without such repetition.
The limitations in them cannot be modified
by the people ut their pleasure. ANY provi-
sion which prctcnds To take away that power
or delay its exercise, is impotert against
majority of the people, In other words, il
Is impoteut against the power OF any
temporary party majority. In still other
words, the dominant party in ii Legislature
may, within a period of two months by the
vote of "A bare majority OF the people, obtain
power to pcrsecute the minority into exile or
even hang them for their political or relig-
Gus opinions. Though this does not verify
the novel discovery OF this senator, that our
bills of rights are mere repctitions of the
common law" yet il must be- conceded that
this new theory would render them as
impotent to restrain Legislative power rs the
common law which here, aud ia England.
only lives by legislative permission.
Thus the modern progressive Democracy,
through its President end other leaders,
openly avows this new creed reasonable 10
the cause Of civil liberty, OF which IL has long
been suspected, denying all sauctity or value
TO constitutions, aud viewing them with dis
favor, US unnecessary temporary restraints
upon the driHe iiaiiegdyle rtgkts n mtjgrit.s.
This party linds 40 cause for Vencration and
respect in the fact that our constitutions are
the great organic compacts and covenants Of
the people with each other, when alone they
are acting in their real sovereign capacity;
that they are the great measure of right be-
tween majoritles and mlnoritier; that they are
the only restraints against d.spotie goVern-
menl that il upon the power ct "a party ma
.juriiy; and that they afford 10, only security
10 individuals or minorities la the enjoyment
of private property, freedom OF conscience.
freedom OF speech, ireecom OF The press. and
all other privileges which are tne btgth r,gAls
OF American freemen. and which are not the
mere concessions VI majoTltles. The citizen
must be secure against persecution by the
majority for his religious OF political opinions
and secure in the enjoyment of his right of
private property, or there Is no civil bb.gty.
lie cannot be so secured but by inviOabie
written constitutions This DtFtx ts1ehss