Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-04-05
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1859.
yIr. ReIl and the Union and AmerI.
can.

which is preparing to assume the control OF
the Government when the present Admin
0istrstion shall retire from power, the Union
= end 4n1erodn is expected TO exhibit much
zeal, not to say rancOr, in the course of its
structures upon his political character and
opinions. AS imperative as the duty may
seem to il, of attacking Mr.. BELLS positions,
we do not believe that journal wonld. on a
point Of construction as to what Mr.. BELL
sid upon particular subject, willingly do
HIN iljustice; yet we think it has fallen into
error 10 the following review of Mr. BELLS
remarks at the late convention. In comment
ing upol Mr.. BELLS speech it proceeds to
ssy: TTFsts FaE.r5 = IA
Mr.. Bell commenced his speech by ex-
pressing great distrust of the permancnce OF
our institutions. He thought the experiment
Of republican government was not vet
completed-the great problem not yet solved
IL was ! II tor the future to determine wheth-
or the people Of this country were capable of
~selfgoveInment. He inclined to the opinion
that The government was failure, and drew
gloomy Omens of disaster from the expert
ence Of the last few years. Mr.. Bell evident
-,ly adhrres to the old Federal theory which
has always been the creed of his party, that
universal suffrage is incompatible with good
government. lie said that the statesmen of
Europe were already pointing to our expert
encc as an argument against extending the
elective franchise to the poor and uneducat-
ed GLASSES. He stated that John Bright
radicai as he IL, does not contend that all the
citizens of Great Britain should be permitted
to vote, and that his arguments in favor of
extending this privilege beyond the present
Limits, are met by warnings drawn from the
failure of popular institutions in this country.
y The logical consequence OF Mr.. Bells argu-
mcnt would be speedy return to the doc
irines announced aud advocated by the
founders of the federal faith. He despars of
the cuntinnancc1 of our free institutions, and
must consequently desire the establishment
VI stronger government which might check
and Restrain the radical tendencies OF the age.
Is 'lieving that the experiment of extending
equal rights To all our citizens, is failure, he
must favor the restriction OF those rights.
DISTRESSING tina capacity of the people to
govern themselves, he would of course put
rdl,rs over the people who are wise and
honest enough to govern them. These have
always been the doctrines of the federal party
aud its leaders from the days OF tho Hartford
Convention to the time of the Opposition
Convention which assembled in this city on
Tuesday. This is the first article of their
creed.
Now, we think that these deductions from
NJ. BELL remarks are not fair or logical
that he did not express the opinion that uni
versal suffrage and good government were
incompatible-tha he does not desire the es-
tablishment of stronger government, or in
any manner to alter the present organic law
upon " hich the government is founded-that
he does mol believe that the extension of equal
rights to all Is failure, and that the rights of
any should, in any state be restricted that
he does rot distrust the capacity of the peo-
pie for seli-gOvernment, and desire to put
rulers over them.
Mr.. BELL did say, as we understood him,
that to minds of thoughtful and philo-
sophie cast. who had watched the career OF
this government, and clearly spprehended its
present condition, there was much to cause
serious disIrust, or. at least. painful anxiety,
as TO the fate Of our free Institutions that
their purity was degenerating rapidly under
the infucnce of causes which he proceeded to
relate. and that if these causes were not
check d, il would become a seriOns question
as 10 how long they could be preserved. He
cited the reply of MACAULAY. the historian,
who, WHEN lately asked his opinion of the re-
cult Of the experiment of free republican in
EtitutioIs in the new world, remarked that he
Could better answer at the end of the nine
tsenth century; and his comment upon this
wac, that il he had said he could answer at
the end of seventy-fve years from the com
mecement of the nineteenth century, that
he would have been nearer right, in point of
time. BY this remark we understood him to
take the position that the legitimate opera
lions of our institutions had already been 80
perverted hy NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and the in-
roads of corruption-that the pernicious iuhu-
ence and tendencies of the present Demo
cratic party, whose policy has had the con-
troll of thee institutions, almost uninterru pit
ed y for the past quarter of a century, had so
far Slapped aud undermined the foundations
o. the government, that the events OF the
next fifteen years would demonstrate whether
or not il could longer exist.
Prominent among the causes To which this
state of affairs was to be attributed, Mr. BELL
considered the corruption OF the elective
franchise-that a vote under free govern
ment dependent upon the will OF the people
should be the reflex of an untrammeled, in
tclligenl patriotic opinion as TO the mode In
which that government should be admins
tered. aud thar when this characteristic of uni
versal suffrage WAS lost the safety free insti-
tutions was imperilled. il they were notirrevo-
cab.y destroyed; and that statesmen might
well begin 10 enquire ifgovernments could be
safely founded upon that principle. In thiscon-
nection Mr.. BELL referred to the fact that the
reiormers of Europe, statesmen studious OF
our history, and aware Of the enormous abu'
SEES which existed In this particular, in the
government of the United States, were becom
ing doubtful of the wisdom of uaiversal suf-
ag.. and many were citing our example and
4 Is results as reason why il should not be
followed. Mr.. BELLS argument was not
against the principle-the pure and legiu-
mate result of its operation was thevery HE
OF free institutions, aud the foundation OF MS
hope that the country would emerge from
the difficulties which surrounded it. was the
removal of the causes which tended 10 Impair
and riupl it, And with eogehey and
conclusiveness all his own, did he trace these
causes to the democratic party, and demon
strate that its overthrow was the prime step
and object in any salutary reform.
The tenor Of Mr.. Bells speech vss moi, ac-
eoofdIng TO the illogical inference Of our co.
temporary, that the form Of this government
was d fecliye. and that . '.streas~" one Was
re-, ,irei. pus that is had been grossly mis-
~ o.. I'D nd rawn slsrmingiy corrupt,