Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-12-14
Hon. Thos. A. h. Nelson's Rejoinde-.
Mr.. PRYOR. of Virginia, having replied to
the speech Of Mr.. NELSON, published by US


yesterday, Mr.. N. rejoined as follows:
Mr.. Nelson. Ibid not exactly understand
the character of the remarks of the gentle
man from Virginia in his opening, but have
simply to say that so far as am concerned
/ do not belong to that class OF gentlemen
| who adopted the code of dueliBg as their
| mode of settling disputes nor am / in the
| habit Of INDUCING m menace or bravado- i
will only add, however, that in any thing
have said. or may say, / am competent TO
| protect myself against any assault either in
the House or out of it. Applause on the
Republican and American side Of the House
Mr.. Pryor. viii not violate pariiamenta-
ry decorum. l say to The gentle man that
be may dismiss bis apprehension; am not
| going TO assault him. Il Laughter and ap-
| plause.1 sAx4E9 ~a@2EE
Mr. Nelson. have no apprehension either
from the person or from the arguments of
the gentleman If anything be has said can
be dlgnihed by the name Of argument. But
be seems to he in the habit of talking so
much in the dark that confess | an, at a
loss to understand The bearing of his remarks
l understood the gentlemen in one breath to
associate me and the party to which belong
with the Black Republican party of the
NORTH -.--E- .s1rs
Mr.. Pryor. / am sure no such remark es-
eaped me. particularly and gadly y dis
connected BIN IRON the other members of
the southern Opposition
Mr.. Nelson. Precisely Now. so far as
any sentiments avowed by me 10 this House
are concerned, / have said nothing which /
desire to escape from. / have said nothing
| here which am not ready to defend and
nothing that have not Substantially avowed
before my Constituents.
Mr.. Pryor. Permit me TO say and Just
here, 10 order that may not be brought 10
| occupy a false position, that did not in nv
argument attempt to impeach the gentle
mans patriotism; on the contrary, 1 express
| ly admitted ID. - = f7.sta 81
| Mr.. Nelson. Then I have no desire to
reply to anything the gentleman has said
| personally; but there are some Of his re-
| marks which think require correction at
my bands The gentleman spoke ofmy being
| member OF the so-called American party,
as If that were a reproach and dishonor
| So far as l am concerned glory in having
been a member of the American party
| lApplause.1 / have avowed it before INV
constituents, and am not ashamed to avow
it before the whole land. / believe that par
| ty was a noble psrty in its aims and in it's
purposes. But / will not enter into dis
cussion Of them here, further than to say
that, as / understand, one of them was 10 pro
tect the Protestant religion of this land
against encroachment from any and every
quarter; and the other was to protect the
American Union from a dissolution. Those
we're two cardinal objects of the American
party. There was nothing in them which CON
fflct with any previous sentiment which |
ever entertained. Humble as | am. as the
gentleman seems to have been inquiring into
my antecedents / will tell him a little
more, which will probably be as dstasteful
as the other l claim not only to he an
American, but to be Wing. and TO have
been Wing all my life. prolonged APP
pIause upon the floor and in the galleries.
am opposed to the modern democracy in
every shape and nndcr every form. IRE
newed applase.l l have so said in other
places, and am not afraid to express it here
No. sir; no. But whilst the gentleman has
been inquiring in regard to me- must con-
fess that have not had the pleasure to ascer-
tain much in regard to his antecedents
lLaughter.l If L mistake not, have heard
a remark OF his, or one attributed to him,
which must say met with my hearty appro-
baton-strange as the House may think it,
that the gentleman and myself concur in
one sentiments sentiment which he uttered
while he was conducting newspaper in this
city. if he is correctly reported.
Mr.. Pryor. What have | done for which
you praise me?
Mr.. Nelson. You used that memorable
expression, which was stereotyped in many
of our suothern papers, and with which we
did good service in the contest in Tennessee
that "from the by-ways and highways of
the Government the rottenness of corruption
sends forth an insufferable stencil. Why are
the people SO pGtient? Why SAUNDERS the
Indignation OF the Democracy" prolonged
laughter and applause all over the Housed |
Sir, in that sentiment concur, and it de- |
lighted me when heard il in Tennesse for
| thought the gentleman talked like IA man |
Of sense. Nothing has been said better by |
anybody In tais Union =
But, MIR. Clerk, thegentfeman says that he |
wOrships the Constitution, and that came |
here to make speech in behalf of the |
American Union, and that / do not say one |
word in regard to the Constitution. IL |
mistake not il is the common sentiment of
the secessionists of the South, that they |
talk about the Constitution and say nothing |
about the Union. When ] talk about the |
Union what do | talk about? i talk about
that thing which is the result of the Ameri-
can Constitution. Loud applause upon the |
floor aud in the galleries ] i speak OF the
larger idea. When | say that / am in favor
OF the Union, that carries everything along
with it, 1t carries the Constitution with it;
and it carries verything else with it that
any patriot in this land should desire to sup
port.
MIR. Bonham. The honorable member
then puts the Union above the Constitution.
Mr.. Nelson. put the Union and the Con-
stiiutiOn together, because the one cannot
exist without the other. Loud and pro-
tracted applause.] tf.tf-
Mr.. Keitt. Aud there the Republicans diff
fer from you.
Mr.. Nelson. | told you gentlemen Of the
House, when | addressed you before, that |
did not expect that my sentiments would
will ba Of
from the North or or extreme men from the
South. [Applause1 1t makes no difference
to me whether The Republicans and myself
differ in regard 10 that sentiment. | believe
that il is patriotic sentiment | believe
that it is the sentiment OF large majority
the American people. and therefore itrejoices
me to give uttcrance TO il here.
The gentleman says that my language here
tends TO disunion. What have said here
to-day that associates me, or my party, with
those who are called Black Republicans of
the North? The whole purport OF the re-
marks | made, and | knew the peril of the !
position placed myself in, was to dcnounce
these extreme sentiments of disunion, no |
matter who they come from. whether from |
nnlliters OF the South, or abolitionisls of the /
North. [Applause.l
The gentleman talks Of representation of /
Southern sentiment. II he is u nullifier. If he |
II u r'ttSSioiliots "a u " uiNhhiOulNt, btR |
leave to say that do not belicve-he repre-
SCENTS the true sentiment In the South. God |
forbid II! prolonged and loud applause
in the galleries and upon the iourl No,
sir; do not believe that the great body Of
the people of the South, even those of old /
Virginia, welded a. she is 10 the straight
jacket resolutions of '9s. [langhter,1 sytnpa-
thize with the sentiment of disunion that is
so continually iterated and reiterated from
one end of the land to the other. No sir; |
think better of the South; at any rate, so far
rs my constituents are concerned. and 80 far
n the gallant people OF my native Stale are
State OF Tenn,esee-I can
stand proudly before my country, and say
that believe there is not one OF them-not
sympaihzes in this disunon SEN
timent. tApplause]
Mr. Lamar. Let me ask the gentleman