Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-05-04


these respectable democrats" were fixing
np'' the currency business hereto the Presi-
dent, in favor of giving certain contract to
MERHIcK & Sous, of Philadelphia, who were
"old Wings" and employed force of about
490 men. These were not good aold Whigs,n
or they would have come out from the de
mocracy- No good .'old Wing" can stay
long with them. They are coming back in
Virginia, Kentucky aud Tennessee. and he
was glad to see it. He would hail them cor
daily, and as they come it reminded him of
the good old hymn:
''Part oftbe hosts have crossed the food, 4
And part are crossing now. p - u Y
But what did Mr.. BUCHANAN do with this
letter? Did he treat it with scorn and in
dignation. as Washington or any of the list of
his illustrions successors would have done
No. He placed his name on the back of it
Secretary OF the Navy This contract gave
to MERRICK d Sons $500 dollars more for
the job than it was offered to be done for ty
others. This will not be denied In building
six sloops of war they also acted on the same
principle till the excess was $50, 1000. In not
a single instance did be remember, of large
appropriation of monev, except for ocean
mail service, that there was a majority of
democrats voting in the negative. This was his
recollection; if he was not correct, he would
stand corrected. Col. n. then referred to the
extravagant furnishing of the Capitol at
Washington. and contrasted this Imperial
scale" of magniicence with the dolful outcry
the democratic party made in 1S41, when
$50, 900, part of Gen. HARRIsoN's first years
salary, was voted to bis widow. He re-
membered bearing the eloquent voice of Mr.,
Polk on that subject, and the applause of the
democracy when he denounced this as ex-
travagance.
The charge of extravaganza on the Oppose
ton would not be borne out by the records
The democratic party was spending the
peoples money and had no excuse for it.
The Washington Union. in attempting pallia-
ton, had said the wants and necessities of
government like ours demanded expenditures
''on an imperial scale" This system of plum
der bad gone on till the government was IN
able to pay debt of $40, as be had before
said. To prove this he stated that he had
democratic neighbor, who was poor-whose
property was not worth more than $50
This man had contract to carry
the mail at forty dollars per quarter.
He was lately sued on little debt of S.
Judgment was given-the stay ran out. and
execution was about to be levied on his pro-
perty. He sent on to draw his quarters pay
to relieve himself of his embarrassment and
the Department replied through the 3rd Assis-
tant T. NJ. General, that the money could not
be paid; but lift was his wish to assign his paw.
he would be furnished with proper form of
assignment. In this connection, Col n. referred
to CAVE JoHNsoN's, President of the Bank of
Tennessee proposition to the Union and Plant
ers' Banks, to discount the certificates of the
the POstofice Department to pay mail con-
tractors. He characterized it as the scheme
of sagacious politician, who fully under
stood the necessities of the party and the
Department, to prevent complaint of the con-
tractors, during the tendency of this election
If they were not paid they would grumble
it was I" hush money" to them. How
would the merchants and others like this d.
version of the means of the Banks, to pay the
debts of the administration The Demo-
cracy has brought the country to the verge
of ruin. and it was for the people to say
whether they would longer sustain it.
Again abiding to his legislative record,
he said he would discuss that matter, if he
should think it necessary. but now there was
more important matter which he wished to
place before the people. As to redistricting
the State, it was not done especially TO please
the Democratic party. He thought that com
plant came with little force from the repre-
sentative of one party against another. AS
he recollected it, the redistricting was not
unfair, and he was satisfied his recollection
was correct. And here his time expired.
In his rcjoinder Gov. Ii. was manifestly ex-
cited. Said the redistricting had violated a
great principle of right and equality: That
the Post Office appropriation was defeated, by
factious Opposition from an Opposition MEN,
ber-otherwise the $40 would have been
paid-it was in the Treasury but no law au-
thorized the drawing of it out: That in
speaking of furnishing expenses, his COM
petitor lived in glass house, and should be
would not do-and read from list of expen-
dtures by Gen. CUILoN, while clerk: That
the contract to Merrick Il Sons. was next to
the lowest bid, was referred to Committee
of scientific gentlemen, who reported in favor
of its acceptance-the President had nothing
to do with it: That the democratic party had
the power in the last Congress, and had re-
duced the expenditures from II to So millions:
That Col. n. had said there was no large APP
since 1856, for which majority
of democrats had not voted-cited the At
lantic Telegraph, and the appropriation to
Gales Il Seaton of the National Lltelligencer
for Books: That he would never consent to
the charter of any bank without reserving
the power to alter or abolish If the public
good demands it-said Col. n had asked
questions, he ought to be willing to answer
them, and he CID would ask him If he was in
favor of re-chartering the Union & Planters
Banks: That he had not charged there was
an abolition party in Tennessee said
the democratic was the only national party
that had stood up TO the rights of the South
&c, the "wooln would sound 1T would sound
loud enough to hang your party by the neck.
Col. n in closing the debate, replying to the
claims of nationality of the Democratic
party, read from the Washington UnioH, which
said the Democratic party was the victim of
of its ambitious leaders, aud
was rendered powerless by these unworthy
practices. In reply to the question asked by
his competitor he would state frankly he was
in favor Of the re-charter Of the Union and
Planters Banks-one or both-with proper