Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-08-09


the Senate the advocate Of that plan, which, lad it
been successful we venture nothing in saying, would
have Involved the country N civil war. For bet
ter understanding Of what that plan was we give
the words of Mr.. CLAY found in his speech Of the
2lst Of May, 1850:
sNow let me call the attention of the Senate to a
very painful duty, which am constrained to per-
forui and which shall perform, let it subject me to
what misrepresentation it may, here or elsewhere.
mean the duty of contrasting the plan of the Exec
utye of the United States with the plan proposed by
the Committee of thirteen"
Nov, what is the plan of the President? l will |
describe it by smile in manner which cannot be
misunderstood Here are five wounds. One, two |
two, three four, iye-bleeding and threatening The
well being if not the existence of the body polite
What is the plan of the President! Is it to heal all
these woundsl No such thing. It is only to heal
of the FIVE and to leave the other four to bleed
more profusey than ever, by the sole admission Of
California if it should produce death ITSELF
have said that five wounds open and bleeding
What they? First there is California; there are
the territories second there is the question OF the
boundary Of Texas the third; there is the fugitive
slave bill the fourth and there is the question OF TIE
slave trade in the District of Columbia the fifth The
President instead of proposing plan comprehend
ing all the diseases of the country looks only at one
His recommendation does not embrace, and ne says
nothing about the fugitive slave bill or the District
Il
l of territorial government and Texas boundary re-
| main and be left untouched, TO cure themselves Dy
some law of nature, by the us nedicdtr71 noeTd or
some self remedy, in the success OF wnlcn cannot
perceive any ground of the least confidence. have
seen with profound regret and surprise the persist
| ence-for such l am compelled to regard the facts
around us-of the Chief Magistrate of the country
| In his own peculiar plan"
The recommendation of the President. | have
already said, proposes the simple Introduction of
| California as a State into the Unon-a measure
which standing by itself has excited the strongest
symptoms of dissatisfaction in the Southern portion
of the COnfederacy. The recommendation proposes
to leave all else untouched and unprovided for In
such an abandonment, what will be the condition OF
things? The first approximate territory to Caliior
MIA is Utah. and in what condition is that lett Dy the
Presidents Message? Without any government at
all Without even the blessing curse, as You nay
choose to call it, of military government"
"And when you come to New Mexico what gov
eminent have you? military government oy a
Northumberland of the army! heutenant-col,
Onel-a mere subordinate of the army OF the Unlted
States-hoIds the government power there in a time
of profound peaeel Stdndup, Wing tcho cd1-Sldlei
p Democ at loto can and defend the establishment q
military government in this free and glorious hepuoac
in a time of profound peace? Sir, we had doubts
about the authority of the late President to do this
in time of war; and it cast as reproach against
him. But here in time of profound peace II Is
proposed by the highest authority that this govern
ment. that this military government-and oy VIVA
l know not-shoud be continued indefinitely till New
Mexico is prepared to as Safe into the Union
: There are now about ten thousand people tnere
| composed of Americans, Spaniards and Mexcans
| and about eighty thousand or ninety thousand In
dians civilized ,nciulized dicUiized and 6dr6dro'
people, and when will they be ready to come IN as
$ State! Sir say it under full sense OF the res
possibility of my position, that II tomorrow WIN
such population and such constitution as suc1
| population might make, they ware to come mere lo
$ admission as State J. for one, would not vote 10
l., it. 1t would be ridiculous it would be farclcal
. | would bring into contempt the grave matter o
| forming commonwealth as sovereign members
i this glorious Union" Sand yet the plan OF ID
President is to leave this military government unde
n this Northumberland in full operation, declaring
= as he does in opposition to evidence. that they hav
u a very good government there now"
T Such was the condition in which the President
l. endorsed and sustained by Mr. BELL. was about
place the country, earnestly and ably opposed b
DIR. CLAY. But Mr. BELL did not hesitate to pres
this policy, and make upon the Kentucky Senate
whom he had once denounced, then eulogiseC
/ and was now opposing again. Some remark of Nj
CLAY to the effect that he would defend the propO
n ed settlement of the Senate committee against
II thousand Presidents" having elected applause, NJ
d BELL in reply took. occasion to say:
e al am aware of the vast control the honorah
I'd Senator has over the viii and sentiments OF mel
e especially the wing ranks anu lIlls nc mas Ia
N for years But, when the honorable senator SO II
dignantly denounces military authority IS ne u
3 conscious that he is himself A GREAT MORAL DE
h POT? know something of these moral despotism'
h have had to encounter them IN my ume. Inc
arise from the admiration that follows great talent
:, great holiness moral and physical. These quahte
n will enchain the opinions and feelings OF men, OIL
this IS evidence that they are right, except as
the presumption that arises from our claims to
an intelligent people. Now, SIR make no complain
= ] no the exercise
IL this moral despotsm and am perfectly willing
n should make his denunciations. But desire to 50
ID that so far regards the of the PresldeI
70 they will be seen not to be weltfounded."
% In defence of the plan of the President, Mr. BEL
ID said
nj Look sir 10 the North and the South and Sc
e. who they are who support the plan of the Pres
- dent AS TO THOSE OF THE NORTH, are tn
1e not pledged and tied to the WOt PrOUiSo by Their
II St1tctions, and have they not already receded
IS little from their platform i'll coming to the plan
De the PRESIDENT"
ID In reply to that portion of Mr.. CLAWS speed
I'd which described the population of New Mexic
u composed of Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans and
dians as a civilized, uncivilized halfcivilized ar
E. barbarous people, whom it would be farcical
N authorize to form State government and come I'M
\ the Union, Mr. BELL contended that they were mol
le intelligent than they had been represented. Til
we SnOulu III hllllu III 'StitllStl5 lily S4A
AT and training of these people that since the revolt
n ton and independence Of Mexico, they have been
at the practice of self-government. They have ha
:. their Territorial Legislature, to which, with son
OF Interruption they have been in the habit of elect;
~ delegates annually They have, at the same tim
n chosen at regular periods delegate to the Centr
at Congress in Mexico and upon the whole they al
p just as well qualified for sefgovernment as most
the States of the Mexican Republic" Again:
eu II do not expect the honorable Senator Mr.. Cla.
a to recede from any sentiment he mas espresso
10 But our conscience admOnshes that these Peep
an are by our treaty stipulaOns, entitled to be adm
ted into the Union in some reasonable Tune II u
population only sixty or seventy thousand, !
he stead of ninety thousand 1t would be quite larl
IS enough; for the Constitution prescrbes no partlc
s lar number, and if the inhabitants OF TINS terrtOr
ne after than two centuries training IN the ar
t. of civil society and government, are not qualred
C. the exercise of State sovereignty, when Will the
I'd be qualified? They have for twenty years and pa
he exercised the rights and privileges OF segoVer
H. ment, and the measure now before the senate pr
noses to extend to them the rights do
lien appear TO me 10 be q strange and e1tT1ordind
err position for Senator's TO tae che, they declare III
m under no circumstances oM they UOte to admit Ne
tie Merico into the Union as State"
OF This hasty effor: of Mr. BELLS, to secure the o
le ganization of New Mexico as a State, and her a
r. mission in to the Union with population, accOr
r ing to Mr. CLAY. Of about ten thousand American
ut Mexcans and Spaniards and eighty or ninety tho
sand Indians, civilized, Uacivilized, half-civhze
IL and barbarous people," must be considered veI
K strange not to say monstrOus, when taken in co
al necton with his subseqent conversion to mo
ne NoTHINGIsM and his Jealous cooperation with tn
r party to prescribe and put down our torelgn-bol
~ citizens in the elections of 1855. What would ha'
1t been the astonishment of Mr.. CLAY, had he bee
le living at that time to have found Mr.. BELL who
re 1913 was seeking to bring into the Union Sta
ut composed of ninety thousand half civilized Indial
= and but ten thousand Americans, SpaniardS al
y Mexicans. in 1855 leader in ''Eew' party, as h
tn Mr. BELL, termed it in a speech at Knoxville, base
:" upon the idea that our fOreign-born population
le European descent were not qualified to discharg
n the duties of American citizens, or worthy to pa
lie tcipae in the affairs of State? And yet this is
il part of that past history connected with the publ
M