Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-09-22

Bell was 10 support Mr.. Clay, and that to
support Mr.. Clay would be an iasafs and
the height of issg1,atitsde to Gen jackson
The intelligent constituency of Mr.. Bell
readily perceived, that this was no issue
between Gen Jackson and Mr. Clay, but
between pan Buren, and Clay; and,
concnrring with Mr.. Bell in his preference
for Mr.. Clay over Mr. Van Bnren doubtless
induced thereto, IN a great measure, by Mr..
Bells eloquent refutations of the old
charges urged against Mr.. Clay, including
the famous "bargain and corruption
charge the constituency of Mr.. Bell,
we say, triumphantly sustained him, and
reelected him by majority of tsoeIne
hundred and thirty four cotes.i
This canvass of Mr.. Bell in 1889, with
its attendant circumstances, although il
constitutes one of the most important
passages of Mr.. Bells public life, is not
so much as mentioned in the pretended
" full, just and accurate investigation
which we are examining! The writer
devotes more than page to an exposition
of the opinions held and expressed By Mr.
Bell in regard to the circumstances attend
ing the election of Mr.. Adams to the
Presidency in 1925 by the House of
Representatives He re-pubhshes copious
extracts from two letters written by Mr..
Bell on that subject, Che one in 1926, and
the other in 1927 He also tells about
Mr. Bells support of Mr.. Clay, in 1874,
but suppresses the fact of his support of
him in 1889! What was the purpose of
this suppression? We think it VIII be
found sssticking out " in the phraseology
the writer uses when referring to Mr.. Bells
support of NJ. Clay in 1914. He says {:
in 1874 Mr.. Bell chad become the follower
and eulogist OF Mr.. Clay, actose greatness
and popularity araS then al its zerth"-
innue,ado, but not before then To
produce the impression that Mr.. Bell,
from the period of his early opposition to
Mr.. Clay in lS26-27, never entered into
his support until it became entirely safe
and polite to do so-neUer, until 1874,
when Mr.. Clay had attained the zenith ofhis
greatness and popularity--than the pro-
duction, of this erroneous impression,
could the writer have had any other object
in suppresSing the fact of Mr.. Bells
intrepid support of Mr.. Clay in 1889,
when, according to the Nashville Union
ITSELF Mr.. Clay's great lack Of popularity
in Tennessee admonished the [anti- Van
Buren, candidates to keep as dark as
possible" with regard to him, because they
k'aeso she was load which they could
scarcely carry into Office on their backs? +"
The term for which he was elected in
1889 closed Mr.. Bells career as a repre-
In Congress-embracing con-
tinuous period of twelve years, and five
successive reflections. Having served out
hat term, he accepted seat in Gen.
Harrison's Cabinet, upon the retirement
Of which, after the accession of Mr.. Tyler,
ne returned to private life, where he con-
inued until his election to the Senate of
he United States in the fall of lS47, on
which occasion the Ndshuille Union and
american spoke of him as follows:
[From the Nashville Union of November "a, 1871
ave have already announced the election
o the Senate of the United States of the
Hon. John Bell. 1t would be useless for us
o tell our distant readers that MIR Bell is a
Gentleman of commanding talents, for these
alents are known and approved throughout
he Union. He is undoubtedly one of the
blest men of the country; and, in the pres
mt crisis, his opiuions will be looked for
With an anxiety scarcely inferior to that
which watched for a development of the
Jews of Mr.. Clay"
We are far from desiring to attach an
nwarrantable significance to this frank
ribute of the Union and ARerican to Mr.
BELLS " commanding talents" and to the
nviable position, hardly inferior to that of
ir. Clay, which, as statesman, ne held
4 the public estimation. 1t was during
is twelve years of service as represent
alive in Congress that he had given
violence of these commanding talents"
nd won that reputation for craftsmanship |
the highest order which the Union aud
Inae1icaa then accorded to him. Yet that |
'urnal is nOsc laboring TO make its readers !
elieve that, during that very period of his
ublic service, Mr.. Bell had established the |
Of a trickster,n and that his
hole course while q representative In
ongress was characterized by duplicity,
eachery, and shameless restitution of
official integrity! Only imagine the
mon and American, instead of hanging
S head in shame, and deploring the dis
race brought upon the State by the
lection to the United States Senate of SO
character as it foao affrms
Ir. Bell to have been before and at the
me of his election in lS47 ,-instead of
ping this, exulting, as it evidently did,
the remarks we have quoted above, in
lie election of a man of the commanding
tents" and high reputation which it then
frankly accorded to Mr.. Bell Only
,nceive of the people of the United States,
an eventful crisis in public affairs,
oking for an exposition of the opinions
political I" trickster " !" with an anxiety
arcely inferior to that which watched for
DEVELOPMENT of the views of Mr.. Clay ~
Yet more: Mr.. Bell, elected to the Senate,
ok his seat in that body in December,
'47. He made his speech on the Mexican
ar in l84S. In 1850 he made his speech
speeches on the compromise measures.
the course of which he expressed his
Unions freely ON the slavery question in
its phases and bearings His course
those occasions, if the UsioR and
i i - L i