Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-02-07
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7. 1860.

nUThe election of the present Black Re-
publican Speaker of the House was secured
BY the vote of Henry Winter Davis, Of Mary
land, aud Briggs. of New York, Republican
accessions from the so-called american"
patty. They deserted and went over to the
support of the Northern Aboliiionists, at a
time when patriot national Northern and
Sauthern Democrats bad abandoned party,
and were supporting Southern Wing. purely
on the ground of his nationality.
As vet the Nashville Banner and PATRIOT
have made no alIusion to the desertion from
their ranks by Davis and Briggs. We hope
they will speak out. Ii is but right that the
country should know in what light they
view the disgraceful conduct of these rep
resentative men of their party - Union and
American
II il not exactly according TO the record TO
state that Messrs. DAVIS and BRIGGs voted for
Mr.. PENNINGTON when patriot national
Northern and Southern democrats had aban-
doned party, and ,eeTe supporting a Southern
Wing" When they cast the vote that elected
Mr.. PENNINGTON. the democracy were voting
generally for McCLERSAND, Douglas demo-
crat, the supporter of doctrines denounced
by Gov. WISE as "short cut to all the ends
OF Republicanism, " and regarded by the
Union and american as worse than The Wilmot
Proviso or Black RepublicaBism itself This
Is the view of the DouGI.ssMcCLERNAND
heresies taken by numerous Southern Demo-
cratic leaders. Therefore, in voting for Mr..
PENNINGTON in preference to Mr.. MCCLER-
NAsD, according to democratic authority,
they chose the lesser of two evils. If the
Union and American approves the course of
those Democrats and Oppositionists who chose
the greater evil, we don't think it ought to
eensure either Mr.. DAVIS or Mr.. BRIGGs for
what they did. Both of them had tried to
elect the Southern Wing" Mr.. SMITH, of
OF North Carolina, but were prevented by re-
cusant Northern democrats who were not
patriotic enough 10 join them, even when
their votes could have defeated the Repnb-
licau nominee and elected Mr.. SMITH.
We allude to HOLMAN. ALLEN and DAVIS.
All. the Unio1 and american may say, if these
democrats had voted for SMITH. Mr.. MHLwAID
would have changed his vote, and still there
would have been no objection. We don't
believe MILLwARD would have changed, but
admit that he would. Smith could still have
been elected if that New jersey democrat,
Mr.. BRIGGs had been willing to vote for him.
But RIGGS was unwilling. although he voted
subsequently, for NCCLERNAND. 1t is useless,
therefore, for democrats to complain OF DA-
Wis and BRIGGS for the election of R@publi-
can: Is. Because they wOuld by their votes
have elected the Union and Americans South
ern Wing" had the four aforementioned
democrats voted for him; and secondly, be-
cause in voting for PENNINGTON they elected
him over q man whose creed embraces doc
srines worse even than Republicanism. We
may be permitted to complain, for we have a
right to do it. We would have supported no
enc tinctured with either RepublicanisD,
or the DOUGLAS heresies. We would have
stood out against both PENNINGTON and Nc
CLERsAND. So Mr.. HENRY WINTER DAVIS
and Mr.. GEORGE BRIGGS, you have offended
against our ideas of right and sound policy
we censure you; and hereafter, at the Con
servative Opposition table you must not con-
slider yourselves of the elect-you are rot
back ~ Now, let our Union and American
neighbors do as much for the democrats who
supported McCLERNAND.