Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-09-16
DIsUNIoN AND REVOLUTION !
PROTECTION IN THE TERRITORIES.
views of a Bell Elector.


views of a Bell EIectOr.
Letter from Hon. b. H. Hill of Georgia.
Hon. B. II. Hill. is BELL candidate for Eector
for the State at Large in Georgia. he is the leader
of his party IN that State, and second to no man in
the BELL ranks in the South Below we publish his
DUDLEY Letter written in 1859. Donotet the length
Of 1t deter you from reading it. Read it, BELL men,
because he is one of you. Read It, DOUGLAS men, to
see what the BELL men of Georgia think of your
candidate and principles. Read it, BREoKNRIDGE
men. to learn what the "Union" party think of
resistance in the event of the success of Black
Republican candidate for the Presidency:
From LAGRANGE (ea) Reporter, Extra, July 30, 1885,
LETTER FROM HON B. H. HILL.
LAGRANGE. Ca, July 25th, 1859.
Ny DEAR SIR Excuse me for delaying SO long an
answer to your letter. Candor requires me to ad-
NIT that much of this delay is owing to indsposi-
ton my part to write politics 1t is not
sary for to say to yo that this delay is not in
the least attributable to want of respect for your
self for can truly say, if there exist class of men
for whom as citizens IentertaiD the highest respect
it is the class to which you beong-men whose
lives evince that their only connection with politics
is aid in the establishment of correct principles
and in securing proper and honest abstraction of
the laws of the land With such men Lao and priT-
cple rather than party and Office constitute the great
object of desire.
What shall we of the South now " is your
question. f
After the discussions of nearly half century on
the various issues presented by the institution of
slavery in its relations to the Federal and State Gov
ernments the country, it seems to me, has arrived
at a point where these discussions, with all their
dangerous tendencies. may be terminated on cor
rect and safe basis, honorable 70 all and every
section of the Union-if indeed. settlement and
peace on any basis whatever be possible.
Whatever may have been open questions this
subject heretofore, every honest thinker is com
PEELED nov to see, that there is no ground for differ
OF opinion or action among those who seek the
truth and really desire 10 obey the laws and let The
country have peace. If this be true and agitators
still continue to distract we may 7aolc that truth is
their object law is not their rule and with such
agreement is impossible, and all further labor to
secure it would be Idle. With all so bent, argument
is simply folly.
States has solemnly decided that our Southern eii
zens are coequa of The territories, and that
to these territories the Southern man has right to
carry his slaves and there hold them with precisely
the same rights belonging 10 any other citizens from
any other section with any other property and that
the General Government has no power TO destroy,
or abrdge, or in any manner render Intellectual the
enjoyment of this right and this property In so de
Gliding. the Court but declared simple and plain ele-
mentary principles of Constitutional law, which,
with many of us, were never considered doubtful.
Whatever of honesty charity may have accorded to
those who professed think otherwise, heretofore
certainly man has even right to think other
wise since obedience to law is duty.
The Court not only decided that the General Gov
eminent could not exclude us from the Territories,
but with equal emphasis, has also declared that his
power to exclude, not being possessed, could not
be delegated to any Territorial Government or
power.
Since writing the foregoing have reexamned
the decision and cannot refrain from extracting the
following sentence:
And no words can be found in the Constitution
which gives Congress greater power over slave
property which entities property of that kind to
less protection than property of any other description
The only poOer conferred is the po1cer coupled 1oith
the dhy Of guarding and protecting the oacner in his
rights"
We then perceive that the whole question of right,
power and duty, in relation to slavery in the Terri
tories has been settled and settled too not by party
platform TO be changed and violated policy, or
caprice or bad faith might dictate; not by the Kan
bill, nor by any Congressional act, subject to
double constructions to suit latitudes and couched
to suit preudces but settled by the Supreme Court
and settled tie Ldto of the Constitution plainly and
distinctly declared and thus lifted high above the
camor of the politician and the designing trickery
of party conventions.
The people then, my dear sir have nothing to do
but demand that this lao shall be respected o
and that the rights thus secured shall longer be
the wind whistles of demagogues at the hastings
nor the subject for Del hic sentences of platform
commentators. Here lies the rock of safety to the
South-peace to the pnion-prosperity to the coun-
try-and of death to small men.
What ought the people to do to make sure this
settlement or rather respected this law To deter
mine this question let us look for momeut at the
obstacles In the way.
No man who fairly observes the current of politi-
fail tOs two III
are now being made upon these wise and correct
decisions and the rights they involve. The one as
saut openly attacks and seek to overturn the decl
sions the other, while pretending to admit, ad-
rotly evades and seeks to render them nugatory in
effect.
The first of these assaults is made by the Northern
Republican party. This party openly declares that
the decisions in the bred Scott and Amy cases-are
wrong and shall be reversed. To accomplish this
result they propose, through their greater popula-
ton at the ballot box take into their own hands
the entire administration of the Government, and
thus procure and enforce construction of the C0nStitl-
ton favorable to their UieloS"
AFTER NATURE DELIBERATION l CAN SEE
BUT ONE REPLY FOR THIS PEOPLE, AND THAT
is WAR-WAR IN EVERY SENSE BY WHICH THE
TERN is DEFINED, OR DEFINABLE. CAN AR
GUMENT REACH THEN? 1t is exhausted. Can
law bind them? 1t is the la,o they are organized to
defy-to violate Can appeals to justice move them!
1t Is Justice TO one half the Union which they seek
to destroy. Can we hope for peace through some
fancied compromise or compact IN the future! Can
we make better a more solemn compact than the
present Constitution Have we better, or wiser, or
purer men than its authors, to make another! Made
in the freshness and purity OF the morning OF our
history-made by patriots who had struggled
through common dangers, consecrated by the presl
ding spirit of the great leader of the REVOLUTION and
haowed by every recollection that can endears and
strong in every promise that can inspire hopef our
present Constitution caInot command the respect of
fanaticism confde IN no other agreement with the
fanatic short of an absolute surrender.
Formerly. the powers of the General Govern
ment on this subject might be regarded in charity,
as an omen question: and resistance TO The mere election
of a person entertaining different views from our
selves might not have been so easily defended but
TO RESIST THE SUCCESS OF SUCH A PARTY,
WITH SITCH PURPOSES. NOW, CAN NO LONGER
BE REGARDED AS OTHER THAN A RIGHT AND
A Dirty: because, since these decisions by the
Court such q party is seeking nothing but PLAIN,
open and defiant violation of the law-the law
which makes us equals-and to submit to them is 10
s,lnait 10 traitors AND BY SUBMISSION, OURSELVES
wor1D REGIME ACCESSORIES TO THE CRIME OF TREASON,
and that too against Government which the re-
bells seek to destroy only because it projects fire.
sides, our property, and our all. This states the
conclusion strongly, but logic never lead to truer
conclusion, nor patriotism warmed to nobler one.
The second assault comes from the Democratic
party, or at least the wing of that party lead by
Senator Douglas.
These enemies set out by admitting that the bred
Scott decision is law-that the Southern man has
the right to take his slave to the common territory
and that Congress shall not prohibit him from doing
so. This is d long way on the road to right but il
it lead by crook to the goal the first it is
all the mare dangerous since honest men may be
seduced 70 travelit.