Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-12-08

voluntary in its origin, and can only be peTpetuaed
! py the voluntary assentof its members.
Again, speaking Of the rights Of States to secede
he says: The States of the South have right to Sc
cede, not only from the very nature of he Federal
compact, but BY express reservation on the part
OF some OF them at the time of entering into the
! Confederacy.
OF the present danger he says: The great danger
of the present crisis exist in the fact that in our
country all political action is by popular move
ment and all popular movements, during the ne
riod eff angry excitement, are from the nature Of
things, ultra and extreme; the difficulty Of accom-
mOdating the differences of the two sections while
the present animOsties continue. is therefore al
most insurmountable. The election Of Mr.. Lincoln
is the result of the ultra and violent popular feeling
of the North against the South. On disuniOn. he
says, Il am not for secession long any honor
able ehert can be made to preserve the Union on
constitutional basis guaranteeing equality justice
aud protection 70 TIE negro property of the South"
In regard to DO h sections he says, Il believe how
ever, that the great material interests of the country
demand reconciliation Of the sections and the pre-
seryation OF the Union and rely upon the slow but
certain. the silent but potential Influences of this
great agency to bring about the settlement of our
present troubles. Inc main struggle Of slI should
be to prevent collision between the sections and
most especially the shedding Of the first blood.
II we can but succeed in averting these calsml-
ties, the great practical business interests CT the
country, may, percnance, sooner or later, bring
about reconstruction Of the Union and restoration
Of harmony between the sections. After this shall
be done, who can doubt that a returning sense of
confidence will be felt by the injured and exaspera-
ted South, and that peace and Union will be re-
stored. Mr.. Floyd says that twenty-five years more
Of Union and harmony will concentrate the CONNER
cial power of the world in the harbOr of New
York-then the decline Of England becomes as GER
tain was that of Alexandria and Venice and for
the same cause Instead of the first she becomes
third rate power, but let disunion take place. let
civil and diseord distract this country and |
England well knows that the ships of the North |
must rot at their wharves and the busy hum of the
manufactures must cease forever, then would Eng
land feel again that she mistress Of the seas 4
without rival, secure n commerce which no |
power could never shake her in.
Mr.. Floyd expresses his own opinion as follows /
The South can never count upon the friendship of /
England and of her tOerating evils not her own; /
once within the reach of her power she will fix /
upon forever the very badge ofinferiOrity which
we are ready to destroy the UGion for. To sacri-
ice the interests of class, or even to starye to
death few hundred thousand Of her subjects in
what she considers laudabe task, will Constitute
a very small obstacle in her policy Il is fatal \
error tosuppose that the interests of England would
prompt her to foster the planting interests of the
South. Ii is known that the Prince COnsOrt sat al
ently by and witnessed the deliberate insult of the
AmericaE Minister, Mr.. Dallas, by British Peer
before the cOngFegated intelligence of all Chrsten-
lom, simply because slavery existed in the United
States
There is not EngliEhman who does not in his
heart abhor slavery, if he does not also abhor the
country where it exists. England will have mar
gin enough to supply her wants IN cotton.
Mr.. Floyd deprecates the present state of affairs
and favOrs a State Convention.