Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-07-25
The Country Wants Peace. and The
Country must have eace-an Ap-
peal 10 oil overs OF the Union of
all Sections and Parties.


all sections and Parties.
1t cannot be doubted that the pending
struggle for the Presidency involves the fate
Ofthe Uuion, either immediate or proximate:
and tie sooner the people come to realize
the fact. the better. Oar present purpose is
TO review the attitude 81 tn parties to the
contest. rs b. iv q may he. and TO suggest
. practical x.t IRON impending dangers and
difficulties.
It Is ptIpaB!e 20 the least Observant that
the acerFiiy of feeling which prevail among
a large portion Of the people OF the two sec
lions of the country. has grown cut of the
agitation Of the question relating to the
institution of domestic slavery in what are
dcnOmfnated the Southern States. This
agitation, as can be EASILY shown by tracing
its history in It's inc ptiOn and generally
throughout its continuance up TO the present
moment. was and is intended more to sub
serve the interests of mere politicians, than
10 aagEGn t ths T or 10 ntr al positive de
mand # the people of either section. Really
but twice in our career as a united govern
mcnt under Our present constitution, has
the question been presented in shape In
volying practical results. under circnmstan-
ces of excitement ard well grounded alarm.
Those two occasions were the application of
Missouri for admission as State in 1920
and the Application OF California and The
Simultaneous disposition of the territories
acquired from Mexico. in 1850. On those
two occasions, the issues were practical
and the popular excitement and apprehen-
sion and alarm were real and wellfOuHdrd-
Tie STATESMEN Of those days succeeded in
settling the differences in both instances
peacefully and to the satisfaction OF the
people of both sections. In 1852. the two
great antagoniStic parties, the Wing and
Democratic, each having distinguished repre-
sentatives who were engaged in the last
great pacifcation, each participating in TIE
great achievement and sharing alike the
glory of saving the Union from dissolution,
so,emnIy agreed hat the legislation of 1850
was lust to both sections and ought to be
fnali,y. or course. there were malcontants
both in the North and tue South. but the
great masses of the people everywhere were
satisfied with the adjustment. and were in
a majority 50 overwhelming that the OppO-
nents of the adjustment. excerpt squad OF
chronic aboIitioaists who voted for JoHN P.
HALE, dared not show their faces in any
quarter Indecd, so perfectly content were
the great masses of the people with the
settlement of 1850. that the chief topic Cf
debate between the adherents of Mr. PIERCE
aud General SC1TT was as TO which was the
better friend of the mea ure through which
the settlement was eff c'ed. and which VS.
most likely to prove liable IN adhering TO
them aud perpetuating the peace so happily
restored to the country. III r.. th-n--Ie Nv
ing out Of view all disputes upon the subject |
anterior to 1s5O-wc have a standpoint of |
safety. OF Peacr. OF satisfaction of concord. |
behind which we need not 90 to trace the
immediate source of present danger.
But. notwithstanding both the then exist
ing parties had voluntarily placed themselves
under bonds to keep the peace on this ques-
ton, had given s,lrnn pledge. in tbeirna
tional party conventions TO hold that Lcace
y
by one of the parties. The act was not de
manded by either elton OF the Uaion-it
was not necessary TO secure the rights of
the people in either section. We speak now
only of the act OF thrusting the subject upon
the countryside act or resarrectins the toma-
hawk which bad been buried 1t was unnec-
essary, it was uncall.d for, il was cruel: it |
display ed faithlessness to pledges, a reck-
l-ssnes- of the public peace. and a disregard
OF the public veal, that is without parallel
in the annals of the country. Without going
int tall it is sufficient now to saw that its
immediate efftct was to SILVER the Wbip
party into fragments. Ii created from non.
entity huge organic ItiOu, now knowa as
the Republican party, based on the single
idea of hostility to the extension Of slavery
Il was an application OF blazing brands to
dry siubble, and the fire V hich it kindled.
swept over the Northern States with such |
energy as to carry almost everything before
it, The House of ReDresen tatives in the
Congress in which the subject was thus in
consisted of l59 Democrats, IL |
Wings and Freesoilers; in the next one e.
turned by the people the Democrats had
j windled down to 50. while the Freesoilers,
under the name Of Republicans had increased
from to l0s. In 1856, this party of Free
sellers put forward It's candidates for Presi-
lent and Vice Presid, Mt, on platform OF
hostility to slavery extension, b0th selected