Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-12-31

quoted continually ali over the South as ex-
pressing his desire to have eau anti-slavery
Constitution, an anti-slaVery Bible, and M
anti slavery God.s The agitators last year
ran candidate for Representative in Con-
gress in this Hermitage district principally,
it seemed, upon the ground of his determined
opposition to this afrocious sentiment. He
was beaten because fflrlingame was not the
opposing candidate. Well the sentiment is
vile enough; but Burlingame, who has
enough sins to answer for, says he never ut
tered it-that be publicly corrected the as
persion long ago-but to no purpose. Yet
this quotation passes as current all over our
counterfeit one dollar bili-as a reason why
we should dissolve the Union. But the larg-
er case. Pennsylvania is said to have multi
fed the fugitive slave law by legislative en-
actment What is the fact? l do not posi-
lively know; but the papers (the current au-
thority) say that the act in question was
passed in 1877, to prevent kidnapping. Since
the enactment of the fugitive slave law, a
part of the law of Pennsylvania has been re-
pealed because it was deemed offensive to the
South. The balance of it was lately incor-
porated into the Code of that State, passing
under the supervision of men whose fealty TO
the Constitution and all its compromises, is
unquestioned. There has been no intention
there at least to nullify the fugitive slave
law. When Cook and Hazlett, of John
Browns clan, escaped into Pennsylvania,
they were pursued and captured by Pennsyl-
vanians, and most promptly remanded to
justice. But this is forgotten.
A State has right to pass laws against
kidnapping. We have such a law in Tennes-
see. Wonder if zoe have nullified the fugitive
slave law. I should NOT wonder if you have
such law in Georgia.. The fact is weslo
not know what are the laws of the Northern
States upon the subject. Suppose we take
time, before we dissolve the Union, to find
out. Our newspaper authorities are conflict
ing. One paper says thirteen States have
been guilty of this iniquitous notification.
Another says only four. Let US take time
to investigate a little, and find out the truth,
before we give all the States the liberty to
do this thing constitutionally.
You come into court with strong bill of
Indictment against the North. Let Us see if
you can sustain it. You speak of discarding
party feeling. Perhaps it would be equally
noble to discard portion of that which we
have in such observation-disclosures sectional
feeling. Let us not foster feeling of sec
tional hate by allowing the North to be mis-
represented to our people.
s'We complain, in general terms, (you say)
that the auti-slavery sentiment of the North
has been made an element of political pow
err" Guilty, with mitigating circumstance
namely, that the pro-slavery sentiment of
the South has been made an element of po-
litical power. The elcquence of Choate
and an Everett could not avail to check this
evil tendency in the North-nor could the
wisdom of a Bell, nor your own eloquence,
avail in the South. We are sinned against,
and shining. You specify:
Il. That large political party has been or
ganized in the Northern States, the great
common idea of which is to prohibit the ex-
tension of slavery by Congress, and hostility
to slavery generally"
True; and a large political party has been
organized in the Southern States. the pro-
claimed policy of which is to drag the issue
of slavery continually into the arena ofparty
strife, in season and out of season-appealing
from the Constitution and the decision pf the
most august judicial tribunal to the political
hustings. The leading and controlling spirits
of that party declared for system of slavery
propagandism involving the re-opening Of
the African slave trade Your second and
third speeifcationsI admit, without any ma
terial qualification
81 That Northern Courts chosen by the
same party, have assumed to declare the fu-
gitive slave law unconstitutional in the teeth
of the decisions of the United States Courts
and of every department of the United States
Government"
After such investigation al was possible, ]
am pleased to be able to find the accused no
guilty upon this count in the Indictment. One
of the witnesses examined in regard to the
facts-the President of the United States, in
his last annual Message to C1ngress,-tes
titles:
Gall the courts, both State and national
before whom the question has arisen, have
from the beginning declared the fugitive
slave law to be constitutional. The single
exception is that of State court in Wiscon,
sin; and this has not only been reversed, but
has met with such universal reprobation thai
there can be no danger from it as a prece
dent"
The failure of the fourth count in your in
dictment must work an abatement of the
charge contained in the sixth specification
shat this party" has used s'every depart
ment of the State government" in several
Northern States sin violation of the Consti
tuition of the United States" &C. Indeed
herein find an exceedingly great encourage
ment to stand in this crisis upon our old
platform, pure and simple, 1.-The Constitution
of our Country. the Union of the States, and
the Enforcement of the Laws" If the judi
ciaI branch of even the governments of the
most fanatical Northern States has remained
true through all these trials, "what lesson
have we here ?"
By the printers indulgence, hope to adj
dress you further, in less fault-6nding
spirit, so far as your noble address is invol-
we'd. - j. !.
NASHVILLE, Dec. 1860.