Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-08-22
CONGRATULATIONS.
WhEtthoxne, Hopikins ana Taylor at Knox

COMMUNICATIONS
whithorne, HopIkips ana Taylor at Knox.
Vile.
We make the following extract from private
letter from Knoxville to one Of the editors of this pa
per- We cad the especial attention of rejecting men
Of all parties to that portion which gives the tenor
of the speech made by Col. TAYLOR. There are
thousands of men in the Northern States, who are
at heart with the Black Republicans, and who arc
restrained from acting with them solely by fear
that the South would not submit to Black Republi-
can rule Hence we see one of the main efforts of the
Black Republican press is to convince such men that
all the threats uttered by the Southern men ere but
empty words. Sueh speeches as those of ETHERIDGE,
BEBB and TAYLOR win Do more to quiet tho fears of
those Northern men and lead them into the support
of LINCOLN than can be done by all the Black Re-
publican papers and speakers in the Abolition
States:
Whitthorne made US good speech here. The
whole line of his argument was to prove that there
were really but two parties now struggling for the
ascendancy in the United States. The one the Black
Republican party, (and its allies) the purpose of
which ultimately, is to establish the equality, social
y of the African with the white man, in violation
Of the Constitution as understood at the time it was
the Supreme Court in the bred Scott case the
other party denying that this idea of equality is
either scriptural or Constitutional. This was the
antagonism of ideas upon which the people Of the
country are to pronounce judgment. For his own
part he insisted that the Black Republicans and
their allies were wrong and that the Democratic
party supporting Breckenridge and Lane, tceTe right
His speech was both historical and argumentative
He established the fact that this slavery agitation
which now abstracts the country is coeval with the
Constitution itself-that since the inauguration of
our Republic the two sentiments opinions have
prevalled-the one that slavery is right, the other
that it Is or0g the one has been mainly supported
in the South and the other in the North; and that
there have been IN the South prominent men, land
among them Hon John Belly who have given laid
and comfort to the Northern sentiment or opinion
not directly, but by their support of rule of the
House of Representatives which would admit the
reception of abolition petitions, and again by the ad
mission of the power ofCongress TO abolish slavery
in the District of Columbia Not of his hearers
retired from the discussion without feeling that
his Interpretation of the Constitution right. So
interesting his speech that the crowd of seven
or eight hundred persons present, composed chief
ly of those who have always voted in opposition
the Democracy listened to it throughout with al
most breathless attention.
He was followed by Mr.. Hopkins, of
Chattanooga, who devoted his eighty minutes to
a recital of what he considered to be the former
pledges of the Democratic party, and ct the same
time insisting that these pledges bound the party to
support Douglas. He was frequently applaud
ed vociferousy by the Bel men, whose appreciation
of his speech and position was so manifest to him,
that his own good sense prompted him to retire
from the canvass at this place. This action of Mr.
Hopkins was in conflict with the earnest supplica-
tons and persuasiOns of Bell men here, if not d.
rectly expressed shown to HIM by their attentions
in various ways. | am sure he cannot again do
anything to aid the Bell party for which he has
heretofore professed to entertain no respect.
Taylor followed Hopkins His speech was after
the order of these of the q Eagle Orator." some
years He glorifed the Union after the Fourth
of July style; he pictured the horrors OF civil war;
declared himself not only willing to submit to Lin
coins election, but being ready TO fight for his
Inauguration President against any or all men of
the South who might resist it, attributed the slave
ry agitation to ambitious leaders of the Democratic
party aided by elo ,oigS who voted for the repeal
of the Missouri Compromise; twas not ZollIcoffer
one of the Whigs?) replied to no one of Whit
thorne's arguments; announced no principle upon
which Mr.. Bell would administer the Government;
denounced Buchanans Administration as extrava-
giant and corrupt; told one or two anecdotes, In
rather bad taste; said the Harper's Ferry affair
and the murder of few Southern men by John
Brown and other Aboltionists was small affair
and deserving of no serious consideration by sensl
| BILE people In word, his entire speech one
the spirit and scope of which, to induce acqui
escence the part of the people of the South in the
election and administration of Lincoln, and 10 re-
sst, to the death, the men of the South who might
so far regard his election as a suSversion of
the constitution to be induced not to submit to
his authority over them. Whitthorne rejoined with
a rapid and scathing review of Taylor's speech
Among other points he made to inquire of Tay-
lor whether the Democratic party, which he had SAID
was the cause of all the distraction of the country
divided the Methodist church of which he. Taylor
was minister-whether it had divided the Baptist
church-whether it had divided the Presbyterian
church, each into Northern and Southern sections.
Hopkins spoke but two or three minutes in re
Jolnder and left the stand.
Taylor occupied his twenty minutes, but added
nothing either to what he had said or to the enthu
siasm of his friends.
Upon the whole, the effect of the speaking was
highly encouraging to the Democrats Breckenridge
men were confirmed-one. at least of the halfdozen
Douglas men os this county declared himself within
my personal knowledge TO be with us, and good
impression otherwise made. from which am
sure we shall reap fruit in the future.
The Bell men had meeting Tuesday night in Par
hams Hall to organize a club. One of their speak
er's Ex-GoV. Bebb, formerly of Ohio, is reported
to have SAID that being now citizen of Tennessee
he would vote for Bell, but that if he were sill
resident of Northern State he looud rOte for Lin
coin 1t is reported upon the street that the avowa
loas dpplauded by the Bell men.