Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1860-08-17
Have we lost this spIri,2 bias it gone ftOr among


Our wise and valiant forefathers gave us liberty
and established a government for us. Let us take
care OF it---take care of the Constitution and thu
Union (Applausc.) That is all we require. W.
have before MS the prospect Of a glory unknown tc
other nationsa prospect in which otr land will be
come theglory of the earth. Neither Rome norany
other Of the great empires Of antiquity of modern
times can compare with what we shall be at no dis
tant day. We are now thirty millions strong vel
we have been but eighty years in cxistance as free
nation. From the year f76 down to the present
time, God Almighty has blessed us above all othci
people and all other nations. Where shall we be
thirty years hence, IL such prosperity attend us2
great nation of one hundred million souls with moi
enough then to develop our resources. Every man
free to think free to speak, free to act free to work
What must this mighty freedom produce with thi:
mighty concurrence of hearts, of heads, of hands
What navies, what armies, what citics Let us lin
ourselves to the contemplation of what o1r children
will be. Shall we not leayc them a legacy as great
as our fathers left us2 Let the contemplation Of
the mighty dcstines involved in our Confederacy
engage us until we absorb the genius of this Re.
public and its Constitution. Let il enter into all
our motives of public action that we may no longer
be the tools and slaves of parties, party platforms
and of party conventions.
do not intend to disparape any partv in parti-
cular but have not your parties and platforms limi
ted the freedom and independence of your intellect
and vour action If you are told the convention
has done so and So that points are settled bv the
Democratic Convention held at Cincinnati and Char
lesion, do YOU, my Democratic friends hesitate 10
express the Judgment YOU had formed do Won not
hesitate even to think in opnosition IN nartv dog
mas3 This slavery of intellect is in a fearful r,ea
sure DEGRADING. Without tanoibIe autborifv Il
binds by some mysterious influence yo,r bcsrt yor
head and your conscience. The Ireonlor nom;-
nees the ree,plsr pIotfnrn tbaso are cons;dor
ed as of authority thew have n talisman;c Influence
You know moi whether these conventions 20 ,rhoso
rod Won bumblv snhn,t voprsoyos ,voro oor,,,os.d
of natrots nondor;no Tho ROOD oetha la
or IF Lnoyes c,nsnItino tbo hos, ro,;o, oe rohh;,
II when ,ye forget onr country and d;,ohoy, o,s
we is,or ~ tho of 80, w"
do not ob;act n marry and The oros,;ors of ,ar,
lony as tbev seeL 70 estahl;sb M axcsi,o da;io,,
over the actions and on;nions of NOR and 90 iono,
ne tbev Leave tha noon,e feo in Tho of
indgments Rut when ws doubt ,yhen ws ,h;nt
NO Soc o,,r or,, ;s Iood;r,s ne 49,, -"
ia be,ter way n ssrso o,r oo,,nt.'. go.
thor o,o.h. % - ;,.os..;. nny 80 .ia"
ism and ndensndence o7o,,cb 20 80, ca, IL
and not for his Marty Ho ,yoS n,odo for h;s oor
trv and let him serve n His nort, mo-, he &c..
ton o.morroyh;s country vii h c.
avar 1Gro.t ornlonso Tha sar,oas h. -. ~,
his copntrv will bo recorded in bSsor, ,o .arr;oos
he rondars bs nort viIl he fnroot.o,, "a "a ,sonies
in the dnst In the serv;co, We rondor ON
wo 6,lfu tbo ohl;~o,ions nIacod NO., ms ~,
NIolor Th. obIiret;on ,ya ov,o 10 p,r fa,Lo, -,
onr mother ia socrod oro h, No, ,,,oo ssosod
that we owe 70 onr countrv onr .orriooS -,
NAV he recorded in netty nolit;cs Tbo s.rv;ccs
rendoroa by ,b;s mon ~ tiot nan or ho oos, ~
hereafter and the oogrooa,a sun, found 20 onornt
10 the value of liftle nostofice Arc tbese mo.
t;ves and considerations wortbv of EortncLions .
It is no course of action for yon IF want 70 m.
neal to a Kentuckiap a,,neoI to bis honor and n
his integrity Cheers Thase belonr, 20 hin, os !.
birtbrigbt ne an inheritance fron, his fobor md lie
mother This governn,ert ,ras nn,'r;shad ,,;ti ,ho
blood of the one and wocred with the tears of tbe
other. It cost your mothers more tears than II did
your fathers drops of blood to establish this govern
ment.-It is the recollection of those davs which
must enter into your nature in order to enable Won
to fulfill YOUR duty to your country.
Ladies' and gentlemen don't nretend IN trace the
history of the parties very particularly anneal to
your general knowledge of the case. 7 have occu-
pied you already longer than purposed doing. and
yet there is one point upon which I would saw a
word 1t is objected to this National this Consti-
tutional Union party that il has no platform. I
have casually remarked upon platforms befo re- The
want of platform is the Recommendation of our
party do not want a party that will cheat. I
want not to set up any painted party to attract the
people to it by its briancy of colorinp. The soul
OF our party is eXpre Sed in the simple but grand
words " The Union. The Constitution, and the En-
forcement of thu Lacs." (Chcers.) What do YOU
want more Out of the Grand principles thus an
nounced you NAV make as many platforms rs YOU
please Does not this include eyerything2 If the
Union is preserved if the Constitution IS observed
if the laws passed by our legislatures are enforced
what more has any citizen a right to ask2 viii
not his property. whether It consists of slaves or
other things be protected if the laws are enforced
Here is everything YOU want, expressed not in the
gaudy and ostentatious language of parties, but in
the simple language of truth It's very simplicity
is its recommendation. 1t is naked truth in its
naked majesty. This is the attraction II has for me,
and trust for you and for all the people of these
States. want to see one man elected President,
who, when he comes to take his seat win have no
platform chains upon his wrists and about his neck.
But do Presidents mind platforms, il they are not
agreeable to them? No. As soon ms they get pow
er in their hands, platforms are forgotteuthis is
ordinarily the case. Let there then be no disput-
ing about this feature of the Union party. | Iwant a
President elected upon the Constitution, a bold man,
who will not fear to perform his dutv, man who