Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-12-07
COMMUNICATIONS.


State and federative system.
Our State Constitutions. in the election of all Off
GERS and in the passage of all laws distinctly rec0g-
nze this principle; and the trainers of the Federal
Constitution intended to maintain it as the controlling
principle in the election Of the President-in re-
quiring the majority of the Electoral College for
that purpose.
This is the theory of our Constitution and ii was
intended that it should be the practical aoorags of
the Government.
The voting in the Electoral College by States was
necessary to preserve the rights of the States and
to prevent the consolidation of the federal power.
When majority of the Electoral College was re-
quired to elect it was difficult to see state of things
in which the wishes of q majority of the people
coald be defeated But Mr.. Lincoln has been elect
ed with a majority of nearly eight huEdred thou
sand votes against him. Was this the result of acct
dent? 1 answer 1t was not. Was IL occasioned by
a division of those opposed to him among several
candidates! | again answer it was not If every
vote cast fosrhs three opponents had been cast for
either one of them, the result would have been the
same. Is result so remarkable likely again to oc-
cur? Is there danger of its becoming fired per-
1aaneEt feature of our system?
If so, it is manifest that the theory of Consti
ton in the practical lUoTing of the Government, is
sabUerfed, and the minority rule takes the place of
the majority principle. This, all will agree, would
be reUfltdion | deduce then from Mr.. Lincoln's
election two propositions. viz:
First That it inaugurates the minority over the
majority principles established in the Constitution.
Secondly. If the minority principle may become
permanent in practice. the government will no Ion
ger be the Elective Confederacy instituted by the
Constitution, but it must become sectional despot-
ISM in which majority of the Northern people,
(but minority of the whoe) is to rule the Southern
people.
Mr.. Lincoln having received but little over one
third of the popular vote, is yet according TO the
forms of the Constitution, the President elect. That
this does not result is generally supposed, from
q division of those opposed to him among the three
opposing candidate lnOw propose to show. 1t is the
result of oursystem of Uotng by States acted upon by
the sectional organization of the Republican party In
other words the result of the sectional organization
of that party. The Northern States have majority
of voters of the Union, and of course majority of
the Electoral college. The Republican organization
embraces these States and of consequence, ma
iority of the Electoral college. As the vote is cast
in the Electoral college and the people vote seper
ately in the Statesthemnority vote of each State,
is lost in the general result This when there is no
sectional OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES no wrong-no great
violation of principle. But when the people of the
Northern States bound together by sectional Or
ganization sufficient to control the majority in
those States that sectional party controls the
Electoral vote of that entire section, and then that
sectional party-though not more than one third
of the entire popular vote of the Confederaey con
trolls the nation and elects the President.
The Southern States with popular vote of over
one million and an Electoral vote OF 120-have no
power in changing the result The sectional orga-
nization embraces majority OF the people of the
Northern States settles the question: and elects the
President the entire vote cast against the North of
about one million, beingi lost in the result Thus
it is that majority of the Northern people, (but
a minority of about one third of the Ameri-
can voting population,) becomes the controlling poll
teal power of the country, under this sectional or
ganization of the Republican party, thus introduce
ing the minority rule and subverting the principle
of the Constitution, requiring majority to elect
1t will hence be seen, that the election of Mr. Lin
coin was not accidental owing to division Of
the popular vote among his several opponents but
the result, of his sectional organization being
strong enough TO control amaority of the votes of
the Northern States. 1t is equally manifest that the
same result will continue take place as long as
this sectional organization shall last, and have pow
er to control the Northern States If then the Repn
bcan sectional organization shall last, and become
permanent it is certain, that the rule of the minority
must also become permanent, and fixed feature of
our system. This is a plain violation of the spirit
of the Constitution We have seen that ander the
sectional organization of the Republican party the
contest in the Northern States settles the question: and
we of the South, cannot add to or take from that
party single vote, for the contest is local to
the Northern States and the result Of that local
struggle, selects the man that is to rule over the
Southern people, we for all practical purposes
colonial appendage, to another people, and thus
are reduced to a condition of vassallage to the Re
publican party.
Nv second proposition is that if the niROritgprin-
ciFle may become permanent practice, that the
government will cease to be the Elective Confeder
acy instituted by the COnsttution-but it must be-
come sectional despotiSm in which majority of the
Northern people (but minority of the whOe) is to
rule over the Southern people.
have already shown that this minority principle
of rule must be permanent the sectional organ
izatiOn of the Republican party.
If the South is to be governed by the Northern
people. and that must, while this sectional or
ganizatioh lasts is certain, and have no power in
shaping its deCisiOns-as we have Motive are no
longer free people. To be a free people we must
have practical ggeacy in electing our own rulers
AMI in making our own laws. We cannot otherwise
govern ourselves, and people can be free who do
not or cannot govern themselves If our rulers are
to be selected and our laws enacted by another peo
ple--the idea of being free is utter absurdity.
But in the face of all these facts and of consequent
ces so momentous. we are told that Mr. Lincoln is
elected BY a constitutional majority, and that it is
therefore the duty of the South to submit. In reply
to this deny that Mr. Lincoln is elected according
to the spirit of the Constitution, and maintain that in
matters of government as well in matters of
morals and lll1 that he who violates the spirit of
instrument IS entitled to the benefit of the letter.
In other words that the sectional organization of
the Republican party introduces rule or the minority
principle which is violatye of the spirit of the Con
stitutiOn. deny that his election is either legal
Constitutional lie has abused its elcerS to violate is
spirit This is fraud upon the Constitution and the
American people, and Is cold.
If Mr. Lincoln were a good man-wth patriotic
impulses, and had been elected by men, themselves.
loyal to the Constitution and government of the
country. the people might submit to it-not duty
to him, but in loyalty 10 the government. But when
it is remembered that he is himself the author of the
TepreSsiJle dntdgonSH proclaimed to exist between
the systems of labor of the North and South, and
that he maintains that both cannot stand in the same
Confederacy-tkat the institution of slavery must be
put where the Northern public mind will rest salts
al ~ - = in d1ol of
when it is known that the party which elected
him organized itself into sectional .partythe more
etfectually to make upon the institution which
is cherished by nearly one half of the Confederacy
that he, himself, aided in its organization
and for the purposes of Its leaderS-that his party
is held together by no principle of public policy,
and by no bond of Union but that dntdgOnSD to the
rights guaranteed in the Constitution fifteen States
of the Confederacy--that it has in mary of the
States of the North passed laws practically annull-
ing an important provision of the Constitution that
when the Federal Government, in the proper dis
charge of its duty, was engaged in the efforts to
protect the property of the Southern people. the
of that party have raised their reasonable
arms argainst the Government of their country,
and shot down its public officers in the discharge
of their duty, and have repeatedly mobbed and
murdered our people who pursued their property
that 1t denies the constitutional rights of
fifteen States of the Union, as already adjudg-
ed by the Supreme Judicial Tribunal establish
peated efforts to turn the power of the COM
mon Government from its rghtful duty of pro
lection to the destruction of rghtsthat it has
urged the passage of laws by that Government to
exclude us from the common Territories and with
organized bands of armed men, has forcby expen
ed people from the common Territories, and rob
bed and murdered those who did not fly before law
less murderers That it has sent secret emissaries
into our States, to incite our slaves to insur-
rection, distributing arms and poison among
our slaves, burning houses, villages, and
towns, laying deSOlate our country. and rem
derlng insecure our homes and families-that it
has in large bodies Of lawless and wicked men, Or
ganized into military corps, invaded our States
murdered our unotfending people, ignominiOusly
hanged men for no reason except that they were
Shareholders, and forciby endeayored to take our
property and Overturn ourinstitutions. ndthatnow
a leader of that party is, with formidable military
force. requiring the power of the Government of
the Union to repress it, with fire and blood and it,
surrectiOn, is laying waste the Territory of the
Government and threatening the States of the Union
When il is known that the leaders of that party and
its influential journals the purpose as soon as
they have the power, so to re-organze the Supreme
Federal judiciary as to make it conform to their
wishes and their Interpretation of the Constitution
Thus breaking down the last buhcarlc of our const
tutional rights that sixty-six of the members of
Congress of that party, and prominent supporters
of Mr. Lincoln. endorsed the infamous Helper book
intended and calculated to cause the slave popula
ton of the South murder their masters and reenact