The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1860-09-07
John Bell-False Charges.

! (says the Chronicle and Sentinel, while pre-
tending to treat the claims and chances
of Col. Bell most CONTEMPORARY, are
still constantly busy in making false
charges against our candidate, and in
suppressing the truth. While affecting
| to believe that our party is not to be
counted i'm the race, they manifest ut all
times bv their conduct, both their fears
and their mai;gniy. Not content with
waging war upon those of their own
household whom they choose TO brand
as traitors, including rdst majority OF their
party, they must needs abuse John Bell,
and utter lalsehoods against him. This
is not unusual; for we have never yet
known a Presidential contest, in which
the Southern Democratic press and lead
ers did not pcrsistently declare that their
opponcnt was an Abolitionist These
foul s.anderers in 1910, had the audacity
to call Harrison an Abolitionst and II
Federnlst, while claiming Van Buren, as
altogether sound. They branded Henry
Clay as an Abolitionist. n Fcdcralst, n
bargainer. duelist and blackleg. They
declared Gen. Taylor. the owner of three
hundred slaves. to be no better than an
abolitionist; because they said he would
not veto the UiiRot Proriso. In 1880, for
the first time, they failed generally TO
call our candidate Fti7u'iA because
their own candidate, Mr. Buchanan, was
the most ultra Fclcralist himself.
1t is impossible just now for us to mo-
ticc all these inschoods and supprcssions
of the whole truth, but we shall give
them all attention before the canvass
closes. The Breckinridso press persist i'll
charging that Mr.. Bell rotcR against the
repeal of the Missouri Compromise in the
Kansas bill. Now what is the truth in
relation to this matter? John Bell was
opposed to the Kansas bill, it is true, and
for various reasons, and he thought it
impolitic and unwise to disturb the Mis-
souri, Compromise, and history has proved
that he was right, that he was wise
and far seeing statesman. He stood
honestly by the platform of both Wings
and Democrats in 1852 in National Con-
vcntion, opposed to all agitation of the
slavery question, in Congress and out OF
it, believing that such agitation could
not benefit the South, nor any one else,
but might prove injurious. But, when
the question ras forced upon the country
o,,J ,,,o,, rorrross l,- wool. lose opI IN.
, principled partizans. John Bell met the
issue like man. When called to ro,t
| upon the proposition repeating the NiSSoU'
Compromise, he rottd for It, believing it tc
be unconstitutional. Like wise man
=, he would have avoided the agitation q.
=, dangerous but when others forced it, he
| put himself squarely on the record agains
the Missouri restriction, which many o
= his present defamers demanded to have
| extended to the Pacific Ocean, or, fail
ing that, declared for resistance.
1t is charged again that John Bell votet
, to abolish slavery in the District Of Co
lumbia. This is simply an mma;yatet
fal8chood Our readers recollect that ther,
. is now law in existence, one of thu
compromise measures of 1850, which
I does coatiogcnty abolish slarc,y in the Dis
t trict Of Columhia. Mr.. Yancey referred
r to this law p his speech NJ the Charles
ton Convention. 1t is known as the "bil
; to suppress the stare trade in the Distric
of Columbia" and it provides that slave
offered for sale therein shall be conEsratcd
and they shall be freed. 1t was a part o
, the Compromise measures, so loudly ap
plauded by Gov. Cobb, Senator Toomb
and other shining lights of the Breckin
; ridge faction, 1t is said that John Bel
rotcd for 1.-THE charge is false. 1t became
law of the land, as part of a genera
.. scheme of adjustment, which was pro
posed as compromise t6rercr of all sub
jects connected with slavery, and the re
lations of the Federal Government there
to, in State, Territory and the Fedora
District. 1t was made law by the vote.
; of Bright, CaSS, Dickinson, Douglas, Gtc;,
and other Democrats, and against the
vote OF Badger, JonN BELL, Berrien, But
Ter, Davis, Dawson, Downs, Soule, Yule,
and others. Now, gentlemen of til,
Breckenridge faith, what have you tt
say of this matter? Your shining lights
Bright, Dickinson and Gwin, whom yol
call the peculiar friends of the South, voted
to contingenty abolish slavery in the Dis
trict, while John Bell voted against it.
ANOTHER, AND STILL ANoTuER.-ThC
Lawrencevllle (Ga.,) Ne'cs, which ha
been supporting the Breckenridge ticket
has changed editors, and henceforwarc