Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-06-13

.Whereas. experience has demonstrated that
platforms adopted by the partisan COW
tons of the country have had the erect to
mislead and deceive the people, let us
pause here moment, Mr.. President, and let
me ask you if this be not strictly true. These
platforms do mislead and deceive the people,
and they are devised for the purpose OF de-
eeiving and misleading them They are pre-
pared beforehand, and carried to the con-
vention in somebody pocket or somebody's
hat. They are drawn up by some good rhet-
orical workman, who eau employ language
in such a way as that ii shall mean any thing
or nothing, as occasion may require. They
are made up partly OF safe generalities aud
obvious truisIIls, ana partly of such doubtful
propositiess Is derive all their point and sig
niicance from tue Interpretation that may be
put upon them. -
And this is not all. Platforms, however
curiously contrived-with planks however
cunningly mortised aud tenoned- are no
sooner framed than they are cast aside and
heard of no more. They are like transpar-
encies devised for the Illumination of sim
gle night, and then forever doomed 10 81
Ience and darkness. What part does plat
form play in a presidential canvass! who
reads it! who cares a straw about il: The
Republican platform, put forth by the Chi
cagO Convention, for instance, contains
resolution GU the tariff. which is well enough
SO tag as it goes, but how much do you think
we shall hear upon the tariff from Republic
can speakers next autumn Republican pal
ates want more highly spiced food than that.
A tariff speech would disperse Republican
audience more effsctualiy than the reading
of the Riot Act. They will brook nothing
| that is not addressed to their passions or
| their emotions. Resistance to the extension
of slavery will be the text, OF rather the
starting-pOint. of every Republican sermon,
| i'll the pulpit or out Of it, that will be
preached in New England during the COM
| ing campaign. The voters of New England
will be toId-and by men possessed OF sut-
| fcient power over their risiDle muscles to
| keep a grave face while they say it-that
| slavery will go into every territory OF the
| United States if Dir. Lincoln is not elected,
| and into none of them if he is;-they will be
| told that tue South are determined to re-
Yive the slave trade, and will revive II, IN
| less the Republicans get the control OF the
government; every rash disunion sentiment
| uttered at the South will be quoted and COM
mented upon. and assumed to be the express
sion of the general feeling there, in short,
ali the elOquence and resources OF the par
ty will be employed in the amiabie Office OF
setting the collective North in an attitude
of "irrepressiblc conflict with the coltec-
tive South, the speakers all tue while pos
sessing the utmost reverence for the CoRstI-
ton. the strongest love of the Union, and the
| most earnest desire TO restore the princi-
pies and policy of Washington.
Mr.. President. when you and l were young
there appeared clever novel called Vivian
Grey, written by young man who has
since risen to high political distinction In
England. In that novel there is a celebrated
recipe for dressing cucumbers, which comes
to my mind in illustration of the pains taken
to devise platforms and their subsequent fate:
E.1ou must be careful to pick out the
stTaightest, thinest skinned. most seediess
cucumber that you can find. Six hours be-
fore you want to eat it, put the stalk In cold
water on a marble siab-not the whole Gu
cumber-that;s nonsense. Then pare it very
carefully so as to take off all the green out
side. and nothing more. Slice it as thin as
possible, spread it over your dish, and
sprinkle it with good deal of white pepper,
red pepper. salt and nustard-seed. mix some
oil and common vinegar with a little Chill,
and drown it in them. Open large window
very wide and throw it all out.
In like manner, to make political plat
form, you must take as comprehensive
political creed as can be found. Slice 1t as
thin as possible: that is, cut it up into as
many resolutions az the patience of your
convention will bear. Sprinkle these with
white pepper TO suit one section ofthe coun-
try, and black pepper TO suit another. STIR
in oil for the sentimentalists and vinegar for
the fanatics-then print it on very large
sheet of paper open pigeon hole very wide,
and thrust If in so far that it may never be
seen or heard Of again.
Aud now, 3Ir. President, my task is done.
| had proposed to say something about the
Convention at Chicago, upon what they did
do. and what they did not do. had pro-
posed to say word about the claims of
party which, like the base Judean, threw a
pearl away, richer than all their tribe at
least. and having picked up bit of glass in
the street. are now going about, trying to
make the world believe that it is n diamond
of the first water-but the moments of this
short summer night are fast running away,
and must hasten to close. 1t remains for
you, my friends, to give to our nominations
the best of ratifications,-the ratification Of
success We can do it if we will. The eyes
OF the whole country are turned with pecul-
lar interest upon Massachusetts,. and it eN-
poets US to do our duty. The only objection
l have heard urged against our ticket is that
it is too respectable. and must therefore fail:
that is, the people Ufthe United States either
have not the intelligence to discern what is
good. or, having the intelligence to discern
it, are so low in their instiets that they vol
UNFAIRLY reject it. An objection of this kind
need not trouble US much. The real obsta-
Gle TO our success lies in ourselves. In our
distrust. in our timidity, in our want of
heart and strong resolve, our opponents
have allies more powerful than armies with
banners. l do believe that there is virtue
and patriotism and intelligence enough
in this land to elect Bell and Everett,
if we only had faith and hope and courage.
Would that these words of mine could be
turned into flakes of fire, and that the winds
of Heaven might bear them all abroad. with
power to rouse and kindle and animate ev-
cry heart on which they fell! Would that
this voice of mine could be swelled and null
tipiied and reverberated till all men, North
and South, East and West. might hear me.
| would say to them: Awake, arise, the
hour has come, and the man. Shake off
your distrust, as the lion shakes the dew
drop from his name. Hear and heed your
country's call. Are you young? give us the
beauty of your youth-the sparkling and
mantling foam on the newly poured cup of
life: Are you of mature age? give US your
deliberate strength: Are you old? give US
the rich treasures OF your experience. We
want all: we can spare none. Come from
your workshops, your factories, your ware
houses, and your farms. Come in numbers,
like those in which Nature, from her ever
teeming lOiDS, pours forth her tribes OF the
air and of the deep. Come as the leaves
come when the winds of autumn are roar
inc through the woods Come as the waves
come when the fail of the tempest is shifting
the deep, Gather with strong hands and
manly hearts, living rampant of protection
and defence, around the institutions of your
beloved countryl Establish her greatness on
the Union, the Constitution. the laws-a
foundation deep the eentre-Cyclopean
work--on which fabric OF material pros
peritv may be reared, broad as the earth,
high as the majestic heavens!
FROM THE SPEECH or Mr.. GEORGE h DEYEREUA.
At Chicago, the North and West assembled
their delegates -bnt met no South. For the
South did not deign to recognize their posi-
ton. and many States of the Union refused
to hold communion with them. The flag of
their country waved on that prairie breeze
over the Republican Wigwam, ragged and
shorn of its fair proportions; u third OF the
silver stars were blotted out from its azure