Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-12-06

called forth an expression tonight! Pers that all
ready darken the gloryof the Nation; thatdivide its
strength destroy its peace and threaten to dethfone
its liberty and give these fair plains to civil
strife and the esolatfon of the spoer! Behold, as
sneak train after train Of car and boat laden with
corn and wheat for land suffering from dearth,
and see the golden return sent back in free and
hearty reciprCeation. The attitudes ami variety of
climate in Nature SO adjusted as to forever prevent
famine even poverty to united and free people.
Thatu unity and that freedom are ever based upon
virtue. Have that virtue left amid the folly and
corruption surgoundngls . Do we retain thatpure
wisdom which all true hearts feel and trace to its Di
vine source heh alone give existence greatness
and peaces We cannot fall save by an act of self
slaughter. Suchla country with the ever shining
and alldirecting Heaven above to be divided by
iniqutous partition by greed and selfseeking, and
that by sors of sires who seemed inspired in counsel
preserved upon the seas and spread beyond the
mountains as by an Almighty hand, indeed 20 ruin
for 1t Is worse than a sale of our birthrglt Can
it be thatthes brightest and bfavest Of hupan ex1
periments can faiE Never If we be true!
The Present CrIyis. and the Duty of the
South.
The following address was prepared for delivery
before the meeting of the people, irrespective of
party, called On Saturday, December list 1860, at
the Court House. in Nashville, Tennessee but was
not spoken, becaubethe friends ofthe movement,
upon consultation, deemed speaking lnadvisable lest
differences unfriendly to the purpose of the meet-i
ing, might be developed.
FeIo.o Citizens: The little part have heretofore
taken IN pHbeiafairs is in Onerespe etuataE0raeie
as it implies neXperience, and want of skill, in the
modes of reaching and influencing the public mind.
But in another respect it is favorable to the great
purpose have in view. that is to persuade you.
one and all and the people of the South generally, If
| may to drop your partizan warfare, so that we
NAV be enabled to hold free and fraternal counsels
with each other uninterrupted by those partiZan
passions and prejudices which so fatally interfere
with our efforts TO impar't or to reoeiEesgood
take it for granted that the notification. by some
dozen of the Northern Ststesgof the fugitive slave
law BY statute, and by mob procedure: and the
election of Lincoln and Hamlin by an almost pure
" free State vote and on the avowaI OF secuenal
PRINCIPLES are felt by all the citizens of the South
crn States as great and grevous evils, even if the
notification of the fugitive slave saw were not &C
companed as in some of the free State, by statutes
afixing ignOminious penalties upon any who may
dare to act the loyal part towards the general Gov
ernment and aid in the rendition OF fugtves from
labor from the slave States
If am correct in the belief that ALL nearly all
of the people of the Southern States agree in view
ing these acts of the Northern States tCrOng-as
| disoyal to the general Government and unjust to
the Soutltken upon ids ogreeHlenty i found ASIDE
| lief that we can as reasonable men, abandon cur
antagonism and digest ourselves OF our unklnd and
unjust suspicious against each other so that we may
be enabled and inclined to hold dispassionate, free,
and fraternal counsels and thus agree upon COM
mon statement of our wrongs; common mode OF
securing our rights; a common line of conduct, IN
the event Of failure to secure our rights; and hna-
w. If driven to that necessity, common destiny Of
the Soath for veal or 8Oe.s iIlf-s -iii 90, iataF
If the North shall prove to be irremedably
blinded with fanatcisn and drunk with the excess
of her recent triumph, so that she will mot honor
herself and the South by suitable response to the
demands Of simple Justice, then shah feel like say
ing to the people of the South; -,& aas z.-s..n
| Whittier thou gOeSt, Will go; and where thou
Iodgest will lodge; thy people shall be ng people,
and thy God. my. God. tt fs 81 sap,, aaai .. 30
The Lord do so to me and more also, IF aught
! but death part thee and me! ''' " -- %
If there cannot be an honorable Unonpf the States
If after all our forbearance the North shall insist
/ mon violating the terms Of compact. at wifi,
and degrading US from our equality, shall yet seek
for fit exercise for my loyalty to Government and
my devotion TO my fellOwnisn, in the discharge of
! the duties of a citizen of the common South. , 80
! Bnt my cOuntryTnen. it Is PLAIN and demonstrabe
| TO my understanding that We cannot do ourselves
Justice if not agreed as to the tact of our la
boring under wrongs; or if, admitting our wrongs.
eare still fatally bent upon undertaking the re
/ dress of these wrongs only as Wings, or as Demo
/ Gratis or in any other partizan capacity.
/ The first great question new presenting itself to
| the Southern people for solution and which must be
solved before accomplish or ought to attempt
/ ANYTHING else. Is simply whether we as 4 people
have the virtue to forget the party hatred to which
| party training has so long Injured US, and regard
i each others as brother Southerners recipients Of
/ common wrongs, and linked to common destiny.
| IF the virtue and efdenying spirit of the South
era people are not equal to this task (and grieye
/ to admit the task is not light one) then the next
wisest course for us to adopt is to remain, if posi-
BILE naCtive for in that event our party organizations
will be kept up cur party passions and prejudices
i will be constantly on the alert and whatever Is
proposed on side, will be advocated with undis-
eliminating zeal by the adherents Of that party and
i opposed with like undscrimlnatng rancor on sthe
other side And thus in place ofbeing able, nyirtus
of the unity of people, tie justice of our cause,
/ and the moderation Of course, to command the
respectful attention of the North and the approval
i of lust men everywhere, shall present the pitt
able spectacle Of a people t0o intent upon hating
each other to be able truly to apprehend or wisely
to cope with the great and trying dangers which
! now surround US.
So that if it shall be found have not the virtue
to forego the qualification of our partzan preju-
dices-to deny ourselves the old habtual luxury OF
hating each other, because we differ in our parental
training rather than our real sentimeHts) then II
will certainly be shown that efforts to settle our
disputes with the North will set US to cutting each
/ others Threats in the SOldh And it would be bet
ter that we attempt nothing but wait until further
aggressions from the North shall arrest our atten
| ton as something mere important, than the daily
ireside political controversy with our next door
/ neIghbOrs.
i Let as in that event. endeavor to bear with pa
thence chastsement in the school of adversely, nnt
purified, refined, and rendered heroic like our
revolutionary sires, we shall be ready to emerge
from the obScurity of naction. and take rank as
people capable of shaking off the letters which par
/ ty training has long been forging and fastening
i about us; and therefore capable Of asserting and
maintaining any justprinciple and only just princi
/ pies. aF.5 - ias~ ,s'.'.g.a',i15
i do not fellow-citizens, offer any specific plan
for the rghtng of our wrongs and the settlement OF
i those disturbances which so imminently threaten
i the destruction of our Government because know
that while the existing party divisions and jealous
/ les continue that no proposition would be reeev-
ed with universal OreVen general appreciation no
matter what may be the %isdOus lnoderation and
| Justice of its terms. ~ @''- - S' -
i But another and far more important reason is
that if the people of the South can. IN this danger
crisis irrespective of parties confer freely and
/ fraternay, have fears but that in their united
wisdom they will devise wiser juster and moref
i ting plan than any have the sagacity to suggest
i And the accomplishment of this great self-con-
Il quest, would place us in such attitude as that II
i severance of the Union must come, we would be
shove the reach of the most csamitous results of
believe do not underrate the task of dlsbandng
ourselves from those organizations, TO which our
lifelong training has accustomed and to great ex-
4 tent moulded our characters.
/ | profess to be neither wiser nor better than
/ nv fellow-men. | too know what it is to have
Il had aspartiZan father-tohave been raised paru-
II Zan-and to have been hitherto jealous parti2an'
4 But appeal to your wisdom if it is allowable, that
4 we shall fail in the midst of the dangers which now
threaten our general Government, and onr peace as
citizens of contiguous States to above the petty
partzan strife of the day and aet STorthiy of the
Il occasion and Of our descent
II Shall we suffer ourselves to reach so lame and
Il impotent a conclusion that while there is found
i no parael in all history to the wisdom, selfdenal,
/ and patriotsm Of our sires who won the ndepen-
II dcnce and established the Government live I'M
1 der and ehioy there will also be found parallel
in history 10 our madness and folly in losing that
independence and destroying that Government, hav-
/ ING not the wsdem see the virtue to torsake
our faultsiss. 40 al g-5esil lgs sea-i-s- sig Ast-sz
The prevention of these evils can only be accsm:
plished so far as am able to see, by our ceasing TO
l be either Bell. Breckenridge or Douglas men, and
Il regarding each other as men having common inter
ests and a common desire to escape the, impending
Il evils. 80
The calling of this meeting them OF citizens ire
spective of party, andby distinguished
gentlemen of ali parties was TO me joyful evidence
Of the existence here in Tennessee. TO some hopeful
extent Of the right spirit and the right estimation OF
our position. g-l y7aai- 81.
t'zI may be ever sauguiHe, but think IdlsccveF IN
the general tone of the Southern press more recent
" SOrne promise that the Tublie mind maturing