Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-07-21

| aooilion quesuon at the North, yet have
| not as bad an opinion of them as I have of
some others who are attempting to make of
these pueriie proceedings an object of alarm
| to the whole South
''Of all the vehicles, tracts. pamphlets and
| newspapers print ID and circulated by the alb
olitionists, there are not ten or twenty of them
| who have contributed so much TO the excite
ment as single newspaper printed in this
| city. need not name this paper, when in
form you that for the last Eve years it has
been laboring to produce Northern and
Southern party; to fan the fame of sectional
prejudices; to open wider the breach; to
| drive harder the wedge which shall divide
| the North from the South.o
at is the newspaper which libels the whole
| North by representing the almost united
| people of that region to be insincere in their
| efforts to prevent the mischief of few ia
natical and misguided persons who are en-
gagged in the abolition cause"
| will now ask you to read what the Hon.
John II. Niles said in the same debate. Mr..
Niles, you will recollect. was Chairman OF
the meeting held by the friends of the Ad-
ministration near the close of the session of
1887 and 1888, aud from which emanated the
pamphlet entitled the Democratic Address"
| He has now the honor to be the Postmaster
General of the United States:
| at is fact, (said Mr. Niles) of general
notoriety that there is press in this city, the
one to which the Senator from New Hamp-
shire referred, professedly devoted to the in
| terests of a certain party at the South, which
| has long labored with zeal and perseverance
| worthy of a better cause to agitate the pub
lie mind on the slave question, whilst it has
sought to alarm the South by the grossest
| Misrepresentation of public sentiment at the
| North: by magnifying the numter and in
huence of the abolitionists; by representing
| them as connected with political party
| In the face of the most notorious facts, it
has endeavored to encourage the abolition
| lists to persevere in their mischievous designs"
| "Sir, if there are such mischievous agents
| at the South, who are seeking to build up
sectional party, by appealing to the fears OF
| the people in the Slave States, and mlsrep-
! resenting public sentiment at the North, they
| are more eXecrabie and more dangerous tnan
| the Northern Abolitionists.
"Sir, most sincerely hope there is no dis
position anywherein the North or in the South
to connect this exciting subject wit b the party
politics of the day. That there is no such
| intention here we are fully assured. But is
there no such intention elsewhere? Sir,
am sorry to say that l fear there is. cannot
shut my eyes to facts of general notoriety; L
|
fear there is spirit of mischief at work In
certain question at the South as we'll as at
the North: it is, / hope, in both sections, con-
| fined to a small number of Individuals"
Iu reading the above extracts from the
be struck with the fact that, at that period,
the charge of abolition alliances and sympa-
thies was strongly maintained in the South
against Mr.. Van Buren, and his supporters at
the North.
When the abolition movement at the North
had reached point of excitement which be-
gan TO be felt in Congress, 1 was actively
engaged in the canvass between Judge White
and Mr.. Van Buren,. The question of abo-
lition was of such a nature as to render it
almost impossible, in an assembly composed
of SO many ardent and impulsive spirits as
the Congress of the United States, that it
should not become, in some shape or degree,
connected with the party conflicts of the
dav. Some of my most valued and cher
ished friends thought Mr.. Van Buren, fairly
and Justly assailable in the South on the
ground Of his vote to instruct the Senators of
New York against the admission of Missouri.
The favor which his friends and supporters
at that time showed to abolition petitions, by
voting for their reception, and also for their
reference under Mr.. Pinckney's resolution,
appeared to them to afford a proper ground
Of attack before the People. 1 demonstrated
earnestly with my friends against the policy
of such a course, and against any proceeding
whatever which might tend to bring about
division of parties, to any extent, upon such
delicate, not to say dangerous issue. When
1 failed to convince their judgments, and
regarding them then, as l do still, as
not less devoted to the country than myself.
and standing alone in opposition to their
views, determined to take no part in the
question. did not feel bound, however, to
throw mysslf in opposition to my friends,
unless the mischiefs feared became manifest:
nor, upon such question, did think my
friends had a right to expect my coope-
ration.
l therefore seldom voted upon the question
of receiving or rejeeti ing abolition petitions ::
and whe n I did. it was more with a view to
dispose of the subject, and to reach some
other business ON the calendar, than to ex-
press any opinion on the question of receiv-
ing or referring petitions of that description.
At the period to which refer, Q836) the
opposition to Mr. Van Buren, in the South
and Southwest, with few exceptions, took
the position that the right of petition did not
o. in
tanned upon the ground that Congress had
no right to abolish slavery in the District of
Columbia: and it was contended that petit
ton to do an unconstitutional act was not
entitled to notice, and ought not to be re-
ceived. The argument was carried still fur
Their. 1t was strennously urged that the
admission of the poscer to abolish slavery IN the
District could be fatal to the South!
My opinion was, that, whether the petit
TONERS had strict right on their side or not.
sound policy dictated the reception and re-
ference Of their petitions. I believed that
any unusual course in regard to them would
give undue Importance to the movements of
the abolitionists, furnish new ground for agi-
tation, and rather increase the existing ex-
element than alloy it. In my opinion, a
report from a committee at each session.
temperate, yet firm, and unqualified in its
conclusions--would have been we'll calculated
to correct false impressions at the North; to
dispel prejudice, and prevent that fermcnt
and angry feeling at the South which, at that
stage of the question, was calculated to do
mischief. Whether right or wrong, and with
out pretending to censure those friends who
differed with me, 1 have uniformly held
these opinions; yet will add that few gen.