Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-08-09
The speseE Of ex-Gs21 -efsor Foore-.r,,r,o
Tfsssiiss OF His Fs,sitiou ana acton,
From the 1sA Yor+ rr.-,i5 Al,

We pdBlished yestsfd az the speech Of ex Cover.
Foote, at Saratoga, the political Questions and
leaders OF the day AS the speaker and his policy
for the presen. cafipalgn constitute fair tTDe Of
the professional politicians and their measures in
the impending crisis, analysis of his character
and position will convey instructive lesson 10 ALL
Mr. Foote is nlaa of mark He has held numes-
Gus Offices in the gift OF the people, ranging from
the representation Of district in State Legisa-
ture up the Governorshlp of sovereign State and
from that to seat in the National Senate, the high
est delberaiye body the world ever knew. He has |
lacked but one short step-the limited one that in
teryenes between tie Senatorial seat and the Pres
dency-of attaining the highest honor that a nation
of freemen can bestOw. His private and public /
career have combined to give him wide practical
acquaintance with the wants and homes of the cOun-
try Born in Virginia the State of great memories,
he has filled the duties Of citizen in Alabama,
Mississippi California and Tennessee, and acquired
by long personal intercourse extensive knowl-
edge OF the Central Northern, Eastern and Western
States In his public career he has taken part in
some OF the greatest political contests that this coun
try mas witnessed, ard IS without honor for his
deeds such Is the speaker His delineation there
tore, OF me requirements Of the country, the pres
ehe pohuea divisions that agitae il, and the Iney
table results that will attend in given case. AZ .
rot the echoes OF mere hearsay, but they are tie
fruit OF wide scene Of practical observation.
hlpe from these labOrs he comes Into the contest
as aWorAng politician He recognizes the great fact
that united and strong sectional party has
been Dullt up by combination of the social
preJudees, the misled moral zeal and the baneful
rehgIous ianatclsm Of the people of the Northern
STATES his practice in craftsmanship, his knOwl-
edge of the different sections Of the cOnfederacy
and the findings OF his common sense. all warn him
OF the danger in which the triumph of such party
must involve the highest and dearest Interests of
his fellow citizens and his country But if these
wanting, he has the acknowledged aims of the
leaders of that party. Lincoln, its head and front
to-day, procaims the social superiority of the North
ana that the Union cannot exist between the States
half slave and halt free. Seward its master spirit
peats the announcement of the 'irrepressbie con-
iet," and vaunngly boasts that where freedom is
there IS my hOme.H SpOoner its lawgiver, demon
strates with irrefutabie logic, If you accept his
Black Republican premises, that the Constitution IS
an abolition instrument sufficient for the utter des
: truction of the slave half of Union. Greeley,
rs mouthpiece, fauntngly announces his hatred OF
the social organization of the Southern States and
: that he will 'abor for its eradication from wn
y and all other countries so long as 1 hve." And
these revolutionary. destructive and atrocious sen
timents, repeated in the Of Mr. FcOte, and
before the whole country, By hundreds of presses
5 and speakers of the Black Republican party.
e They not lost upon him. He feels the danger
e in every nerve, and in the speech have now be
fore he makes the acknowledgement of the con-
Vicuons of his practical experience in these words
s ''Much opposed some In the South were to Sc
/ cession and though some of them might be inclined
L. to protest against the of breaking up the Union
in the of Lineons being elected. it was his
duty say with his hand his heart, that If Lin
coin be electe the Platform on which he Is run,
e ning all the efforts of all the Union men North and
lie South would not be sufficient to prevent the destrue-
e ton of the Confederacy."
Il With this confession of his conviction of the duty
e of defeating the election of Lincoln. with honOrs he
IL in the battle for the Union In 1850 still hanging
N worthily upon him, what is the practical tenor o.
Mr. Foote'S late speech Saratoga and his present
R. labOrs a working pcliticianY They contain NJ
E word of rebuke for the fanatics who would carry
an irrpressible conflict the shedding OF torrents
of raterna blood nor one well directed effort to the
defeat of a candidate whose triumph he believes u
NJ be so nimcal his country good It cannot eseap
his practeed eye that the Conservative masses
the people OutnGmber by far the fanatics, zsalot
10 and fomenters of local prejudice and if they
IL divided in their action during the present con
= test they will not only save the country from the
, fate he deprecates, but will cOnsgn AOrthern sec
N tionaIism and fanatcism to deep grave as tina
as IN which he helped inter Southern folly and dis
n unionism ten years ago. Yet with the inevitable
no results If division and pickering among the eonser
vatYe interests standing plain 10 his view ne heap
abuse upon his fellow conservatives and c)unses " a
~ to the init with Them simply because heywil not &C
m cept his personal preference IN the selection OF thl
candidate and that, too, when the one he wOut
have them adopt has not probable chance Of benz
Gu supported by the electoral vote OF one state IN u
IN Union.
H. Where then is the logical connection between til
- words and deeds of MIR. FOOte-between his lon
~ exercised craftsmanship and patriotism, and tn
nc necessities of his country, in this hour OF danger
ill Unfortunately, such connection does not exist
and he, blinded 10 the fact by his personal feeling
does not see that he is Iaborng to bring about tn
very result which he assures his countrymen tina
TX he deprecates with all his heart. Like Mr.. Foot
no there are hundreds of men, who have occupIe
higher or modest positions of political leader
ny ship that are working Tor the election Of Lneol
while pretending to be opposed to him. They al
Use ike lookouts upon ship navigating in dangerou
bt seas vino, perceivhg the peril, cry out Breaker
tie ahead pull BOYS pull p thus rushing their era
tie upon the destruction manifest to their view.
ey one of them lifts his voice TO cry out wear snip
I'D and the logical conclusion that their hearts al
sw with the pirates upon the shore, who are dlspayn
se Turing signals and false lights lead them 10 thei
It'll tolls When the hour comes TO plumber the wrecl
these false pilots these short sighted or treacherUu
me political leaders will be found sharing with th
pirates they pretend to detest The only iogie'
nj termination of the career which Mr.. Foo'
and his fellow partisans have entered upon, IS !
the sectional and fanatcal camp of the Black IL