Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-06-12
sPrEon OF NOV. n. N. wATTTERsON.
A the Douglas Meeting in New York; May
90. 1850.

York. claim to be an honest patriotic man. with /
some experince in public affairs, and pretty tho
rough knowledge Of their present condition. be-
long 20 that grand army Of rational Democrats in /
Tennessee who stand ready to oppose sectonahsm /
in every form. We love our true friends in the
North, and can't help it-never fail to do them full
Justice when the occasion demands our opinions,
and we frown upon all attempts-no matter where
.hey are made-to drive US from their alliance
This lesson was taught us BY Andrew Jackson
and we have adhered TO it with unbendng fidelity.
We rally around the constitution and the Union with
all the fervor Of intense conviction. We understand
our rights thoroughly and wiz 60 as far as the
farthest for their preservation We ask for nothing
that is not clearly right and viii submit to nothing
that Is clearly wrong. Ours is the motto of Davy
Crockett-''Be sure you're right then 60 ahead.'
The Tennessee Democrats are eminently practical
people. They never mount Rosinante and set out
on a crusade against windmills. If they were to
undertake such a QuixOte expedition they would
expect the ghost OF Jackson TO arise and Tebuke
them for their folly. know precisely what am
talking about, and mean what say; for, If there be
any thing in this wide world that / do understand,
as the old woman said Of her 'bluen," it is the Dem
ocratic sentiment Of Tennessee. Being native Of
that gallant commonwealth, and having taken Tor
more than twenty years an active part IN all the
Presidential battles that have been fought, ought
to be somewhat familiar with the position Of my
own party-the glorious old Democratic party--on
the refreshing subject Of slavery can only judge
the future by the past. well remember what oc-
CURED in lS48 When what is known in history as
Gen. Cass Nicholson letter first published, It so
electrified the Democratic members Of the Iennes-
see Legislature that they rose upln body, and sent
a communication to the great statesman, rendering
to him their heartiest thanks for the discovery ana
PRONUNCIATION Of the only true dOctrine-non-hter-
vention by Congress with the subject of slavery IN
the States in the Territories and in the District Of
Columbia. Such we're the feelings Of the party all
over the State and might add throughout the coun-
try. A little than two years afterwards, sep
tember, 1850, Congress passed the compromise mea
sures, The leading feature eEgrafted on the bllls
establishing Territorial governments for Utah and
New MexicO-twO of the series-Was this identical
principle Of non-nterventon So far as know or be-
leve not man was to be found in the whole State
who cOntrOvered the correctness Of that doctrine.
There we stood till the Baltimore Convention in 1852.
1t is needless say that the members Of that body
for themselves and their constituents unanimously
resolved to abide by and uphold the principle OF
nOn-interventiOn with the question OF slavery as
| set forth in the Compromise measures OF 1850.
Standing this platform, General Pierce was car
ried into the Presidential chair with unaniity but
seldom equailed since the formation Of the govern
/ ment. Again, in 1856, our party planted Itself on
the same doctrine, and the result OF the struggle
| with Black Republcanlsm was cheering TO the pa
triotic heart of the nation. The Tennessee DemOc-
racy rolled up a majority of seven thousand i've
hundred for the ticket; and am sure that do not
misrepresent their wishes when l assert that they
want no change of the platform in this respect In
I
seen, in large capitals, 'nOninterterenee by Con
gress with slavery in State and Territory, in the
District of Columbia" They willing to rest on
this great principle, and desire other specific to
/ be applied by Congressional doctors.
To what is known as a slave code for the Terri
tories they have the conclusive objection that
the Irshman had to his horse. Pat said his horse
/ had but two quaGties-One was that he was very
/ hard to catch, and the other was that he wasn't
| worth d-n after he was catched. Great laugh
/ teri In view of these knock down arguments am
slow to believe that TIE able Senator's Congress
who are urging the passage of certain caucus reso
buttons, have eye single to the preservation OF
/ Southern rights, and the protection of Southern
| property in our Territories If they were looking
alone to these professed objects it does to me
that they would vote for the practical and straight
forward resolutions of my gallant and noble friend
Senator Brown of Mississippi In vain he tells then
that the Legislature of Kansas has already passed
law abolishng slavery in that Territory, and it j:
time for Congress to apply the remedy, If 1t ever
| means to do so. What do they say IN reply to this
| incontrovertible fact? l wish you to hear and re
| member the response given by Senator Benjamin, o.
/ Louisiana, on this very point but a few days
| ago when engaged IN a discussion with Senator
! Clingman of North Carolina. Il have not the re
| hottest idea said Mr. Benjamin, that Kansas il
gong to be slave State and would not give the snaI
of nv finger for thousand laws TO protect slavery
! in Kansas while a Territory, and therefore shall
not vote for one.n l doubt not that this emphatic
declaration of the eloquent Senator, was mentally
endorsed by those who got up the caucus resolu
tons, and have been labOring IN season and out O.
season. to make the South believe, that their adOp
ton by the Senate was the only thing which could
save her from immediate destruction Il wOuldnO
give a snap of my finger exclaimed the Louisiana
Senator. 'fCr thousand laws TO protect slavery IL
Kansas while a territory And why! Because hi
had not the remOtes idea that Kansas was going t
be a slave State Then Congressional protection i
to be extendeded to slave property only in Terrific
! ries which going to be slave States. Now i
| ANYBODY can see a principle IN this programme hh
OPTICS are much clearer than mine. Why, sir, it ]:
policy all over, and a very unwise policy at that
| l say this with becoming respect for the amiablt
| gentleman who promulgated it. When will it be
| come necessary for Congress to pass law fol-
the protection of slavery in Territory that i
| going TO be slave State? l answer, never, never
Tor this simple Reconnaissance the soil and eli
| mate are favorable 10 slavery, there slavery
| will 90, and the local authorities will protect 1t
It is a question which always has been and always
will be settled by Interest-by the everlasting dol
lar. Your fathers and grandtathers found that they
could hire labor cheaper than they could own it, anC
the result was that they sent their negroes dOwr
South and sold them-never forgetting in single in
stance, dare say, to pocket the money. They do
Dreciszly what | should have done under similar cir
| cumsta1ces 1t is my solemn belief that humanity
| philanthropy, or whatever else you may call such
feeling had but little to do with the operation. The
whole proceeding was conducted upon the principle
of Here is one and there is the other;' Take this
and give me that because it will benefit me to make
the exchange the beginning and end Of the
transaction So it will be with slavery in the Terri
tories if the people thereof are left free to mould
their domestic institutions IN their own way. Hence
l quarrel with no man on account OF his opinion re
spectng the extent of power in Territorial legsla
lures over the question Of slavery. Ny own mind
has been brought to the conclusion that they lave
no power to exclude the institution; but much wiser
menand ADLER lawyers that profess to be are equally
clear that they have Whether they OF take the
| proper view of the subject is a matter practically
Of but little Importance At least, such Is my Opin-
| ion, and il may 90 for what 1t is worth l regard
the whole thing a miserable abstraction that can
| never come before me in any practicable shape,
| unless l remove to of our Territories, an act
that l have not the slightest idea of peTpetrating
Neither can it ever before the President OF the
! United States Il was very properly referred by
the Kansas-Nebraska law to the aTbitrament Of the
Territorial courts with the right Of appeal to the
Supreme Court and there it will be permitted to rest
by all good Democrats who forget self and desire to
save the country from the curse of Black Republl-
| canlsm ! regret as much any Of you possibly
can the secession of the Southern delegates from the
! Charleston Convention thought then, and think
now that the stampede was wholly unjusufable. In
| my humble judgment it never would have taken
place if the leaders in the move had gone there in
the spirit of patriotism and true democracy. I'm
fortunately for the country they set out with de-
termination to rule or ruin and how could row be
avoided? have been in the habit Of thinking that
such men should be declared ineligible to seats in
political convention. Most certainly they could not
get into a council of the kind by my vote. They
would have pledge themselves to abide by the re-
suit or l would not confer with them. never play
/ upon any man the game of Heads win, tails you
! lose" And | will not allow it to be played upon
me, fellow Democrats. lido wonder if there be any
gentlemen in this vast assemblage so superlativey
verdant to suppose that the Charleston bolt was
based on principle. No my friends, it personal
in its latitude longitude diameter and circumference
| Opposition to one man was the handspring Of the
entire movement, and that was the Little Giant
| of Illinois.
Of this great Democratic leader shall have a word
to say before l close i is well known TO my init
mate friends, it known to my friend, Mr.. Ricn-
ardsOn. who has just taken his seat, that my first
choice Tor the next Presidency was another distin-
guished gentleman-a gentleman with whom l had
been on terms of cordial frendship-personal and
political for a quarter of a century. mean Gov.
Johnson of Tennessee had seen him rise from the
shop of an humble mechanic, and by dint Of his IN
tellect integrity and Jacksonian will ascend, by
regular gradatiOns TO seat In the Senate Of the
l-r,nv baI " led