Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-07-21
The Reception of BOLTON Petitions
Letter of Hon. John BELL TO Hon.
George H. Gilmer.

Letter OF Hon. j Ohn BeiI 10 hoh'
George r. Gilmer.
| From the National IntelIigencer, Aug. s, 1910
| To THE Hon. GEORGE R. GIIMER OF GA:
| S1R:-I take the liberty of addressing this
letter to you, without pretending any claim
to such privilege founded on personal oil
| political friendship, but influence solely by
] your local position, and the high respect
| entertain for the probity and independence
| of your character.
The prominent vices in the character of the
| public men of the country are pTetension and
| inRncai,y. As shall let my conduct and
| professions speak for me or against NE, on
the score of the latter, as they may have
| been open or covert, no affect alton shall Pre-
| vent me from denying that l can be justly
| taxed with the former weakness in writing
| this letter. l do not suppose my opinion to
be of great Importance on any subject, but
| gentlemen of some standing appear to have
supposed they could derive some advantage
to their party by giving my course on the
subject OF abolition petitions consequence
it does cot merit: and, in the prosecution OF
their designs, some of them have nos
scrupled to speak and publish what is abso-
Iutely untrue, while others have only ulsing-
ated what they knew to be unfounded. And
| now notice the subject, not on my own ac-
count, but to prevent any possible injury to
those with whom l am associated.
The deliberate and persevering Obstinacy
,-I.E, ,rbieI, tho runpnrfars Of tho sdministra-
ton in the slave States persist in making
abolition one of the Issues between the tive
great parties, which now divide the country,
| consider wicked and mischievous in the
highest degree. That all the apprehensions
OF an accession of strength to the abolition
movement in the event Of Wing success, and
the consequent alarms for the safety of the
South so necessarily proclaimed ny the par
tisans of Mr.. VAN buren, in that section, are
utterly groundless, no careful observer of the
circumstances of the times and of the state
of the abolition question can for a moment
doubt. If any guaranty for the security of
Southern institutions were wanting, in ad-
dition to Those of the well known feelings and
opinions of General HARRISON and the great
body of his Northern supporters, it can be
provided in the decided, generous, and uni
ted support which the whole South and South
west may accord to his pretensions. If there
is one gentleman in the South who really
feels the alarm he processes, he will perceive
that the only safety, in the present aspect Of
parties, is for the slave States to rally as
one man upon General HARRISON. Such
manifestion of confidence in the great Wing
majority in the North and East could not
fail to increase the existing good feelings
among them towards their Southern breth-
rem; while the ties of party associations and
interests would be superadded to those of
constitutional obligation in sustaining South
ern rights. But what ought to be the measure
of Indignation and punishment which should
be dealt out to those hollow and false guar
dams of Southern interests, who will, for the
sake of a trifing party advantage, put every
thing to hazard by perpetual agitation? For
there is, and always has been, quite as much
to be apprehended on this subject from those
who agitate the question on political account
in the South, as from the abolitionists them
selves.
have been a member of Congress rs YOU
know, from the commencement of the agita-
tiou upon this subject. 1 have witnessed all
that has taken place in Congress in relation
to it. saw, and l think fully understood,
the game that was playing by some gentle
men. but was not inclined to take part in
it, because thought the stakes too high.
1t was a common impression that the first
movements OF the abolitiOnists at the North
were not looked upon with any deep regret
by portion of our fellow-citizens at the
South. The fanatic spirit was rather pro-
yOked than deprecated. The North, without
distinction, was freely charged with a settled
feeling of hostility to Southern interests and
institutions; and many injurious reflections
were cast upon their motives calculated to
give strength to the cause of the fanatics, by
uniting with them a more rational and cal
culating class of the Northern people. The
motive to this policy in the South, to what
ever extent it was adopted, was, beyond all
doubt, to combine the South and Southwest
more closely in their political movements and
preferences. / then thought the experiment
dangerous one. regarding it in a political
view only: for it struck me that, if the ambi-
tious aspirants of the North should take it
iuto their heads to play the same sort of game
in retaliation, the South would soon be
thrown into settled minority, and forthwith
deprived of political power. Nothing, in
that event, would be left for them but I'M
conditional submission or disunion.
In confirmation of what l have written
upon this point, permit me to refer you to a
debate in the Senate of the United States in
1886, which may have escaped your recol-
lection. desire your attention particularly
to the evidence TO be found in that debate,
that there was then strong convic ton at
the North of the existence of some sinister
management in the South connected with
this subject. 1 will first quote few passages
from the speech of the Hon. ISAAC HILL, of
New Hampshire, the reputed author of the
address put forth by the late Baltimore Con-
yention, and circulated extensively in the
Extra Globe:-