Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-08-07

lneae Sentiments we're DtlefeQ at time when Mr..
BELL was candidate for public favor. but they
did not change until his election. He was in the
meridian Of life, and may be supposed to have con
sdered wen the subject. They were grave charges
and could not have been made lightly by any honest
man. Having thus placed himself upon the record
and succeeded IN his election, ore would suppose
that there was no occasion for farther comment
from him upon these supposed @arts of political
management and intrigue of equity statesman;
but we find that on the 18th of September 1927, he
again prepares letter for the public the material
part Of which reads as follows:
No purpose of preventing misconceptions. in anv
quarter, should move me, thus out of time and out
of place, TO intrude myself upon the public
notice. were it not for the respect which is due to
the request Of my friends and the reflection that.
however slight the consideration which might at
tsch to any opinion of mine under ordinary circum-
stances yet that sentiments of the humblest indiy
ual may borrow color of consequence from the
complexion OF the times. The nature of the great
question which now engrosses so much of the pub
lie attention, may make it excusable in me to speak
when, otherwise, silence would be duty of higher
obligation.
Influenced by these considerations reiterate that
my opinions of the present Administration are in ac-
cordance with what believe to be those of the
great body of the Republicans of the United States.
RAVE SEEN THE HIGHEST AND MOST IMPORTANT OFFICE
IN TIE GovERSMENT FILLED By means and under cir
cInsStGlces qfordRg all the evidences Of coalition
formed upon the basis OF mutual benefits 10 be recetced
and conferred INDEPENDENTLY OF ANY CONTRovEtiTED
POINT IN THE DETAILS, THAT GOVERNMENT CAN EVER
EXPEcL THE LIGHT Of IN ANY COMBINATION THAT HAS
BEEN OR NAY BE ENTERED INTO. TO DEFEAT THE WILL OF
THE PEOPLE, AMBITIOUS AND ASPIRING POLITICIANS WHO
HAVE GREAT CHARACTERS SUSTAIN AND SENSE ENOUGH
TO GUARD AGAINST THE COMMON BLUNDERs OF LESS PRAc-
TIcED ADEFTs IN THE ARTS INTRIGUE AND MANAGEMENT
IN FORMING COALITIONS WILL But SELDOM EXPOSE THEM
| SELVES TO THE DANGER OF DETECTION FROM POSITIVE
PROOF. IT Is NOT, THEREFORE, IN MY VIEW, OF SO
! MUCH IMPORTANCE TO CONSIDER WHETHER POSSIBILITY
OF INNOCENCE CAN BE ADMITTED N FAVOR OF THE PAR
TIES IMPLICATED, As TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PRE-
| SUMPTION TO THE CONTRARY IS NOT so GREAT IN THE
PRESENT INSTANCE THAT THEIR CONTINUANCE WOULD BE
INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE SAFETY AND wELLBEiNG OF
OUR POLITICAL NsTITUTIoNs."
General jackson had been presented candidate
for the first Office in the gift of the people, may
say for the highest Office in honor and dignity in the
world for the reason, that it is the gift OF a nation
of freemen. The electors of the people, acting in
reference to their Wishes had pointed to him the
object of their preference. Their opinions had been
fairly expressed-fully indicated; yet when the
question was brought to the consideration of Con-
gress, the preference thus manifested disTegdrded
and selection made contrary to the acishes Of those aco
had right to direct GndgOUern; of this the reenen Of
the Unted States had right to complain, and they did
complain nor loiH they trust cease to de so until they
|
! ragged and arrested from them.
Those who know me will not suspectthat have
avOwed myself the friend of General jackson, mere
ly that might avoid that destruction of political
prospects which opposite course would have
threatened. l am not yet bscOme ambitious of pub
| lie honors"
1t will be observed that, according to Mr. BELL,
he had mot yet become ambitious of political hon
ors" He would have the public to understand
4l.. A.
which he giving his sanction against Messrs
CLAY and ADAMS He was equally choice in the Ian
guage in which he portrayed the virtues &C Gen
JACKSON, of whom he said, at the conclusion o!
the letter from which the foregoing extracts are
| taken:
The story of his life cannot be otherwise than
familiar To who was reared in this neighborhOod
have seen, thought saw, In all his conduct the
impulses of a mighty intellect, regulated by spirit
ardent patriotic and incorruptible have seen him
meeting great emergencies though they had been
! created but to distinguish him; defeating the ex
| pectatons of his enemies by evincing the greatest
| caution and deliberatiOn in the moments when
they had predicted rashness and precipitation and
| always preferring the public good to private con
sIderations
With these views and sentiments Mr.. BELL. entered
upon his public career. He was then Democrat
Of the JEFFEsoNIAN Republican school, and bitterly
hostile to the Federal administration of Mr.. ADAMS
He was opposed to the United States Bank-he was
opposed to a protective tarif-he was opposed tC
Internal Improvements by the General Government
he was opposed to an overlooking treasury-he was
opposed to monopclies-he was leveler, contend
ing that the true American policy would be to place
"Some limitation upon the accumulation Of capital, rat
er than abo,uty for its bengfE"-he "fre-eater,
/
| tionist' of the federal compact, and an ayowed
member of the States Rights school, as will be seen
| by the FACTS we shall adduce before we abandon
this subject
Fortunately, or unfortunately, for the country
Mr.. BELL not long in public Life before he began
to give evidences of change From some cause OF
other he failed to inspire the confidence of Gen JACK
son. Notwithstanding his oft-repeated and fulsome
compliments to the ole hero-notwithstandng his
bitter denuneiation of his Notwithstanding
his earnest profession of the Democratic Republican
creed. he failed to win the entire confidence of Gen
! JACKSON. Il was at period when the faculties OF
! the old soldier were acute and penetrating. and
! when he was believed to have an intuitiye knowl-
! edge of men. Gen. JACKSON entered upon the dis
charge of his duties as President in 1929. In 1881
there was a cacaacy in his cabinet. As far as we
can learn from Mr.. BELLS past history connected
with the public service" he had sustained the ad-
mnistration and defended Democratic principles IN
good faith up to this period. His subsequent defec-
ton was deemed mysterious by many who were ig-
| norant of the various keys to human action. The
following extract from a published letter of Judge
| WmTEs in 1896, to WILLIAM YAULx and others, is
supposed to have disclosed the great first cause OF
much of Mr.. BELLS subsequent conduct towards
Gen. JACKSON and the Democratic party:
Since we have been associated in Congress- Ihave
had every opportunity of becoming intimately &C
quainted with him, Mr. Bell,) and in 1881 was so
thoroughly convinced that both the country and our
venerable Chief Magistrate would be benefited by
his services in the CABINET that took the liberty Of
recommending him for a berth then Uacant,"
Gen JACKSON did not appoint him, and this refu-
sal proved to Mr.. BELL that the President Eae'c him.
and from that on it will be found that he was en-
gagged in devisng means and forming such party as
sociations as would give him greater guarantee of
future promotion. How perslstently, through all
the changes and vcissitudes of parties he has work
ed for this end will be found in all his afterlfe
"connected with the public service" 1t must not
be supposed. however, that Mr.. BELL made an open
warfare upon the administration of Gen. JACKSON.
seouent period, SAYS f: The impression is current
and general, that man who dares to make direct
issue right or wrong upon any matter OF complaint
with the President, must go down in public esti-
nation"
Gen. JACKSON. from some cause or other, was
known to have far greater confidence IN two other
prominent and aspiring Democratic politicians IN
the State, Messrs. Polk and GRUMPY. 1t was known
that he had favored the latter Mr. BELL as the
representative of his district in Congress. Why
these two gentlemen as public men, stood higher in
his confidence it is needless to inquire. Messrs.
BELL. Polk and GRUMPY were alike professedly his
partzan admirers and friends. There could have
been no other reason than that he had more conf
dence in their honesty and integrity of purpose and
fitness for public station. Gen. JACKSON despised
the character of trickster. He trusted no man in
whose character he discovered evidences of insin-
certy and bad faith. Whether he dealt justly with
Mr.. BELL or not is for the public to determine but
+bo,., h., hat a 70