Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-10-16


the Proposition, prefer The election of Bel to Brecc1l
ridge or Douglas himself.
~ Truth cru she'd to earth viii rise again,
The eternal years Of God are hers;
While error wounded Brithes in pain,
And dies amid hsr worIhppers-
MEssRS. EDITORs OF THE UNIOS AND AMERICAN Since
the day of the publication Of my proposition to have
a common Democratic Electoral ticket in Tennessee,
through the columns of the UNION AND AMERICAN,
have been the subject of unmeasured abuse and de-
nunciation, coming unfortunately from BELL and
DOUGLAS editors Underwriters and pOpinjay penny
whistle, pothy-mouthed political stump orators. 1t
would now seem that myself and BILL YANcEY are
two of the most notorious characters in the country
the only difference being BILL has been playing
upon a national theatre, while my notorlety has
been confined to the State of Tennessee 1t may be
true. and think likely is, that the notoriety we
both have is rather unenvIable. However, be this
as it may, while these men have been pouring their
uiss of ,ul1aedSured 1Orah upon me srod stint or
limit have been patient as philosopher, and as
unmoved and as immovable as the rock of the
ocean upon which the foaming surges have beaten
for ages. have all the time felt armed with the
panoply of truth and justice, and like the slender
reed that bows its head to the Storm and when its
RACES sweep by, stand erect to heaven again. just
so feel unframed, because l have the conscious
ness of being right-and desire no higher vndlca-
ton.
have been denounced as a traitor to the Douglas
cause-as having been guilty of bargain and sale,
and as having been bribed and bought up" and for
even less than udas got for betraying Christ
$50 pieces of sill 1t is said that my PROPOSE
ton is an infamous one"- that have BEEN 6dn'-
booked by the intriguing management OF two UNI
ted States Senators-they taking advantage OF my
:" youth and inezperienco," and operating upon my
'fe ,oedLcnesS" In short, | have been de-
nounced by every foul and opprobrous epithet that
could be culled from the English language, and that
too by the devlish Vaccinations of men who have
no more right to claim to be morally or politically
honest than the devil has to assert his right to re
enter the Kingdom of Heaven again. now boldly
state that the man who asserts that have betrayed
the cause of Judge Douglas in Tennessee-or that
nv proposition was obtained by bamboozhDg
me-or that l was induced to make it through
fraud and corruption asserts proposition that makes
him a political and moral slanderer in the base
utterance of it. and beler in the publication of it
am prepared assume the entire responsibility OF
nv proposition and if any man thinks he can make
good the charges that have been made against me
let him name his time and place, and l have the
moral and physical courage to meet him any where
if it's upon the threshold of civilization, and settle
the matter in any legitimate way, and the mode shall
be of one his o,on choosing had no motive but the
purest and if any claims the right to enter the
sanctuary of my heart, and decide that have been
influenced by corrupt designs, there is an everast
| ing issue between him and me- l thank God that
we live in a land where we have right TO full
expression of our opinions, and in the exercise o.
this right expect to live in the attempt to main
tain it am content to die am the tool of no living
| man, or set of men-whether they occupy high OF
low positions-whether they wear the robes of Sen
ators, the tattered rags of poverty. think fol-
mysslf-act for myself, and hold myself responsible
| alone to God and my country.
propose now to take up my proposition, ant
consider it calmly and dispassionately. and l viii
demonstrate as clear as the light of the sun at noon
day, that my proposition makes me better DoUG
| LAS man than any man can be who rejects it.
will pledge myself to do this before an honest con
munity. or then l will agree and bind myself It
leave the State of Tennessee, and become politicd
reft,qee and rnendicant, as the now is who de
nounces me through the editorial columns Of thu
| Nashville Democrat Here then l will re-state thu
proposition as originally published in the UNo:
AND AMERICAN. 1t is couched in the following Ian
gsage: E
That we have but one Democratic EelectOra
ticket in Tennessee and if that ticket should b
elected by a union of the Breckenridge and Dougla
men, then the of the State shall be cast as FOL
| lows: Igt To be cast for Mr.. Breckenridge pro
vded it will elect him. but if it will not elect Mr.
Breckenridge then TO be cast for Mr.. Douglas pro
| vided it will elect him. If. however, the vote o
Tennessee will elect neither and there is no election
by the Electoral College then the vote of the Stat
| to be cast first for Mr.. breckenridge, provided
! will put him into the House of Representative
| over Mr. Bell. if not to be cast for Mr. Douglas
proyided it will put him into the House over Ar
| Bell
The question now IS who is the best DoCGLA
man. the man who makes the proposition or tn
man who rejects it? In answering this question:
! !, fair to presume that the who is 70
| Judge DOUGLAS in Tennessee, is for him and n
r.ore. Then as between BRECKINRIDGE and BELL
it is again fair to presume that the DoUGLA
man stand neutral. five cast the vote Of Tennessee
| for Mr.. DOUGLAS upon a straight-out lndependeh
ticket and the BRECKNRIDGE wing do the same thing
there is probability that they will boIh be defeat
ed and Mr. BELL will carry the State. In that even
! the vote Mr. DOCGIAs gets in Tennessee would d.
him no good. as it would avail him nothing out 0
the State But in the event of union of the BRECE
| IyRIDGE and DOUGLAS men upon proposition maxim!
COMPROMISE Electoral ticket and that ticket should
be successful as would be probable, then the E!ec
tors would be pledged to cast the vote of TENNESSEE
! for Mr. DOUGLAS, provided it would elect him, o.
| nut him in the House in contest between him ant
| Mr.. BELL. This arrangement would answer Mr.
DOUGLAS just as good purpose as if the BREcKIN
RIDGE ticket should be withdrawn in Tennessee. L
the vote of the State would do him any good either
to elect him by the Electoral College, or put hin
| into the House to who shall 90 there, he would
get it, and cannot what more any friend of hi
can desire But it is said that my proposition il
first to cast the vote for Mr.. BRECKENRIDGE, and Sc
condly for Mr.. DOUG'As. That can make no differ
ence because they cannot both be in condition tt
be elected by the vote of Tennessee. If Mr.. DoUG
Lag is in condition to be elected by the IL Votes O.
Tennessee he will have to have 40 votes without
Tennessee and then to place Mr.. BRECKISRIDGE il
the same condition would mOnOpolize 2SO Of the
3O3 Electoral votes leaving only %, and Tennessee
having u of them. That would only give to Mr.
LINCOLN and BELL both IL votes. Such view i;
simply absurd and ridiculous, and need not be FUR
| Their pursued.
Upon the second hypothesis in my proposition
there is but one conceivable contingency that can
arise. that will give Mr.. BRECKENRIDGE any adTan
tage over Mr.. DOUGLAS That is, suppose Mr.. BELL
gets co electoral votes, Mr.. BRECKENRIDGE 30, and
Mr. DOUGLAS so, then the vote of Tennessee would
put Mr. BRECKISRIDpE in the House over Mr.. BELL
and Mr.. DOUGLAS would not get there. This is on
the suppositon that Mr.. LIScGLE will go to the
House certain. But let me say to the DGUGiAs men
generally that it may become matter Of the high
est Importance to have the vote of Tennessee ready
to be cast for Mr. DOUGLAS in contest between him
and Mr. BELL as to who shall go to the House. BY
rejecting my proposition, the men who do SO, take
the responsibility OF defeating Mr.. DOUGLAS IN get
ting to the House. and Of putting Mr.. BELL there to
the exclusion of Mr.. DOUGLAS. 1t may be also that
the DOUGLAS men by rejecting this proposition, take
the responsibility of defeating Mr.. DcgGLAs in the
Electoral College. Suppose Mr.. DOUGIAs gets l4O
votes out of Tennessee then the vote of Tennessee
would elect him; but by rejecting this proposition
it is absolutely certain that DoUGIAs cannot carry
Tnnnpssep and DrObaby that JOIN BELL will In