Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-08-22
j Ohm c. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Political
Career and Record.

The times demand that the American peo-
pie should look narrowly into the opinions
and qualifications of those whom party lead
ers present to them for their support To the
highest Office in the Republic They owe 1t
to themselves. to posterity and the world TO
7fndicate, through the baIlot-box, the great
and inestImable principle of self government
which is now undergoing the severest test
that it has ever met in the history OF our
country. They should scrutinize each candI-
date. measure his powers, ascertain his quail
locations to obtain thorough comprehension
of his fitness for the Presidency, aud thus
mike each ballot cast the expression of a
free and intelligent opinion In this way,
and in this way only. can 4 democratic rep
resentative government be made perpetual
To aid in such an investigation We propose,
this morning, to examine the political career
and record of Hon. JONI c. BRECKINRIDGE,
the candidate OF portion of the democracy
of the Union for the Presidency
Mr. BRECKENRIDGE is a young man-we
mean as a candidate for so important and ex
allied statiOn-pOssessing fair endowments
by nature, both in person and in mind, and
requirements sufficient to enable him TO fiji
ordinary positions in ordinary timzs respect
ably. He entered on his public political life,
in the lower branch of the kentucky Legis
Iature about ten years ago. His political
career has therefore been. brief-tOO brief. in
deed, for him to have gained that large ex-
perience in the administration Of public
affairs necessary to form, with the aid of the
best natural cndowments, the philOsophic
politician and mature statesman. However
fortuitous circumstances may have combined
to give him official position, his most partial
friends cannot seriously assert, that he has
developed in his own acts evidence OF those
high attainments, which would evoke ma
tons admiration, or secure Il nation : IN
doubling trust. His progress has been
unquestionably rapid, and, in the current
acceptation, brilliant-vastly more brilliant
in the stations occupied than in the man
ner the duties of them have been discharged.
From the Legislature he ,vaulted into the
lower House of Congress, where he was in
duced to tarry for a couple of terms, and
United States. By his elegant manners and
commanding suavity, he has presided over
the deliberations of the Senate acceptably.
The general self-respect and digniied de-
meanOr, which, by common consent, are
ascribed TO L. S. Senators, relieves their pre-
siding officer of any great labor, except to
sit still and keep awake, which, We believe
he did. The Legislature of Kentucky, in
December last, elected him a member of the
Senate, the term commencing from the 4th
of March next-the day OH which his Vice
Presidential term expires. II will thus be
readily seen that, having nothing to do in
the way of making political record while
ce-President, and not yet having taken his
seat as Senator, our Investigations of his
political acts, are necessarily confined to his
service in the Legislature Of Kentucky and
in the House of Representative
As preliminary, and as throwing some light
on our conclusions, it Is thought not impro-
per to state a fact, which occurred i'll 1913.
Ia that year Mr.. BRECKINRIDGE participated
in a meeting Of citizens. the object of which
was to bring forward Gen. TAYLOR as a can
didate for the Presidency He was sufficient
IL active in that movement to be deemed
worthy to lie placed on committee of the
meeting, which did present and urge the
claims and fitness of Gen. TAYLOR upon the
American people. 1t was inferred that he
afterwards supported the old hero for that
high office, TO which he was elected over the
present venerable Secretary of State. But
that inference, we believe, has been exploded,
and it is now affirmed by his friends that he
yielded his personal preferences, in obedience
to the favorite motto of his party, ''Princi-
pies, not Men," and gave his jealous support
TO Gen. Cas-, the father of 'Squatter Sover-
eighty" 1t will be remembered that one of
the principal points of attack on Gen. CAss
in that contest was his assertion of squatter
sovereignty, as first promulgated in his let
ter to Mr.. NICHOLSON, of this State. This fact
connected with Mr.. BRECKINRIDGEs support
of Gen. CAss, will prepare US to address our
selves understandingly TO an examination of
his subsequent course ON this subject, to which
we now proceed.
Being in the Kentucky Legislature, and on
his first legs-the young child of fortune and
the State, on the 10th January, 1850, intro
duced series of resolutions, of which the
following is one:
"Resolred, By the General Assembly of the
Commonwealth of Kentucky, That the aues-
ton OF slavery in the Territories, being acloLIy
local and domestic, properly belongs alone to the
people tcho inhaba Neza."