Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-08-15


JOHN BELL, Senator from Tennessee? Side by |
side with ABE LINCOLN, Ton CORwN and AMOS |
TUCK in opposing the prosecution of the war; resist
ing the recommendations of the President and of |
Secretary MARCY for an increase of the military |
force and while pretending an unwillingness to in
Quire whether the might not have been avoided,
declaring it his opinion that at might and should
darby limiting at the motives of " the invaders of |
this Inflated country" raising his warning voice at
the wonderful retributon, that at the distance of
centuries will follow people for wrongs COM |
mted by their forefathers" closing his admonitory
speech with this advice Stop the war Flee the |
country as you would a city doomed to destruction
by fire from Heaven - (See Appendix to Cong. |
Globe lst session. thirtieth Congress- pages 1885, 20O
2OI)
When these reasonable speeches of LINCOLN of
CoRwIN, of Tuck & Co., had shocked the patriotic
sentiment of the American people that scorn and
condemnation were finding utterance in every quar-
ter except in the hotbeds of Federal Abolitonism,
Mr. BELL felt called upon in this speech oppOs
ing the bill based on the recommendation of the
President and Secretary of War, for increase of
our military force in Mexico to defend these scaven
gers of party who had so assaied the war; whose
honor upon the nation and whose counsels from the
American halls of Congress were as encouraging to
the enemy as if they had gone in person and taken
command of their faltering soldiery. Let no one
suppose that we are disappearing Mr. BELL The
Appendix to the Congressional Globe Of that day, LIST
session, 30th Congress, can be found, we presume
in every village. Let the unwilling believer turn
to it. and in the middle column Of the goth page he
will find Mr.. BELLS own language, as follows:
Il hold sir for one that gentlemen who believe
this war to be u just and inlquitous, or whether
Just or unjust that the further prosecution of it is
likely to inict upon the country greater evils than
can be compensated by all the territorial acquisi
tons which the courage and resources of the
try may achieve, hare perfect right to GITdign the
authors and advocates of at the bar Of public opinion
and to THWART THEM by all the means Of speech, |
1rrtinq and loting lolich the Constitution l1arrdntS.
hold sir that 10 deny them the exercise of this |
privilege by law would be an act of despOtsm IN |
der legal forms and to seek to forestal the ex |
ercse of this privilege by intimidation and the nhu-
ence of official denunciatiOn by charging those who |
avail themselves of this privilege the allies of the
public enemy and their auxiliariGs IN the war; Is an
attempt at moral despOtism only TO be excused as |
an emanation Of excessive and oyer-heated zeal IN
which neither the Judgment nor proper regard for
the institutions of freedom have had much to do.
But sir should the tone of remonstrance against
this war rise high IN this chamber As To PENETRATE
EVERY VALE IN MEXICO. INTERVIEWING AMONG HER !
MOUNTAINS AND ROUSE THE WHOLE COUNTRY |
TO A SPIRIT OF RESISTANCE to the attempt to |
subdue them to our dominion there are those who |
believe that greater calamity may betal this cOun-
try in the further prosecution of the than
such result as that
1t will thus be seen that Mr.. BELL was unwilling |
that an outraged public sentiment should shame |
into silence the moral treason Of the ABE LNCoLNs
Ton CoRwI>s, AMOS TICKS and Others but that they
should be permitted to go in their efforts to |
"thwart' the Government in its prosecution Of the
war 'by every means ofspeech writing and voting"
even should the tone Semonseance rise so high as
to penetrate every vale Mexico reyerberate among
her mountains and ROUSE the whole population to
spirit of resistance" It. is very evident that had
Mr. BELL represented different constituency he
would have -out Heroded Herod' What mattered
it to him that Tennesseeans were there in deadly
conflict with the enemy of their country? No blood
of his coursed the of an American soldier. |
Should the voice Of the moral traitor rise so high as
to penetrate the wales If Mexico reverberate among
her mountains and rouse the whole population to a
spirit Of resistance requiring farther sacrifice of
American soldiers, it would not reach him. He |
could only join in counseling abandonment of
this unnecessary war, into which he afterwards
said the President plunged the country reminding
the Senate, in studied eoquence of the wonderful
retributiOn' which sometimes, at the distance of |
centuries" follows the descendants of national ag- |
gressors as penalties for the wrongs committed by
their forefathers." He said:
1T was an Indian race which peoped the empire
which CORTEZ overturned; and they were the an
cestOrs and cOuntrymen Of the which |
now inhabit the land of their fathers. They were
10 Of xyrDlnv e
water. TO their new masters three centuries ago;
with some amehoration, they continue to be so
this day; though free IN name, they still wear the
badges of a subject peOple-still remain the victims
of conquest and Of their primeva caste and complex
ion. Whatever faction rules for the hour they are
still the sufferers. What religion fails to ex-
act from Them their proud aid insoent cOnquerors
extOrt, under the preteXt of Government support |
or to maintain an army which Expresses them in
peace and gives them no protection IN war. Won
dertu retribu.On-that at the distance of ccntu |
ries. the descendants Of the original spoilers should
be made to suffer the penalty of the wrongs conf
mitted by their foreathers that they in turn should
be trodden under the iron heel of war-be made to
pass under the yoke of the conquerOr.
Mr. President, if may be permitted to moralize
upon the extraordinary and mysterious vicisstudes
and condolences in the fortunes of nations l would
ask what are our motives, what our purposes, in
the further prosecution of the war? Are sure.
sir, that among those who direct this war-whO put
all this Chvalry in motion in foreign handsome
are not tainted with the lust of conquest? Are we
sure that whatever cause of war may have existed
at It's origin, other motives and other objects have
not supervened, less defensibe in their character
than the rights and honor of the countryside only
legitimate causes of the war? Are the invaders Of
tins Inflated country, of the nineteenth century, so
pure and upright in all their objects, and so far ee
waited above the passions of those of the sixteenth
that they may hope to escape the retributon which
awaited them and which has ever awaited the con
queror and oppressor?
Sir, fany should now desire to know my poor
opinion upon the proper mode of terminating this |
war, say TO them make the best treaty with any !
existing government you can. If YOU must have |
the territories Of New Mexico and California get a
ceSson of them if you cannot do that come back to
The RIO Grdnde, to the boundary you claim title to-
and thus Sdue your hOaO~.
Ny advice is stop the sCGrl FLEE THE COUNTRY IA
YOU WOULD A CITY DOOMED To DESTRUCTION BY FIRE
FROM HEAVEN
Such has been the past history Of Mr. BELL upon
these grave and delicate subjects. He has been with
The Northern FederalIsts and against the Republican
people of the South since, finding himself mis-.
rusted by Gen. JACKSON. he abandoned the Demo-
,ratic party and made his pilgrimage to Hartford
md TO Boston He voted with them IN opposing the
,ocv of the administration in connection with our
n6,an wars in 1896 He joined them in their
fFrts 70 DELAY and cripple the policy of the Admin
stration in its troubles with the French Govern
nent. when her fleet was threatening our waters
lie Joined them in opposing the recommend !
atoms of the Administration when England was I
threatening Us with an invasion of the disputed ter
ritory on the North East Boundary. lie was with
them cordially with them, in their efforts to thwart
the Government in its vigorous and successful pros
ecution Of the Mexican war. These are severe
truths in his past history connected with the pub
lie service, which deserve to be well understood ]
and I.lat-rnl- nnrsiln-nL ~. Z