Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-03-17
SATURDAY, MARCH IL, 1860.
The Record Of Hon. Edward Bates.
of Missouri.


democratic paper, the Springfield Oily Regis
:1, We attributed the parentage of the fol-
lowing declaration of principles TO the Wing
National Convention which assembled in
Baltimore in 1856. and over which the Hon.
EDwIRD BATES presided:
z. "The recognition of the right of native
born and nat1ralized citizens of the United
States, permanently residing In any territory
thereof to frame their constitution and laws,
and to regulate their domestic and social
affairs In their own mode. subject only to the
provisions of the federal constitution, with
the privilege OF admission into the Union
whenever they have the requisite population
for one representative in Congress; provided,
always..that none but those who are citizens
of the United States, under the constitution
and laws thereof, and who have fixed resi-
dence in any such territory, ought to particle
pate IN the formation OF the constitution, or
the enactment of laws for said Territory or
State"
Having since referred to the proceedings
of the Convention with view to the verif-
cation of this declaration of principles, We
discovered that it was not adopted-that. in
deed, it was never before the Convention for
consideration. The Convention did adopt a
Dental canvass of that year, but did not
take any position on the slavery Issues upon
which the country was then divided. One of
the resolutions says the Wings 'have no new
principles to announce-nO new platform to
establish but are content broadly to rest
where their fOrefathers rested, upon the Con-
stitution of the United States, wishing no
safer guide-no higher law" Another reso-
luton declares
That all who revere the Constitution and
love the Union most look with alarm at the
attitude assumed by the two great parties in
the field in the Presidential canvass; the one
claiming to represent only the sixteen North
erp States the Union; the o,her appealing,
mainly, to the passions and prejudices of the
Southern States, and that the success OF either
of these factions must add fuel TO the flame
which now threaten to wrap our dearest in
terests IN one common ruin.
As the President of the Convention, Mr..
BATES doubtless approved the resolutions,
and it is proper to refer to them as portion
Of his political record His opinion of the i'll
consequences to the country OF the success of
the republican party-a party strictly sec
tional in its charaGter-is evident from the
resolution last cited above. But if there were
anything further wanted. it is to be found in
a speech made by him at a meeting of Wings
at Palmyra, No., in July, 1856. The follow
ing is an extract from very brief sketch of
the speech published at the time
Mr. Bates then spoke of the Black Repub-
Ecans and Black Democrats as 'agitators,'
onI 10Th. lf.l
to the peace OF our Union"
In a letter last year to Wings of the city of
New York, he deprecated the further agita-
tion of the question of slavery, which he de-
sired to Danish altogether from the political
arena
So far, the public record of Mr.. BATES,
though rather meagre of fruit. does not pre-
sent any thing Objectionable to Southern men.
But, of late, bis peculiar friends have been
assiduous in their attempts to place him in
position which will command the nomination
of the Republican Convention at Chicago
To accomplish this object, they have publish
ed, what they assert are his opinions upon
the question of slavery. and, seemingly with
his authority, make good enough" repub-
lican of him to satisfy the demands of all ex-
cept the ultras of the party. AS yet nothing
has been published. from The pen Of Ar. BATES,
showing that be has departed from the con-
sentative position he occupied in 1856, and
continued to occupy when he wrote his let
ter to the New York Wings. In the state of
doubt as to his real opinions upon the slave
ry question, which the course of his friends
has caused. we think it due to the Opposition
and to the country that he should, previous
TO the meeting Of the Baltimore Convention,
place himself fairly and squarely on the re-
cord. so that no one can be mistaken. Will
he not speak out frankly?