Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-05-19

Tue Secessfou Oh ccfeSbbes from Aidodih8, anu
other Southern States, are realizing the fate
of .he man who generously interfered in a
fight between another man and his wife. In
stead of securing the gratitude of either par
~. fhe hostility and contempt of both are
vented npon them.
The Charleston Mercury was the first TO re-
pudiafe The .sultimatum,n but the friends Of
the thing excuse the Mercury. on the ground
that it did not have q correct copy of the
resolution. The Richmond Enquirer, the or
gan of the Virginia slave-co6e democrats,
followed; aud there is no such excuse TO be
made for it, as was offered for its Charleston
confederate. The Enquirer publishes q cor
rect copy OF the resolution, so there can be
no mistake about whatit condemns, and then
says, the resolution "was not adopted, and,
in our opinion. neper should be adopted. 1t il
Of that character Of platform against which
all parties, North and South, DOUGLAS and
anti-DouGLls, are emphatically pledged. 1t
is ambiguous, equieocai, and uHcertain, and every
pro ninent man of either section (poor Mr..
HOWARD, why did you not attain prominence
before you went to Charleston?) at Charles
ton declared against such platform" The
Enquirer continues:
The first resolution can never be accepted
BY the South. without an abandonment Of
the principle of protection,-because, while
il denies the right of Congressional or Ter
ritoritorial Legislation to destroy or impair
property IN slaves, it does not assert the
duty OF Congress or the Territorial Legisla-
ture TO protect slave property from the vio-
e al nFo-
tory resolution which embraces no sanction
should its provisions be violated it is AS
though the Legislature of Virginia should
declare the killing of man 10 be murder and
not provide n punishment for the crime.
Under this Tennessee resolution the violence
of mobs may more effectually destroy aud
impair property in slaves, than either Con-
gress or the Territorial Legislature can pos
sibly do.
The Enquirer adds:
The Tennessee resolution constitutes "the
decisions of the Supreme Court" as an Tex
position of the Constitutions" the decisions
OF the Supreme Court being founded in judg-
ments and opinions of men, are changeable
with the men who constitute the Court, while
the principles of party, which claims the
Constitution for its guide. should never De
measured 10y the sliding scale of ''Chancel-
lor's foot" The doctrine of protection is not
derived from the decisions of the Supreme
Court. but from the same instrument which
constituted the Court. 1t has been recog-
nzcd 10y the Court, but would have existed
as equally obligatory had is been denied by
the Court.
The Enquirer goes on to show that II the
North and the South should agree to the ''"i-
iiruatum," it would amount to nothing, mas
much as the sections disagree as to what The
Supreme Court has decided.
The New Orleans Delta, edited by new
convert to the anti-squatter sovereignty faith,
also rejects the ..ultimatum." The Data
says:
Now this resolution is liable TO precisely
the same objections so forcibly urged by the
Southern delegations against the platform
adopted by the majority of the Charleston
Convention. IL does not meet the issue pending
betsceen the Democracy and the supporters Of Squat
ter Sovereignty. II explains nOthing-H settles
| nothing. Like the Cincinnati PLATFORM II IS Sis-
cept,6ie Of a double mterpretatlon--On for the
North and opposite one for the South. From
| the terms of this resolution as we'll as from
| the terms of the Cincinnati platform, the
State rights Democracy, both North and
| South, could deduce the right and the duty
OF governmental protection for slave prop
|
erty. But this deduction is based upon the
formula that slaves are property everywhere.
as we'll in the Territories as in the slave hol-
| ing States. The Douglas Squatter Sover-
| eli snty doctrine, on the other hand, Is that
slavery exists only by force of local law, aud
that the right of property in slaves ceases
when the slave is taken into u community IN
which his condition as property is not rccoet
/ nized 10y positive statute.
a ~ x-aI in thn foil nsr
paragraph in Mir. Douglas Harper's Maya
zine essay:
| THAT slave, within the meaning OF the
| Consultation, is person held to labor in one
| State under the laws thereof, not under the
| Constitution OF the Unit States, nor / y
the laws thereof. n byvirtue of any Fedc-
raj authority whatsoever, but under the laws
OF the particular State where such service oil
| labor may be due"
So that slave found beyond State where
such service or labor may be due, and not a
fugitive, is Eot slave, and consequently is
| not property.
| Therefore when, under the delusion that
| the Howard resolution. il 1t be adopted. en-
braces the doctrine of protection TO slave
property, the South should demand such
| protection at the hands OF the Democratic
| party, she would be answered that the Demo
cratic party had never yet conceded slaves
|
ously avoids recognizing the RICH, of protec-
| ton to slave property. IL simply repudiaies
| the right OF the Federal Government TO i'm
| pair The rights OF person or property In the
| Territories, thus leaving open the great
| question-and in tact the only question:
whether slaves are property, aud as such en-
titled to the same protection that is extended
to all other kInds of property. Euen a Black
Republican could stand on such pIdIform that,
4 a 4 A..
| hiba sldpery ia the TtTTitOriss. He would main
tain with entire consistency, that IN this he
would not violate the doctrine OF the resolu-
| ton, because in prohibitin slavery, he would,
| ON his theories, neither destroy nor impair
| any Of the rights either of person or OF pro-
perty.
The adoption OF the Howard resolution, so
far from being triumph OF the State Rights
Democratic doctrine OF protection 10 slave
| property IN The Territories, tr0tId be degrdd-
vag surrender Of Dse usry principle IN behalf Of
soh'eh The Southern delegations seceded from The
/ Convention.
IL would leave the question as far from
| settlement as ever. and Instead of harmonic
| ing the party, would involve il in difficulties
| aud conflicts from which there could be no
escape except by final disruption OF tie
| organization, ar an unconditional surrender,
| on the part of the South to the pretensiors
of the Squatrer Sovereignty Douglasites.
! Success on such platform would b. dishon-
/ or II we can not have the aid OF the North
ern Democracy without decefviBg them, ct
being ourselves deceived, We should thou
sand times prefer defeat. Tue time has past
! for ambi guous resolutions and fraudulent
| L.fJrms. They
| aug Cling aends,
which piltcr with a double tense,
10 10 our barm."
There is no mistaking the meaning of eth
er the Enquirer or the Delti. They speak
plainly aud to the point. There is no indi-