The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-08-24
The Tennessee Importation.

hSauo.
The Tennessee Importation.
A Mr.. Perrin, Democratic Importation
from the Slave State Of Tennessee, brought here
to teach the freeman Of our State their political
duties, and probably paid good price for his
lectures, addressed the Democracy Of Biddeford
at Union Hall on Saturday night. The Hall was
we'll filed, the republicans as usual contribute
ing largely to the number and responsibility OF
the meeting. The speech OF Mr.. Perrin, though
generally making the same points as Mr.. Mar
shall's, was more genial than that made by his
brother from the Slave State Of Kentucky.
We will do the Tenesseean the justice to say
that he retails old anecdotes we'll, and mixes
up the "wool" ofthe negro and the cotton OF
the plantation owner, 50 as to make the dish,
by its oddities, of laughable character, and
he succeeds quite well in keeping active the
rsible faculties of his audience.
In matters of political history. We should
judge that he went on the principle, "that a
lie well stuck to is better than the truth" He
said he was formerly an old Wing, and he
claimed Daniel Webster and Henry Clay both
as having advocated the Popular Sovereignty
Of the humbug Douglas stamp. Every intelli-
gent man familiar with the history OF Daniel
Webster knows that he never endorsed or advo-
Gated the doctrine. He was always an asserter
Of the rights Of Congress over the territories.
In speech made in the Senate Of the United
States in 1850 he said:
We have always gone upon the ground that
these territorial governments were IN q state oi
pupil,ge, under the protection or patronage OF
the General Government. The territorial leg
slature has q constitution prescribed by Con
gress. They have no power not given by that
Congress They must net within the limits OF
the constitution granted them by Congress, or
else their acts become void. The people under
the territorial government are not sovereign.
ty; they do not posses any OF the rights incident
TO sovereignty. They are IL you please to de-
nominate Il. In a state Of nchoate government
and sovereignty 1--we well consider this ques-
ton upon the ground Of our practice during
the last half century, l think we will find one
way Of disposing oft. II is our duty to pro-
vide for the people Of the Territories govern
ment to keep the peace, to secure their prop
arty; to assign to them q subordinate legisla-
tive authority; to assign to them subordinate
their persons and the security oftheir property
are all regularly provided for; and to maintain
them in that State until they grow into sufficient
Importance, in point Of population, to be adj
mitted into the Union rs State upon the same
footing with the original States. II seems TO
me that this is all our duty. lshall most readi-
IL concur in anything which tends to the per-
Torrance Of that duty But can not go INTO
any general discussion about the rights OF the
people while under territorial government, and
do more than they are permitted to do by that
constitution which creates government over
them
Again Mr.. Webster said:
There Is no land, not an acre, the character
OF which Is not established by lava law Thich
cannot be repealed without a violation ola con-
tract, and plain disregard Of public faith And
in speaking of the Wilmot Proyiso, he used the
following emphatic language which cannot be
misunderstood: Sir, wherever there Is par
ticular good to be done, wherever there Is
foot of land to be stayed back from becoming
slave territory, Tam ready 10 assert N: princi-
ple of the exclusion Of sidrery. hare been
pledged 10 Il from 1857. Ihare been pledged TO
u again and again, and riN perform those
pledges Is this the language OF 'non.interyen-
tioni' Is this the great principle of'squaaer
Sovereignty"
Mr.. Perrin himself must know better, and his
attempt to drag the great name OF Daniel Web
ster into the support Of this Douglas cheat, was
simply an imposition.
Mr.. Clay was equally emphatic In his asser-
ton Of the right Of Congress over the terrific
ries. All that Mr.. Perrin said in reference to
the opinions Of either Of those distinguished
men, was simply assumption. 1t was said with
an air Of recklessness which led US to believe
that he did not care whether he uttered false
hoods OF not
Mr.. Perrin, as did Mr.. Marshall, cssayed to
Try the "scarc dodge, and grew quite eloquent
over the terrible calamties which his imagina-
ton conjured up. when his brother Slave
Holders Of the Breckenridge stamp. dissolved
the Union. lie saie he himself, ON account Of
his conservative sentiments, and Union loving
ideas was prescribed man at the South, and
said that he was only induced to come up here
because Of his great desire to save the Union.
He was actuated by q heart OVERLOOKING with
patriotism-and had come all the way from
Tennessee to these cold regions to persuade the
people Of our State to vote for Douglas, and in
so doing save the Union from the certain de.
s.ruction that awaited II IL the Republicans
succeedei-not that the Douglas men in the
South were going to destroy II, but "Yancey
Slidell and the Breckenridge men were going
to do II. As there's no Disunion sentiment
here, Il would seem that Mr.. Perrin eIpends
his patriotism in the wrong place, and that his
real field Of labor Is whers the sentiment Of
Disunion is found. among his democratic brcth-
ren In the Slave States. We advise him to 60
there, or quit the field altogether. as we are
quite certain that this "Disunion Scare" has
run itself into the ground here. and that not
man in Maine viii Be frightened into an aban-
donment OF his political convictions through
the fear OF what Yancey slidell and other
Breckinridge men" win do ifLincoln isl.lscted.
Adieu Mr.. Perrin
What importation from the Slave States win
our Democrats friends give US next. and where
Is Spinolal II we cannot have somebody nom
the Slave States, by all means let us have
Spinola. The people ere all anxious 10 &c
Spinola, Who voted for each and every measure
Of corruption In the New York Legislature last
winter. about which The Democratic pres have
detained % loudly.