Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-08-29
Letter from Hon. ". z. stokes.
.ALExaNpnIA. Aug. 24th. 1850.


Cantrpll, and certificates from several gentle
men. which i think do me great injustice,
This letter CT Mr.. C.'s is in reply to one
wrote, putting myself right in regard to a
speech / made in Snithyile on the 2lst of
July last Mr.. Cantrell wrote letter to,tiie
Union and AmGicm reporting my speech, in
which be misrepresented my language. He
reports me as having said that the Black Re
publicans told Col. Hatton and myself that
if they could not elect Lincoln, they would
vote for Mr.. Bell; aud that as Douglas would
prefer the election of Bell 10 Breckenridge,
Illinois would go for Bell. again repeat
that my statement at Smithyille was. that if
the election was thrown into the House of
Representatives, that Mr. Bell would, in my
opinion be elected, as neither party had q
majority. and Mr. Bell, being the second
choice, made him the strong man; and that
the Black Republicans had 10 States, and it
required IL TO elect, therefore they could not
elect, and would, in my opinion, vote for Mr..
Bell as a second choice, before they would
see the Democrats hold on and control the
Democrats of Illinois had told Col. Hatton
and myself that if the election was carried
to the House of Representatives, they would
vote for Bell in preference to Breckenridge.
Is this in substance "a correct statement?-
l am compelled TO say T. it is. have
talked 10 a number of honorable gen.
tlemen Of the Union party, they say that it is
correct, as they paid strict attention. Bat
there is still more proof to sustain me. L
see in the Lebanon Democrat of August Sd, a
letter written by some one signing rs name
"DeKalb,'' reporting my spe in which he
says 1 stated, "If the electit vent to the
House of Representatives, Bell would be
elected certain. He had TeGnesse 10 begin
with, and the Black Republican States would
take Bell as their next choice after Lincoln,
he aud Col. Hatton had been solemnIy as
sured by the Douglas men that they preferred
Mr.. Bell after Douglas" Now, here is the
statement of Mr.. "DeKalb," suppose good
Democrat, who scstains me in substance,
fully on this point, and almost my precise
language; not one word as to the Republic
cans telling Hattoa and myself as to how
they would VOTE Now here is "DeKalb," a
good Democrat stating it one way, and Mr..
Cantrell another way. 1 leave that for them
to settle. The country can see clearly the
object sought after by referring to MIR. Can
trell's last letter, in which he states that the
point he was making was, ''that Stokes, Hat
ton and the Black Republicans had an ar
rangcment by which their strength was to be
thrown to Bell if the election went TO Con-
gress." The substance of this admission of Mr..
Cantrell, have no doubt, was the main point
he sought. The country will see at once the
object from bis own admission; so l leave
this part of it to the decision of an honest
community.
Mr.. c. further says he made four points in
his letter, all of which he submitted to John
II. Savage, DIR. J. J. Gowan, and L. G. Stone,
while the matter was fresh, and they en-
dorsed the positions as correct.
lst. That / stated that the South Ameri-
cans went to the Republicans and procured
them to withdraw Sherman as candidate
for Speaker and put up Pennington. 1t is
certainly true that some of us did urge the
members from the States of Pennsylvania
and New Jersey, after some of the Democrats
had indicated that they would be satisfied
with the election of some such man as Gov.
COrwin or Pennington. When that fact was
announced, we being anxious that the House
should organize, did press them to take Sher-
man down and put up Pennington, or some
man less offensive than Sherman. We de-
sired to organize, as the country was suffer
ing from The failure of the preceding Demo
cratic Congress to pass any appropriation
bill for the Post Office Department, which
failure ought to have disgraced them and
hurled them from power forever.
The second point alluded to has been fully
noticed. 1t is in regard to what the Repub-
licans should have said to Hatton and my
self
The Sd point is, tina: said if Breckenridge
was elected, he would not be permitted to adj
minister the Government. This, as / stated
in my letter before, never heard of until
saw it in print in the Union and american
This seems to have been very important
point with Mr.. Cantrell, yet Mr. ''DeKalb,'
who wrote to the Lebanon Democrat, made nc
mention of it. So leave that point.
The 4th point is, that 1 would not say
whether Congress bad the ,power to legislate
on the subject OF slavery. This is question
that did not discuss. But viii say here
that whether Congress has the power or not
they have exercised it almost from the foTma-
tion of the government up to 1854, the time
of the passage of that Democratic measure
called the Kansas and Nebraska act, which
has, and is, distracting our country more
than all other acts. Mr.. c. says he submit
ted his notes of my speech to the gentlemen
above named. Why did he not submit them
to me: He had a, good opportunity to have
done So For he and myself had private
conversation Immediately after was done
speaking. on some. private business, and we
also talked about politics, and the expendi-
lures of the Government, &C., &c. If Mr.. c..
as he says, is my personal friend, would il
not have been just and right for him 10 have
submitted his notes to me for nay inspection!
In fact, it would seem to have been his duty
to have done so, then this thing would not
have been in the shape that it is He says
did him great injustice iii my letter. What
injustice, would ask, was done him? Let
us see how this is. He BTote a letter report
ing my speech, which he says he thinks is
correet.7 thought different, and it was,
therefore, my duty, in Justice to myself to
correct the statement, which did in a calm
and respectful manner. stating that 1 did not
charge the Misrepresentation as intentional.
Some OF those gentlemen who give their GER
tifcates l know to be clever men, and are
honestly mistaken, aud would not do me in