Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-03-25
SUNDAY, MARCH %, 1850.


niger
question Onthis subject he has no new opinions
de says s. am eoeval with the Missouri question
OF 1880, having begun my political life in the
midst Of that struggle He learned then 10 regard
the institution Of slavery as an evil temporary in
its nature and likely to disappear in the course Of
time; yet while it continues a misfortune TO the
country socially and politically With regard to
this question in connection with the territories he
says; The nation is supreme over them (the terri
tories and the National Government has tie DoDsr
10 permit orJor5id slavery aottia them. Entertaining
these views am opposed to the extension of slavery
and IN my opinion the spirit and the policy of the
Government ought to be against its extension"
The bred Scott decision is very summariy disposed
of-he saws:
The only jurisdiction which the Supreme Court
ead o. the cause was for the purpose Of correcting
the error Of the Circuit Court in assuming the power
70 decide on the merits Of the case This power the
Supreme Court did exercise by setting aside TIE
judgment Of the Circuit Court upon the merits and
py dsmlsslng the suit without any judgment for or
against either party This is all the Supreme Court
DID, and all that 1t had any lawful power to do. 1
consider it great public misfortune that several
Of the learned Judges should have Thought that
their duty required them discuss and give Opin-
ions upon various questions outside Of the case as
the case was actually disposed of by the Court All
sucn opinions are extra judicial ana of authOri-
" But. besides this, it appears to that several
OF che questions so discussed by the Judges are pO-
htcal questions, and therefore beyond tie jursdc-
uon OF the Judiciary, and proper Only to be cOnsId
ered ana disposed Of by the political departments.
This covers the whole ground. Slavery is an
evil politically and socially, which was only intend
ed by the founders Of the government to be tempo
rary in its character. The policy and spirit of
the government ought to be aaginst its extension
1t should be made to die out by confung it to its
present limits. Congress has the power and should
prohibit it in the territories And any decision by
the Supreme Court determining the right Of the |
people Of the Save States to emigrate with their
property to the territories, being political question
is beyond the jurisdiction Of the Judiciary, and
proper only to be disposed Of by the political de-
partment' SEWARD would not have said more 4
Hpon the points in controversy. We presume the |
letter viii give entire satisfaction" How far it |
viii answer the purpose for which it was intended
that Is to secure the writer the Black Republican
nomination at Chicago-remains to be seen We in
cline to the opinion that it viii not advance his
chances, it takes from his friends the only plausi
bic argument heretofore used in his favor, which
was the absence Of any full and authentic declara-
ton upon this subject that would drive from him
the more moderate Black Republican sympathizers.
In another aspect it lessons his chances IT, BY any
means he could have had himself presented as a
candidate for the Presidency by the Union Party
Convention at Baltimore, it would have furnished
plan by which the Chicago Convention could have
made a nomination that would have united
al the elements Of the Opposition We take
it for granted this cannot be done now. Mr.. Bates
is no longer of the intermediate men, standing
with one foot on free soil and the other within the
limits Of slavery.
Mr.. BATES confesses the qualification which he
feels at these "recent manifestations of respect
and confidence after having lived so long under a i
cloud, politically, in his own State. lie says: t
First, the Opposition members Of the Missouri J
Legislature declared their preference for me as a Q
candidate. Then followed my nomination by a con- ! :
vention composed of all the elements of the OppO-
sition in this State. And now, the Republicans of /
Missouri, in their separate convention just held in L
St Louis, have reaiirmed the nomination, and pro-
posed 10y their delegates TO present me TO the Ma
tional Convention, soon to be held at Chicago, a a
candidate for the first Office in the nation. n
This remin Is that the New York Tribune stated p
recently one Of +he reasons in favor Of the nom
nation Of Mr.. BATES. the probability that he would
get electoral ticket in several Of the slave
States, led on by such men as JoHN BELL and :
others. There many persons who are envious
TO know whether the Tribune has made proper use
Of the of our distinguished ex-senator; and y
inasmuch he, too, Ike Mr.. BATES has been recon-
mended by the Opposition Of his State for the Pres
dency, II would be interesting to the public to know
how far he concurs with Mr.. BATES upon these vital
and exciting questions. upon which the next election
must be determined And yet we well know that nei-
ther Mr. BELL his friends will answer for the rea
son. we believe, that a candid answer would drive "
from him the support Of twO-thirds of his de-
luded followers in Tennessee. We will give a pre-
MUM to any whose ingenuity can get nanswer
Who will compete for the prize
Hon. HEyRr S. Foou in his recent letter to thiO IL
paper expresses the opinion that the election Of IL
Biloxi Republican President would result in " the
disruption of the Coufederacy,' and says la
Ihave even yentured to declare the conviction, u
thar in my judgment he lDougas) most probably p
the only public man m the country who Is at the y
same time really capable Of dischargng the duties "a
Of President successfully and h0norabiy, and who P
could succeed in being elected in opposition TO the W
nominee Of the BlackRepubicSn party. II
What an alarming condition Of affairs. This
great government resting in the hollow OF one q
mans hand and he but recently at the brink OF the
gravel But does any one Gov. FOorE entertain 'o
such an opinion? Is the government dependent so
upon the fortunes of an individual the intel an
yence and integrity Of the people We say the ln
after. If STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS, and a thousand p'
better men than STEPHEN A DoUGIAs were in their ma
graves it would not determine the character or CT
Of our institutions If this government IA
to be preserved it viii be done by the mere MI
elevation Of any to the Presidency; but by Sc
keeping up healthy political sentiment among the en-
people. The election Of Mr.. SEWARD to that high co
flee world, in all probability, be followed by oe
disruption Of the Confederacy but it woald not est
from the simple election of the man, SEWARD but SCI
rom the unjust andl oppressive policy in public lig
But supposing Senator DoUGLAs to have all the
irtues attributed 10 him by Gov. Fo0rE, still cha
uestion his ability to be elected President 1t CHI
yell understood that of all the public at the uu
orth spoken Of in connection with the nomination Ma
Charleston, no one of them has tenth Of the cAa
ersonal enemies in his own party that Senator par
DOUGLAS has The entire administration Democracy, De
it little much, upon whom this gentleman and DOL
is friends have made more violent and proscrip- Uo1
We warfare than was ever waged against the gro
lack Republicans, would not willingly be chained not
his triumphal car, parading their own dis VIM
ace before the world. in proportion they oi
ouid labor for his elevation. The utter imposs Oo4
lily Of securing for him. even in the event Of his
animation several of the most reliable Democratic OF
arss Sotr i to, ,,,ror+ e., ,.7rit , ,,.,,,o+ lest
here then is Mr. DOUGLAS strength except in the not
rtinacity with which his trumpeters are paradng any
IN before the country. and the additional fact that sam
1t recently he has been in greater favor with the tel
ack Republicans than has any other now shaO
aiming 20 be Democrat the V,y BrnExs not ex- the
ptcd M,
"oN foorE calls attention to the fact that Sena- raj
DOUGLAS was an able supporter of the PROPOSE serv
On 10 refund the fine imposed upon the immortal of
. '','N "lA' does this argue? Many of those empt
40 ilA' l.' pee" leaders of abouonism did the Of tn
SUI" go an D'NEN' BLAIR and probably busir
or su
he fel,ilnos Us tDa' DOUGLAS gave an ardent sup
lrt to the administration Of Mr. Porv ST. ny On
ID so did AND J. DoNNErsoN JERE CrF,u.ys r. ma de
ICK p STANTON. HENEY s. FoorE and others IL State
ost Of the time since the close of that fpst,; will
ministration, have been acting with the Opposi- IT,
N and laboring to pull down the Democratic succ,
rtv