Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-10-28
last by the Tennessee Democracy to which Mr.

Be 1t Resolved, That We herety reairm the principles
nouned in the platform OF the Democratic party adopted
venton at Cincinnati June 1856, that hold
be true exposition Of don-s the subjects embraced
the United States in the decision OF the of Dd Scott
in Congress the subject Of the Territories OF the United
States aud the rights guaranteed to the residents the Terrific
ries
Resolved That States Conederacy are equal in pc
cal each gate the right
Of the preogatVes Of self governEenhe States did not
surrender this right the Federal Constitution and Tennessee
will not now do
Resolved That government has power onter
efe with slavery 10 the States introduce into exclude 1t
to protect he r06s the owner from wTorg and to restore
gives from labor these duties it whs Id vhouta vio
lation Of the Constitution.
lie tells you that you must go to law for your
rights What inestimable privilege TO go to law
Bnt you entitled to go other department OF
the Government. Now upon what meat hath this
our Caesar fed" that he thus tells you cannot go
anywhere but TO law to get your right! What IS
Government worth to you! You are not ONCE
seekers. The great masses of the people are taxed,
work the roads juries thus bearing all the
burthens Of Government Where are the benefits
they are to receive? You elect Mr.. Bell President,
He gets S25 900. and has about $4,000, 900 more
at his command to distribute among his friends IN
jobs. i'll the cabinet the foreign service. eerkshlps,
land offices DC. He tolls not. neither does he spH.
But want 10 know where are the Dement'S to those
who toll and bear the burdens! is that the whole
object of Government: Ii you pay each depart
ment YOU want it to do something for you when
YOU are wronCed. But Douglas says that Congress
shall DO nothing, but you must be confined to the
expensive and uncertain mode OF trying your rights
in the courts against the power of Territorial Gov
ernment Is it not better TO throw yourselves back
on Ihcs. JehersOns plan?
But Douglas says that the fre-eaters denOunce the
Cincinnati platform. When and where, ask did
ever denounce it Did denOunce it at Charleston,
because it was said it was a squatter sovereignty
platform? No, always said it was good far
it went But there was something wanting to make
1t complete He says it endorsed the Kansas Ne
braska bill. which agreed to admit slave States or
free but this bill agreed also to leave the question
of sauatter sovereignty to be decided by the Su-
preme Court. What did the Supreme Court decide
That jefferson jackson, and Monroe were all right
and that he was wrOug-that the New Mexico act of
1850 wasright that Alabama was right in her resell
yes that his brotherSenators were right in their
olutions, that the people of the several States have
equal rights in the Territories that slavery has
right to 90 to the Territories and that squatter
reignty is wrong and Congressional protection
against injury is right. The Supreme Court had
right to decide. The judges so thought, seven of
them asserting and only two dissenting. Both par
ties the Northern and Southern Democrats, had
agreed to submit to a decision and to abide by it.
With this understanding is not the Cincinnati plat
form incomplete, without inserting the principle OF
the decision in it, as l commended? Would we not
have been shrinking from this decision of our high
est judicial tribunal if we had refused to insert the
explanatory resolutions 10 the Cincinnati platform,
which are but simble endorsement Of the decision
in the bred Scott case! Particular by since Judge d.
Obstnately persisted in trying to force his cOnstruc
ton upon the Cincinnati Platform.
This was according to the agreement-this the
compact, to abide decision and it being decided i'll
our favor. have not the right and Is it not our
duty, TO claim the benefit of II? But Mr.. Douglas
another decision; he is not satisfied with the
one in favor. So there some very good, IN
ieuigent but fanatical people in New England who
('h1.st bn tTpts a
decision if it is against him. he will want yet
another. \ GU know he says no matter how the de-
cisiOn of the Supreme Court may be, the right of
the people is complete, &c The Supreme Court has
decided that they cannot do as they please. But
Douglas says, matter for that, you can make free
soil States. This. gentlemen, IS the statesman who
stood before you to-day, who IS thus at war with
the acts and opinions of Jefferson, jackson, and
Monroe, and with the Territorial acts of 1850, and
the decision o. the Supreme Court: and arraign
him today at with them, and ask Tor the
Judgment of the people of Tennessee against him
the 9th of November next (HITrd for DGugLls.)
There are not many Douglas men here to be hurt,
and if there were, would desire 10 point them
tue lights of Jefferson. jackson, and Monroe, and to
weigh the opinions of Mr.. Douglas against them.
Go and do. Douglas men, what the old chief, Jack
son, told friend TO do when he asked his advice in
certain case. The old hero had then nearly run
his course, and, in the serenity of glorious old age
was awaiting the last summons of this life. when
your country
Mr. Douglas claims to be better Democrat than
Mr.. Breckenridge. | have never claimed to be 4
better partizan than any man. have never voted
against my party, but have sometimes paused and
not voted when was called on to follow the vaga-
rcs of party leaders, | supposed, against truth
and principle and against the welfare of my cOun-
try / wish to be considered who will look
the truth in the face. (Hurrs for BellD When /
begin to talk about truth some in the outskirts
there hnrras for Bell. Hear me. ny friend. | will
quit in five SIX hours Hear me, and say whether
my words accord with historical facts. Il makes
no difference what am. who | am. DO my argIi-
mcnts accord with your Judgment and your loyalty
to your country: But wish to refer 10 some I'M
pleasant "reminiscences with regard to the Terrific
rial legislation. You remember that the Kan
sas act declared that Kansas should L.. admitted as
a State, with Or without slavery. She came with
her slave COIBt tuition, and the President recon
mCnded IN his message that she be admitted. under
that Constitution formed at LecOmptun EAnd tAe De-
macTaCy Of Tennessee passed a resolution instruct
ing their Senators 10 for t-EDS1 But no sooner
was the message read in the Senate than Mr. Douglas
arose and commenced bitter war upon it, because it
did not accord with his way of adopting u Consttu-
tion. Good faith required that Kansas should have
been admitted in her way. But he warred
-.pOn the Constitutions upon the President and his
Cabinet, and with his brother Democrats in the Sen
ate. | want to know Ii he who sought the alliance
of Black Republicans on this question, is the man
to sit il jUdgmCn me, when he seeded and boited
from the Democratic party two years ago. lie talks
about Alabama throwing frebrands IN the De-
mocratc party, when he had already dchoy
ed the harmony OF It's councils by his act.
don't say that by consolidation with Abolition
lists but IL say that he deiantly split off from the
Democratic party then and yet charges all the bolt
ing on Alabama. Ard again, when pressed to the
wall by Lincoln. he takes from us all hope from the
Supreme Court and leaves the question of our rights
to freesoil jority, thus making it dependent up
on the rise or fail OF parties IN territory and not
upon the written law of the Constitution which
was given to you to protect and defend you. Il an
Abolition majority triumphs you can't 90 there
but If next year it is defeated you may go. only to
be driven out the year after Why gentlemen as
is sometimes said, you will have to get out search
warrant TO find your right. We had thought that
the Interpretation Of the Supreme Court might rest
but now. il seems, a blue barrel of whisky might
turn the scale agauHE you use this illustration as
the TetctiO I'D dbSlrde1R to reduce the argument to
an absUrdity. 1ou have rights to day in the Terri
tories according TO this doctrine but no rights to-
morrow. Thus then is established a sliding scale of
your rights. By this doctrine, Douglas is making
war upon the acts of 1850 and upon the Kansas
bill itself. He is the agitatOr and he wishes YOU to
follow him off into these wild schemes Why is he
now travelling in the South and denouncing the
National Democracy! He travelled into Maine. Penn
syyania, Ohio and Indiana and although his friends
heralded thathe would cary those States the BlackRe
publicans have trumphed in all Of them. am bound
say that he comes South to make the breach still
wider he comes hushing the wlsperings peace and
raising up anlmOsty and the bitter and envenOmed
feelings And yet he has the audacty to tell you
Democrats, that majority of YOU desire the cleo
ton of Lincoln. Powerful as he is tell him that
Southern people have higher aims-the honor and
welfare of their country, and are not animated by
by the poor desire Of wOundng Inn who is DIV
ing lion. pass from this scene of the diving if not
from the dead. Reqt6eScdt IN pace. We cOmmiserate
him. We leave him to die in peace But We COM
mend him to 90 nowhere among his cOuntrymeh to
tear the olive branch from their hands, but go. and
contemplate with dignity and serenity if he can his
past acts and await the verdict of his countrymen
But my friends, it is well that we inquire to
whom shall we be true, There is now no time to
sport upon the precipice when the great power adj
vanclng upou us, is pressing us TO its brink Why
shall we not be true to principle? If my argument
is worth anything what does it lead to? Why that
you take the standard which is inscribed Equal
lty and Protection, and bear it onward There is
but one such standard in Tennessee. | we'll know
how that falls on the of an old Wig. He says
he cannot vote for Democrat What matters it |
when you see the serried ranks of OurcOmmon enc
my pressing upon you, what matters it when you |
hear some gallant leader raising the bugle note ; !
shall you pause and ask from whence that bugla
note comes For myself whenever | hear the sound
and know that It rallies me to right | will |
put myself in motion 10 second it and put myelfs |
IN the way to shield that gallant leader and if |
md that he Is one upon whom l warred in times |