Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-08-17

paFeA qua y uiu not Satisfy tIe feQerai ApoElOn-
ISIS of the Senate, LED on by CoKvS, HAsnI. and
Hale, The latter gentleman said;
He professeat to have no confidence in the Su-
preme Court, as now constituted, and was unwilling
HAT the Court should decide ~ FL
Mr.. HAuIN, the present Black Republican can
didats for the Vice Presidency, lesignatedthe bin
as guaranteeing and perpetuating Slavery in the
Territories" Mr.. CORwN said
You have made the land (Mexieol red with
blood under the pretence thatyou have gone tbther
70 give freedom 20 the captive You have shown as
he had always anticipated, that this was all hypoc-
risy and that you now desireto fsten the iron heel
not only OF peon slavery but of negro slavery upon
them de protested against this course of hypoc-
rlsy and murder and cruelty, transeending in hor-
ror the bloody code Of Draco." 70
Mr.. BELL in the meantime had observed a studied
silence, 50 far as the record shows. What he may
have said in private we can only infer. When the
bill came to be voted he Uoted against It, side by
side with every AboIitionist of the Senate, and
against every man with any claim to nationality of
either party, North South, with the exception Of
two * ~ ~ Il ~ .gr U rE
The bill passed however by Q vote of 81 to 10,
and went to the House, where the united free-soil
vote, with the aid of eight Southern Wings succeed
ed in defeating it, and adopted in its stead bill Sc
curing territorial government simply for Oregon,
dndprOhibted the introduction Of slavery therein When
1t reached the Senate it there amended by adopt
ing the missouri Compromise" and extending it to
the Pacific Ocean. The House subsequently reject
ed the amendment and sent the bill back the SEN
ate in its original form. The question now came
before the Senate upon motion to recede from its
Amendment, and Mr. BELL, true to his old habits,
ceding, doubtless knowing there were enough with
out him. argued lol hose scto lcere for rsceiiag He
said he could not believe with Southern Senator's
that the course of the antslavery Of the North
on this question made up issue (which involves
the dissolution of the Union.r HE knew and felt
the influence of too many sympathies with the North
Until vote of Congress should, on the subject Of
the Southern Territories, actually separate the
Union, he never would believe that such a vote
could be gwen" "He desired to see the Oregon
bill passed, a0ittO this (Mssouri Compromise)
restrictions; and he could not use it as means of
attack on gentlemen Whether he could vote for
it or not was doubtful regarding he did the feel
ings of the friends with whom he was associated
He contrOverted the doctrine THAT had been advan
ced by the opponents of the Wilmot Provisol that
opposed to slavery Congress had no power to egls-
late on the subject. He tkoughahs Missouri COmpro
mise HAD settled that point" (See Cong. Globe, LIST
SEES. 3Oth Cong. page lO74-5)
Congress adjourned in a few weeks and Mr. BELL
returned to Tennessee, and engaged in advocating
the election of Gen. TAYLOR to the Presidency, and
in speech at Murfreesboro' on the 2Ist of Septem
Der, reported in the Nashville Banner, he reviewed
the action that had been had on the Oregon bill
saying: fEFff geHa .s8EsE
He was not willing to defeat that bill by any
direct vote or movement on his part. He therefore
voted against the proposition for postponement He
glad the bill had passed. as he believed its de-
feat would have done mischief at the North. He
did feel called upon to vote for it. though he lods
not clearly certain that Congress had not the pOloer to
dispose Of The lohole subject. The Missouri Compro-
mise. so long acquiesced in went far to settle that
question"
1t will thus be seen, that upon the first grave
question that came up after he entered the Senate
involving important constitutional right dear to
the South and which was being recklessly warred
upon by CORwN, HALE, HAMLIN & Co., and which
National Democrats and Wings, North and South
were endeavoring to compromise upon the plan
Of referring to AID abiding by the decision of
the Supreme Court-a plan which Mr.. CLAY
TON, good HENRY CLAY Wing, said any man
who desired dscord will oppose, but he who
does not desire to distract the country will vote
for this plan we say was uOted against by JOHN
BELL. in company with the AbolitiOnists, against
the combined vote of every national man in the
Senate of both the old parties, except two. And
having aided in defeating this compromise, he then
Joined with them in favoring the passage ola bill for
Oregon, with the Wimot Proviso attached, en-
deavoring to shield himself by simply recording his
vote in the negative, and in favoring an amendment
extending the Missouri restriction but declaring at
the same time, and subsequently, that he thought
the passage ofthe old Missouri Compromise restric
ton had determined the power of Congress to sp-
ply the Wilmot ProviSo excluding the slave property
of the South from the common territory. We APP
peal to honest and patriotic Wing readers to pause
and apply to this conduct of Mr. BELL the truthful
and pointed words of Gen ZoLIcoFFER, to be found
in his speech on the Kansas bill
The open efforts of avowed! aboltionists are inn
potent for harm, because the masses of the Ameri-
can people strongly reprobate them as inimical TO
the Constitution and TO the stability of the Govern
ment bit Joben Southern statesmen lUhOSe patriotic pBr
poses not doubted grdUely declare that beiere
the VinOt ProUiSO IS constitutional the politicians and
people Of the North not SIOJ0 10 adopt this heOrg
and then the only question left with them, is is it
eXpedient to enact the Wilmot ProyIso? Believing
the masses in the North do that slavery is wrong,
regarding ii as obnoxious leading Democrats do,
whom my colleague regards sound and true
statesmen, is it wonderful what demonstrations
have in the North in favor of the WilmOt ProvisO
after the STeHderOf the constitutional question by those
trusted at the SOldhy'
BY the course of Mr.. BELL and his Northern allies
these exciting questions, far the newly
acquired territories were concerned, were still left
open rankle in the public mind, and furnish fuel
for the Presidential canvass into which we were
then entering. Ton CoRwIN with whom he had CO.
operated in the proceedings had ON the Oregon BILL
and who had declared, in that very connection and
in Mr.. BELLS presence that HE would not, if we
conquered the hottest climate on the earth, where
the white man could not work-he would not vote
to establish slavery there, unless it had pre-
vIously existed there returned to Ohio
and joined with Mr.. BELL in the same cause
of eectirg General TAYLOR to the Presidency
The grounds, in part upon which his election was
urged by Mr.. BELL was the grave issue of slavery in
connection with the Territories, declaring at the
same time, in his speech at Murfreesbor-
ough, that What his Gen. TAYLoR's) opinions
were the sui ject of the constitutional power of
Congress over the question of slavery in the new
Territories be knew not did he desire to knoC"
Gen. TAYLOR, by the combined effort of such men
followed Mr.. CORwIN and those who followed Mr.
BELL was elected. These angry questions came
up for adjustment. The country was wild with ex
element, disturbing the public peace and threaten
Ing dissolution of the Union Mad and bad men
at the North adhered to their determination to over
ride the constitutional rights ofthe Ssuth-to break
down the equality ofthe Satesand prohibit slavery
in the territories. Party measurably forgotten,
and good men everywhere were comforting and
deyising means prevent the outrage and preserve
the government from bloody issue Mr.. CLAY was
Gained from his retrcay to participate in the impor
tant deliberations of Congress. 1t was the last
great drama OF his life. He came not as the leader
Of party, but as representative of American pa
riotism. With the partial cooperation of some and
he entire cooperation of others, Wings and Demo-
rats he engaged earnestly in the work before him.
With regard to the Territories of New Mexico and |
Utah. the great principle of noninterventoh" on the
part of Congress- touching the question of slavery
he same asserted in the CLAYTON Compromise of the
previous session. and against which Mr. BELL voted,