Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-10-27
Judge Douglas in Nashville.

Judge DOUGLAS arrived in our city yesterday
morning at s O'Clock. Previous to the arrival of
the tram his friends very commercially went to the
depot with music and banners to escort him to his
quarters, at the St. Cloud. The crowd was respect
able in numbers. Arriving at the hotel, he made
his appearance the baIustraGc in the second story
bowed his thanks and retired to his room for rest.
At III he made his appearance on the stand pre-
pared for him, in the Court House square, when a
crowd of several thousand gentlemen and ladies'
awaited to see and hear him.
We shall not endeavor to give minute report of
Judge DOUGLAS speech. His constant object seem
to be to impress the crowd with the belief that the
friends of BRECKENRIDGE and LANE desire to force
slavery upon those who do not want it. As amatter
of course, one knows better that Mr. DOUGLAS that
he has not the slightest ground upon which base
his charge. He knows that in the letters Of accept
ance Of BRECKENRIDGE and LANE and in the plat
form upon which they stand, there 5 not sentence
that can be tortured into the expression Of wish
to force slavery upon any people. lie knows that
the doctrine of the BRECEINEIDGE and LANE party is
opposition to Territorial Intervention to destroy the
rights of the Southern opponent of negro equality
He knows that the doctrine of that party is prOtec
ton against intervention by the Legislature Of
Territory, or any portion Of the people of Terri
tory until the people meet in Convention to form
State Constitution. VIII Judge DoUGIAs, or any
member of his party, hold that State Legislature
can abolish slavery If 4 State Legislature can
NC do it. certainly a Territorial Legislature
cannot That requires an exercise of sovereignty
by the people when they meet in Convention to
form or alter their Constitution. He insist
that the title to slave property is dependent
solely upon local law. This is the doctrine Of the
Black Republicans. If it be true no man has a
right to take his slave into territory and hold him
as such until the local law has given him tire right
to DO so. He says nOn-acton is exclusion. Hence
a slGvehoder is excluded from the Territory until
the Black Republicans 20 in and pass laws protect
ing the STAKEHOLDER in his property when he subse-
qucntly comes into the territory. Such 4 doctrine
is simply monstrous and would forever exclude
Southern men with their property from every foot
Of our common territory. Such doctrine makes
Of all our territory donation forever to Black Re
pubicanism. lie says his doctrine leaves the terri
tories free to have slavery, if they want it, and to
get rid Of it when they get tired Of it. But if he
holds the title to slavery is dependant upon local
law there can never be any slavery in territory 10
get rid of until some has gone before and made
laws to hold slaves as property.
Mr.. NANcEY said that the southern BEEcRINEIDGE
men denounced the Cincinnati Platform as sacri-
fee of the rights Of the South In this he is again
wide Of the mark Tie Southern Democracy in
IS5G ana the BEFckINRIDGE portion of the Democra-
cy now denouuce his Squatter Sovereignty construc
tion OF the Cincinnati Platform as sacrifice Of
Southern rights. BREChNRTpGE and LANE stands
upon the Cincinnati Platform hut they reject his
construction of it. The FILLMORE men Of the South
in l>5G charged that there Squatter Sovereignty
IN that Platform. The Democracy Of the South
denied it, then. and they deny il now. The man
who drew that platform denounccs Judge DOUGLAS
construction as totally unwarrauted. Judge DoUG-
LAS declared that the LINCOLN men and BEECINRnGE
men were factions Of the same party. Such an
assertion coming from a Presidential aspirant
viii be received by fair minded men Of all
parties with merilcd contempt But why does
Judge DOUGLAS make the assertion Because
thc BEECEINEnGE men hold that is the duty of the
Federal Government to protect when necessary. all
kinds Of property, wherever its authority extends
and the Black Republicans hold that it is the ,luty If
the Federal Government to destroy slave property.
wherever It's authority extends Taking these an
tagonstic positions they are. according to the reck-
less assertion Of Judge DoyGIAS. factions of the
same party. If the Federal Government was not
formed for the protection OF property, what was il
formed for. Why do we have Government if il
Is not to afouI us protection when necessary.
These were the positions taken by Judge Douglas
on general positions.
There are other portions of his speech which VIC
shall refer to on another occasion.