Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-10-18
Reported fo= .he Journal Of Commerce
he Great Issues Of the Canvass.
SPEECH BY
Hon. VIM. T.. Yancey. Of Ala.

last evening at the Cooper Institute The large /
hall was crowded to its utmost capacity, every
available portion of space being occupied. num- /
Der of ladies were among the audience. The meet
ing was called to order by GUsTAvUS W. SMITH, who /!
nominated Judge JAMES GREEN as president of the
meeting. After three cheers for Mr.. YANCEY 1.-THE
son of the sunny South Mr. YANcEY was then in
troduced. after which he spoke as follows:
FELLOw-CTIZEAs OF Nav YORK CHEERS, cries Of
order and hisses.) / trust that Albanian may
yet speak to the citizens of New York in the Ian
guage of fellowship. | trust that hour has not yet
arrived IN which, when the Alabamian speaks to Els
brothers of the city OF New York brothers That
it will be Subject for jeering aud Kisses We ought
TO be brothers if we not; there ought to be a
brotherhood of citizenship throughout this vast
country that would knit together its social and
business relation in bonds strong that the fanatics
Of the whole world cannot burst them. (Applanse)
l am not unaware, gentlemen OF the delicate posi-
ton which speaker occupies from the South, who,
in this hour of excited political canvass, under
takes to speak here in of the Northern States,
words of truth and justice for his section. But,
believe my counrymen, that truth at all times will
win its way the hearts that swayed by truth,
generosity. and justice. do not disguise from you
Il would not have it otherwlse-that | sneak TO
you here tonight Southern man. l speak to
YOU here tonight for the home that love better
than any other home, for the State that love bet
than any other State for the section that love
better than any 0tner section, my own nome anu
State. And certainly il will not be amiss, these
words in this spirit to a brave people who love
their own homes, and their own States and their
own sections better than they do others, and who,
trust, ought to have what desire tonight to incul
cate in their bosoms-they should have a respect
and loyalty and allegiance to the common law and
bond which binds US together in one Union. feel,
too. the difficulty of addressing popular audience
in this in any other strains than as the ad
yOcate of the election of Breckenridge and Lane,
whgul 4-1an fATaTln my nnu nfrI-
men, events have happened-the wires bringing
us that the great State of Pennsylvania, to
which all good and conservative men had looked for
safety in this canvass has now given away and Is
about to her electoral vote for the sectional
candidate upon a sectional ISSUE all of which senti
ments are with the constitution of the
try Applause, cries-That's SOY therefore feel
ii my duty tonight to try to rise above any party
aspect of these questions Those questions, great
and interesting they always are are sunk into in
significance beside that other question which has
arisen by the hostility TO which they tend to affect
our loyalty TO an endangered Constitution and an
| endangered union under the Constitution. ZAP
plause.) Therefore, passing aside the claims
of men, setting aside these questions of party
policy. and endeavOring to rise to the dignity of
this greater question of the safety of the country
and the Constitution, l address you tonight in
behalf Of that union of good men which was lnaugu-
rated here in the city o. New York, and whose ntu-
ence trust will extend widely over this vast State
until it rolls up a Conservative majority in favor of
the Constitution and the Union. Great applause.)
In speaking my cOuntrymen in behalf of this great
issue, shall necessarily have to deal with the fate
| of my section / shall necessarily have 10 deal
| with her position in this Union past, personal
and prospective. shall have to deal with her Tela
tiOns to the Constitution and the Union and with her
relations and connection with you in this section OF the
country. And it Is another mistake which is made by
men-good men, doubtless indulge in it, butt is
less mistakethatt the South these great issues
that divide the North and South has been aggres
sive South. Far. very far from it. The reading of
history, the teachings of your age, and your
experience with the very issues that rendered
US in this day and hour all it. South asks
| nothing of this government but simply protection
! from wrong (Applause) She claims and she must
have it. and she will have it. tremendous applause
She must have and she will have recognized equal
ity in this Union, she will take it out Of it. Gap
plause.) We desire my cOuntrymen a Union OF the
COnstitution-that and no other. (Applause.) Con-
vince us. if possible, it might be done, and am
| very far from thinking it cOnnot be done-that we
can be prosperous people outside OF the Union
of the Constitution, and the Southern men Will re-
ject it. She is loyal to her compact which her IA
theirs made with your fathers and that compact she
to defend against all corners, whether IN the
| majority or in the minority great applause) She
claims only equality in the Union not asking in this
government single act that will encrOach on any
rights that you have At all times, now, she has
in the past and IL is part of glory 10 refer to It.
to defend your rights when assaulted whether from
I
in tins canvass in times pastor all issues respect
ing her institution OF slavery defensive position
Never has she been aggressive and defy the astut
est of her declaImers-Of those who attack her TO
point historical act that she has passed that
is aggressive up the rights OF this favored section
(Applause.) 1t is a quite common way TO say that
| the South aggressive in repeating the missouri
compromise. 1t my lot TO be IN pubic councils
when that compromise proposed three dlttert nj
| times by Southern men 20 be applied 10 Territories
! that were acquired. Three different times know
that the compromise measure was proposed by South
ern men. Can inter- upton. and cries OF tut HIM
| out" Let him alone gentlemen. want Inn 10 hear
| some truth. daughter ana applause) Three dIt-
ferent times did Southern propose this compro
mise. and three ditfereut times did Northern men
! it down. And after left. up to the final ad
| mission Of Oregon in 1913. this compromise
proposed again and agan.and again and again it
| rejected by the House and by the Northern men,
| They claimed the Nilmot proyiso to be law apP-
| cable to the Territories; they claimed that they
| should have all. The South while recognizing the
injustice that had been done under the Missouri
| compromise accepted a measure by which the
! South willing to stand and TO adhere 10 what
| appeared to be the settled policy OF the country
And the Convention that supposed to be OF ultra
/ men, the Nashville Convention, proposed again the
! Missouri compromise a measure by which the
! South would stand. But when she found that this
| compromise repeatedly proposed by her. was re-
JeCted by those who had the control of the legisia
ture and the government then the South threw her
sell Ter position III Ills COVE
ment, and the north would not accept OF tins COM
| promise so repeatedly proposed, then they would
throw Themselves back upon the principles OF the
Convention which made them equal in the Terrific
RES and admits an equal share in the Territories
| and we never demanded more. ltdOes not stand IN
| the mouth OF men who propose to take all the
| Territories and to exclude the owners of four
millions of slaves from settling in the Territories 1t
does not lie in their mouth at any time to say that
the South is aggressive. when they take from the
tho O+ fDrrn Glp Stat
| out of the vast and magnificent domain of COM
mon country. (Applause.) Now, my friends, we
/ stand not on comprehensive stand on something
! higher than comprOmise-sOmethIng more sacred
! than a commemorative stand on the constitutional
compact that our fathers made with your fathers,
| and we take that compromise interpreted by
fathers, and interpreted by the Supreme Court of
the United States and the South takes her position
there. and from that position she shall not be driven
as long there is a UnCn worth preserving over
| her (Applause) What is that constitutional pro-
vision? 1t is this. We the owners of four
miiliOns of slaves. How did we get them? We
have inherited them from the Of the revolution
who fought the battes of the revolution who wrote
the Declaration Of independence and maintained it
by blood and the sacrifice of life and the exhibition
OfcOurage and patriotism We have received Il IS al
inheritance from those who under the Declaration of
Independence wrote the Constitution of the United
States and within that Constitution provided for the
increase for the safety, and for the protection of
slaves as property. l know II is announced from
high quarters, and announced, too, a higher law
than that which common people can understand
that there is irrepressibe conflict naugurated in
the Constitution of our country. and it must go
on until all this people free and the institutions
OF the Northern States destroyed. Gentlemen, there
is an irrcpressibie conflict between that statesman
and his assertion and policy and the teachings and
writings of our fathers, Of the compact they have
left us In that irrepressible conflict good men,
who love the Constitution, who love the Nor made
by the Constitution, and desire to exercise good
faith to their neighbOrs at the NOrth-al good men
in shat irrcpressible conflict must stand by the side
Of the Constitution be recreRnt to their constltu
tional loyalty and fealty Now, then what did that
Constitution do for us? Our fathers were only
slave owners, but they bought slaves in Africa and
imported them to this country. When the Ccnstltu
titution framed Virginia desired get rid of
that slave trade but Massachusetts. with some other
States, desired that it should he carried on. augh
ter and appause) Despite Massachusetts and those
other States, gentlemen succeeded in grating
the Constitution a provision that the slave trade |
should not be prohibited by act of Congress, |
neither should it be prohibited by amendment Of
the Constitution before the year 1908. Under the
Constitution all other clauses but the slave tPaGe
clause and one other could be amended If the PEG |
nile desired TO do it. But the friends of the slave
trade were so strenuous in favor Of the trade that
there is provision in the Constitution that although
other articles may be amended. vet the article |
which protected the slave trade until the year lSOo