Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-10-28
EECH OF
HON. WIN L. YANCEY,
or ALABAMA,
From the Eastern Front of the Capitol,
OCTOBER 2eth. 1860.

about one hundred yards from the Eastern poFtico
and fronting it. The portico and upper terrace were
occupied mostly by ladies. At length Mr. IANCEY
arrived on the ground escorted by the Breckenridge
Rangers Lane Guards and Union Guards, and as
cended the stand HIS arrival was the signal for
scene of tumut that it is difficult 70 describe. RAN
DALI W. McGAvocK, Esq, in a few appropriate re-
marks, introduced the distinguished stranger when
he commenced his address. We do not propose to
give literal report of his eloquent and powerful
speech. He spoke substantially as follows)
FETLow-C CITIZENS In accepting an invitation to
address YOU tonight, had idea of interfering
with the appointment of the distinguished gentle
man Judge Douglas) whom you have heard to-day.
Several times previously during the canvass, have
been invited 10 visit Nashville 1t impossible TO
do so because of other engagements, but promised
that would accept the invitation, and speak here
some time during the canvass. When | teegraphed
that would pass through on Friday, knew of no
conflict with the arrangements of other gentlemen,
and am gratifed that there has been none. IL is
necessary that should get the patient and respect
full attention Of the audience, that l may proceed,
but if there IS any determination to break NJ the
meeting now take my seat The speaker here
sat down. the noise and confusion being so great
that it was impossible to hear him..
[Order being at length restored, and Mr.. YANcEY,
at the request of some enthusiastic persons being
mounted still higher on a table, he was enabled to
proceed
With my strained voice l cannot speak against
this severe wind | can only be heard by the ut
most silence on the part of this vast crowd Gen
temen, have travelled during this canvass, from
the waters of the Gulf TO the lakes, and from the
Mississippi TO the Atlantic coast, and what is the
great issue that have everywhere met? (cheers)
beg that there will be no applause. do not want
cheer from my friends but earnestly ask an atten-
tive and patient hearing to argument and reason L
have come here to denounce no man or class of men,
| l have not come TO impugn any mans motives. l
will even pass by IN silence the mpungment OF my
own motives, and the fierce and malignant assaults
that have been made upon myself l wish tonight
to address the calm and unpreudced reason OF those
who hear me.
What great issue is alone thought of and discussed
| from Maine to Texas? The old party issues, the
the tariff, the bank, internal improvements, dstrbu-
| ton are no longer heard Of-and there Is but one
question agitated North and South, from the golden
| strand of California to the rock-bound ceast of
Maine. How vain II Is to say that one man has made
this great issue! The people acknowledge its dig
nifty and Importance by giving up their whole
! thoughts to it. How do we find this great issue
presented by the Constitution Of Ourfathers. In that
Constitution find the two great ideas, LIST. That
! this government was made for the white man, by
white men. and that his is of supremacy over
| the black man, and possessing equal rights and
privileges with all the other white men lnhabltlng
the cOnfederacy. The Constitution presents rnother
! idea. There is another race here-the black race
and the government was founded upon the
ideas of its inferiOrity and inequality. Our faith
ers found tile two races here. They recog-
nized the relation Of slavery. and provided that the
! importation OF slaves from Africa should not %
| hindered until the year 1905 They provided for
its protection, by guaranteeing in the Constitution
that there should be fugitive slave law for the re-
clamaton of tugitives and by giving representa-
ton in Congress of slave property in the proportion
| Of three-ffths In consequence Of this provision,
the South has IN Congress twenty TO thirty Repre-
sentatyes, by virtue OF its slave population do not
accurately abe number. The rights OF the slave
holder. YOU Will thus see, are recognized by the
| Constitution. He claims superiority under it,
bat only claims equal protection from the Govern
ment This being the view, then it follows that
! shareholders of the South have as many rights
Observation-Disclosures of the North and that these rights
! are cOextensive with the jurisdiction Of the Gov
eminent But their rights asSailed. lst, by the
| Black Republicans, who assert that Congress has
the right and it is its duty exclude the STAKEHOLDER
/ from the common territory and who demand that
no more slave States shall be admitted into the I'm
or But there is another party, whose distinguish
ed candidate spoke in your city to-day, which adj
mits that Congress cannot assail your institution,
but contends for the power of the Territorial Legs-
ture the creature Of Congress- to 90 what Congress
cannot effect. This party differ from the Black Re-
pubicans by denying the power of Congress, and
affirming that majority Of the inhabitants Of Ter
ritOTy asSaH your rights by excluding your
property. They both asSail you, but by different
means. They both claim the right to destroy your
equality in the Union. but by different mode OF
action. But there Is yet another the National Dem
Ocratic party which fully recognizes the equality
the Shareholder the equality of the States and equal
lily CT rights under the Constitution. And denies
that this equality can be in any manner violated
except by violation Of the Constitution And yet
another, party that Of which Bell and Everett are
the candidates. says nothing but asks the people to
give them all the offices in the country.
Now, my friends, / do not propose to discuss the
correctness OF the BlaCkBepubhcan creed here where
it has followers. propose TO take up and sCru-
t1niZe the arguments advanced by my distinguished
friend Judge Douglas here tO-day-thaC he Is the
regular candidate of the Democratic party, and We
are boilers and secessOnists-that he Is the friend
of the Union and are its enemies propose TO
examine these positions by the light Of reason and
argument. Powerful and distinguished Is that gen
teman Is. and humble as | am do not fear to enter
the lists with him and break lance on these qUcs-
tons He maintains the inherent right Of the peo-
pie OF the Territories TO exclude your property,
maintaining that It is the same right which existed
IN the colonies under the King OF Great Britain. lie
tells the people of Tennessee that they are not Cnt-
tied to be projected IN their rights TO their slaves IN
the common Territories. propose 10 investigate
this arrogant claim and to ascertain if he Is sus-
tanned in this position by the opinions and
acts of tathcrs--thUsc who founded the
Government, who formed the Constitution, OF
were CotpmDOrane0us with il, by those who
first set the Government IN motion. They
knew better than Judge Douglas what rights were
intended to be secured by that sacred instrument
and appeal to them TO show whether his assertion
is well founded.
IhaTe here the act of 1871, organizing the North
west Territory to be found in the United States
statutes at large. will rot undertake to read on
account Of the inconvenience of my situation and
the dimncss of the light but will state that you
may Judge whether this act passed by our fathers,
(Thos jefferson and Jas Monroe being two of the del
egates from Virginia and partiestO that acD whether
the act and its trainers acknowledged the inherent
sovereignty of the people when they go INTO the Terri
tories. The power Of supremacy indicates the power
to choose their rulers. Judge Douglas is in the habit
of illustrating by asking if citizen OF state loses
his capacity to govern and his right to choose his
institutions for himself by going into Territory.
In Virginia he said you are sovereign here, how do
you loose your sovereignty in going into territory
Now follow the Nirginlan Of l1SI into the North
west Territory Before he went there he had
right as 4 citizen of a State to aid in choosing his
Governor and his Representatives. lie emgrateu
10 the Ohio Territory Could he elect his governor,
his judge. his legislative councillors! No. by the
Ordinance of 1887. Congress appointed all these
officers and the inhabitants OF the Territory had no
thing to do in selecting them. Therefore the Nir-
gilman lost the power to choose his rulers under
this act which was formed by the hands Of our
fathers. Had the Nirginiau the right to regulate
slavery in the Territory which is another one OF the
inherent rights of sovereignty claimed by Judge
Douglas? What said that act 1t said they could,
nCs have slavery and this right was denied them
by its express terms thus destroying the IN
herent right of sovereignty So much for the act Of
I7S7. Now. my friends. Thomas jefferson is ac
knowedgcd to be of the greatest Of the sages Of
the revolution md one OF the founders Of Gov
ernment
lie is the acknowledged founder Of the National
Democratic party. When you compare his acts
and opiuions, as shown by this ordinance, with
the opinions Of the Democratic party to-day, which
denies the doctrine Of inherent sovereignty, advanc
ed bv Douglas you find that they accord perfectly.
Douglas doctrines do nOtaccOrd with these acts !,
therefore. in the name of Thomas Jefferson. himself
pronounce Judge Douglas no longer Jeitersonian
Democrat. This ordinance was passed, rs ] rave
said when the founders of the Government were IN
Congress and wish TO compare their acts with the
opinions of Douglas that We Judge whether ne
adopts their Interpretation OF the Cons utuuon.
have come here 10 cOnferc with the people IN an
hour of great and imminent danger TO our country,
and wish TO reason with you dispassionstely and
calmly. We viii now come down 10 the year iSO4
to the time when the louisiana Territory was &C
CURED and organized into a Territory. BY the act
of organization the Legislative council and the Gov
ernor were appointed by the President. BY the 4th
section we find that it made the duty of the
Governor to report all laws passed by the Council
to the President OF the United States to be laid be-
fore Congress and approved by it, and IT disapprov-