Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-09-16


Constitutional equal, honorable Union to help alb
stract defamers Of our interest-our hcnor-our
rei giOn. and aggressive ntruders upon our Consti
tutionaI rights? What if they do swear they are
conservative and for the Union, and will make us
abide itl Words are cheap, when opposed by acts
What il some of us are charged with being dsuniOn
isss and what If this Is just dennneiatiOn when
others are abiding the compact and we have Con =
stitutonal UniOnl When the awful arbItrament
Of arms comes Gene il must, in my opinion,
these men will be the Palmetto Regiment in gal
aRtry. and of whom it may well now be said that,
If wrong ut all, theirs is an excess Of religion
Who can cuff and kick them because they are will
ling to die to defend their own South: have not
the heart to do it
Two other tickets--DougIas and Johnson, and
Breckenridge and Lane, are presented in Tennessee
Both these tickets process to be Democratic and to
have been presented by Democratic Conventions,
and each has its platform
Of platforms it may be enough to say, that no.
body now cares anything Tor them. except the
adroitnesa with which the same words can be made
10 convey conflicting ideas no one intends to be
| controlled himself by them. Of Democratic Con-
| senuons would dispose q summaF1ly oy saying,
mat they represent but the idea Of how to get
power and keep it. There is but one party now
Hhcse name has any significance and thet IS the
/ plseA hepG0hean. The exact objection which has
Deen made, since 154S atleast 20 the Democracy is
| that i was Squatter Sovereign North and opposed
" !. SOuen. democracy then said this was not es-
seminal as It wss judicial question, and when de-
clIeo ~ me court all would adopt and abide the
rule made Soy the judiciary This difference. now
| acknowledged, to be vital qiy.s the two nomina-
| uons ana both claim to be national.
T. nave ever regarded Squatter Sovereignty as the
.snors CUT 70 Black Republicanism,s and intensified
as that question now is il seems to me at this time
to be blazed high road to aeknovie5cpd self and
seeuonsl injustice and degradation: and thus may
tins ticket men, and supporters be disposed Of
The remaining ticket IS that of Breckenridge and
Lane' VINO are nominated and supported BY men
/ DFInclDdtiV from the NTH ill.
the Constitutional rights Of all the States "a eoual
That this ticket is nominated BY men ealing them
selves Democrats, and accompanied with a plat
form o. principles differing from the views enter
tain to many questions Of expediency ,nDarts 10
it no objection, when its announcements on the vi
tai issue Of the day are open, manly, exuEcit-in
accordance with Southern feeling honor and rights
obviates the precise objection heretofore made TO
| Democracy, and likewise presents to me-men-
Breckenridge and Lane. both personally known-the
latter intimaely-whose records and public history
are, on the controlling issue above reproaeh and
whose patriotism-wel tried in civil hfe fully at
tested On the tented field and amid the battles storm
has never been even suspected by single citizen.
Many of the considerations now controlling me
but not many so strong then as now, induced
me in 1885, to refuse to go into consultation wit;
| the opponents of Democracy, in the election VI
Speaker for the 34th House, and finally when oblg
| ed to vote as between Black Republicans and De-
moc-acy, voted for the Democratic candidate.
These are the views honestly entertain do not
! know that any other man accords with them fully,
nor do stop to inquire. to consider. II has
given me pam to find myself separated now from
the large majority of those with whom have here
tofere acted, and that my opinions led me to the
separation has induced me most anxiously to inVes
tigate and inquire if could properly surrender my
/ views and cooperate still with them, but when con
WINGED that my sense of duty led me into different
paths from them, cease 10 care for details or "a
think of coincidence of reasoning with others.
may be wrong, but if so it is honest error, not en-
f,frr
seek no pOsiti0n-desire political distinction.
am content with what have enjoyed of place, ant
cheerfully yield to those who have taste for public
employment, that they may be gratifed and serve
the country to its advantage and their aggrandise
ment Respectfully,
W H. SNEED.