Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-08-07
From the LOUISVILLE JouTnsI-
The Union, The Constitution,
and The Laws.
SPEECH OF THE
HON. J0HNJ. CRITTEND DEN,
AZ Mozart Hail.
on THE EVENING OF AUGUST %, 1sG

on THE EVENING OF AUGUST %, 1860.
Mr.. Crittenden said: 1t is thought, ladies
and gentlemen, and / hope it may be so, that
without the formality of an Introduction
NAV venture TO address myself to you as one
who is not altogether unknown in this city
II is by an urgent rPquest, fellow citizens
that / obirude myself on your attention on
this occasion. l do not seek opportunities
of fpeaking--it has become rather irksome,
and although compelled to observe the course
of politics and take an interest ia them, it is
a subj CT on which l have long since been
fully satisfied. / am no orator, nor have |
any pretentions to advise you, but l have no
opinions tha. care to conceal, and when il
is the wish ard pleasure of my cOuntrymen
10 hear me q. any subject OF public concern,
| feel some Gifficulty in refusing compliance.
Ii is in obedience TO such request that
COW appear before you for the purpose Of
addressing you on subject with which,
am sure yo1 are already quite familiar.
The political occurrences OF our time have
been of character to strike so deeply into
the public miud that there is scarce one 80
unobservsnt as not to be familiar with them.
/ fear that 1 can say nothing calculated
either to interest or TO instruct you.
Fellos-citizens: great questions are now
pending and great events depend upon their
issue. A Presidential election always in
wolves 10 no uncomfortable extent, the pub
lie welfare and the progress of the Govern
ment, and the Importance of the struggle in
cresses in proportion TO the character of the
times. and the character of the questions de-
pending before the people at the moment
Perhaps there has been no time past when
questions Of more critical Character were
depending than those which are now before
the people. You have before you variety
OF candidates unknown on any former occa-
son. and these are TO some extent. brought
before you by the variety and interest of the
questions involved / have it partieuIarIv
at heart to make known to you the princi.
piles of this new party which has recentIv
sprung into existence, and which has placed
before you its candidates for your Judgment
and election-I mean, of course, the Consti-
tutional Union Party, and their candidates,
Bell aud Everett. (Cheers.)
Fellow-citizens. il was a high public neces-
sty. q great exigency in public affairs, that
forced this party into existence. What, last
winter, was the state of our county? Two
great parties seemed TO occupy the whole
country. There Was no other of sufficient
importance to attract the least public atten-
tion. Those parties were sweeping on la
fierce contention that involved every public
interest on one side or the other. What was
the character Of the question, what was the
subject about which those great parties were
marsoatIsng tAeif nosis anu preparing TOT
great encounter in the approaching Presiden-
ifial election. One OF those parties was The
Democratic, and the other the Republican
party. The question debated before them
was that most exciting OF all question-tbe
question of slavery. This was conducted
between them not with the temperance that
marks the discussion and settlement of or
binary political questions, but with the fierce
ness OF enemies; and the question involved
not merely the fate of parties, bat the fate
Of the co1ntry-UHion and Disunion were in
volved In the question. What good could
possibly come Of such . contest There was
danger enough In It, but no good to the