Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-12-25

stitutfon ARD laws. Ihe laws operate 20 pre-
We Mt the stealing and the runEsug away, and
many, very many, are retnrnes under the
laws. Secede. and you destroy ese consti-
tutional and statutory laws. Mo- aore slaves
are returned. aud the result is you ose good
deal and gain nothing. The slaves are able
to make their escape into free States, because
of our geographical union, and their escape
may sometimes be promoted by.our union of
common intercourse. These are the unions
you must dissolve. if you would effectuaily
stop these things, by tearing down instead of
BUILDING up. Our constitutional union is a
check, and intended to be an effectual bar to
this evil. Such union. therefore, we mani
testify ought to strengthen and uphold With
all our might. There is an s.inexorable To-
gicu in this. But southern fanatics or de-
signing men tell us, because northern fanat-
les or bad men are enabled for time, and to
limited extent, to override the barriers es-
tablished by the constitution, therefore we
should break down those barriers altogether.
There is no logic in that; but it is rather .
most ''lame and impotent conclusion" Isay,
for time, and to limited extent, only, do
these violations prevail. I may have good
deal to say on this point hereafter, but not
now.
Before our present Constitution was adopt
ed, and thereby our existing political Union
established, our nation, though its component
parts were held together loosely by the bands
of less perfect union, made little progress.
Its great territory its rivers, lakes, seas, fer
tile plains, and rich mountains, were there,
but no prosperity. The reasons were appa-
rent to those wise men who were not then. as
wise men are now, consigned by foolish
people to obscurity. We needed govern
ment able to ensure domestic tranquility,
establish justice, provide for the common de
fence, and promote the general welfare" OF
the nation. We had no such government,
and withou. it could not prosper. Such
government was devised by our fathers and
ordained by the people-our present Consti-
tution-and under it we have prospered as
nation, as no nation ever prospered before.
This was the experiment, and this is our ex-
perience Even fools may learn in the school
of experience. Shall the folly of the fools
rebuke the wisdom of this generation?
Dissolve the Union-that is, destroy the
Constitution-and we are left without its be-
nefcent provisions. We must make new ar
raagements to establish justice, to insure do
nestle tranquility,-other provisions df any
for the common defence, and to promote the
general welfare. This must be done by es-
tablishing another union, erecting another
confederation, or by entering into treaty
stipulations with each other as Independent
nations. We will all be here still, as close
together as ever. We shall not escape North
ern influence, if that is what troubles US, by
releasing the Northern States from the obli-
cations of the compact into which their
fathers entered with our fathers. We shall
hardly be able to effect better arrangement;
and the stipulations of another compact may
not be better observed than those of the pre-
sent.
I will admit one contingency in which /
should be prepared to destroy the Constitu-
ton. Whenever the Constitution itself shall
bring upon US oppression-whenever the OBJ
servance of its provisions shall destroy do
nestle ranquility-whenever it shall over
throw justice, and no longer promote the
general welfare,-when the Constitution it
self shall work for us these evils, or its pro-
visions sustain them,-then Ishall be against
it. But has the Constitution so worked?
This subject l must reserve for another
letter. Respectfully, J. l..
Nashville, Dec, 1860.