Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-11-27
Z sPEECH OF HON. B. n. HILL,
At sIiIIedgevIIIe, Nov. rs.
departed for the soalhsrn RsoOrder.l

While am speaking to you tonight, L
earnestly beg for perfect quietness and order
: IL seems to be gneral idea thar pubHc
speakers feel highly complimented when their
opinions are received with boisterous ap-
plause- do not so feel on any occasion,
and certainly would not SO regaro sIcn
demonstration now. The occasion Is a solemn
81 and serious one, and let US treat 1t IN no
Iioht or trivial manner. One more request
r have Invoked good order. yet more ear
pestIy invoke yonr kind and considerate at
tention. No people ever assembled to deIlb-
crate graver issue. The government is the
result of much tell, much blood, much ankle
ty and much treasure. For nearly century
we have been accustomed TO speak and boast
of it az the best on earth Wrapped up i'll
it are the lives the happiness, the interest
and the peace of thirty millions OF tTeemen
now living, and of unnumbered millions In
the future.
Whether we shall now destroy that Gov
eminent or make another effort to preserve
it and reform its abuses, is the question be
fore US. Is that question not entitled to all
the wisdom, the moderation and the pru-
dence we can command? Were you ever at
sea in a storm2 Then you know the sailor
often finds il necessary, to enable him to
keep his ship above the waves, to throw over
board his freight, even his 'treasure- But
with his chart.and his compass he never parts
However dark the heavens or fur1ons the
winds with these he can still point the polar
star. and find the port of his safety. Would
not that sailor be mad who should throw these
overheard
We are at sea. my friends. The skies are
fearfuIIy darkeBed. The pillows roll threat
eningly Dangers are on every side. Let
rs throw overheard our passions, our preju-
dices and our party feelings, however long
or highly valued. But let us hold on to rea-
son and moderation. These and these alone
point always to the fixed star of truth, by
whose guidance we may yet safely come to
shore.
We must agree. We do agree if we but
knew ii. Our people must be united to meet
this crisis Divisions now would not only be
unfortunate, but exceedingly disastrous. Ii
divisions arise they cannot be based on our
interests or our purposes, for these are and
must be the same Divisions must find their
origin in our suspicious and jealousies- Let
Us give these suspicious and jealousies to the
winds Let US assume as the basis of every
argument that we are all equally honest, and
equally DESTROYS in our various ways, of Sc
curing one end, our equality and rights
There must be one way better than all 9th
ers. Let our ambition be to find that IrGy,
and unite our people in the dyOcacy of that
way. e.-
/ have listened with earnest attention to
the eloquent speeches made by all sides, and
believe a common ground of agreement can
be found if not for universal at least for very
general agreement. Those who hold that
the constitution is wrong, and the Union bad
per sc. Of course will agree TO nothing but
immediate disunion, and such L shall not be
able to affect. .--
In the first place what are our grievances?
All the speakers. thus far, even the most Ill
ira, have admitted that the mere constita-
tional election of any man is no ground for
resistance The mere election of Mr.. Lincoln
4 H. 4sr.I 10 h. 1hasr
ance Our State would not be thrown on
false issue on this point.
We complain in general terms, that the
anti-sIavery sentiment at the North has been
made an element of political power
In proof Of this We make the following
specifications:
1. Thai a large political party has been Or
ganized N the Northern States, the great
common idea of which is to prohibit the ex-
tension of slavery by Congress. and hostility
to slavery generally
2. That this party has succeeded in getting
the control of many of the Northern State
Legislatures. and have procured the passage
of acts multiplying the might've slave law, en-
couraging the rescue of fugitives, and seek
ing to punish as felons citizens of our South
ern States who pursue their slaves in the as
sertiOn of plain constitutional right.
8. That this party has elected Governors
in Northern States who refuse, some openly
and others under frivolous pretext, to do
their plain Constitutional duties, when those
duties involve the recognition of property in
slaves.
4. That Northern Courts chosen by the
same party have assumed to declare the fu-
gitive slave law unconstitutional in the teeth
of the decisions of the United States Courts,
and of every department OF the United States
Government.
s. We-compIain that the N1rther9 States,
thus control, are seeking to Tepudiate every
Constitutional duty, or provision in favor or
in recognition of slavery-to work the eX
tinction of slavery, and to secure to the ne
gro social and political equality with the
white race; and, as far as possible, they dis
regard and nullify even the laws of the
Southern States on this subject. In proof of
this complaint we show that Northern Gov
ernors have actually refused to deliver up
fngityes from justice, when the crime charged
against such fugitiyes recognized under state
Lqtcs property in slaves.
Thus, Northern man married a Southern
lady having a separate estate in slaves, He
deceived the lady, stole her negroes, sold them
and pOcketed the money, and fed to North
ern State. He was charged with larceny I'M
der the laws of the State in which the crime
was committed. A true bill was obtained
and a demand was properly made for his re-
turn, and the Governor of the State to which
he fed refused to deliver him up on the
ground that to commit larceny a man must
steal property, and as slaves were not proper
ty according to the laws of the Northern
State, it could not be property according to
the laws of the Southern State; that therefore
the Southern Court, Jury and Governor were
all wrong in obeying the laws of their own
State, instead of the laws of the Northern
State: that the defendant was not guilty and
could not be guilty, and should not be de-
ivsred up.
The same principle was invoked to shield
several OF the conspirators in the john Brown
raid. -
The memorable logic of this party. on such
premise, must array them against the whole
Constitution of the United States; because
that instrument in its very frame work is a
recognition of property in slaves. It was
made by slaveholding States. Accordingly
we find this party disunion party. And its
leaders-those of them who follow their logic
to its practical Onsequence-disunioRists
per Sc 1 would not quote from the low and
the ignorant of that party, but I viii quote
from the learned and the honored
One of the most learned disciples of this
party says: 's-
s.The Constitution is the cause of every d.
vision which this vexed question of slavery
has ever occasloned-inL this country 1t (the
C0Hstituti0n) has been the fountain and father of
our troubles, by attempting to hold together,
as reconciled two opposing principles, which
will not harmonize nor agree. The only hope
of the slave isSover the ruins Of The soUTnRaenf.
The dissolution of the Union is the abolition Of
sLar1y."
One Of the ablest, aud Oldest, and long
honored Senators of that party--a Senator
even before the existence of the Republican
party-said to the nominating Convention of
that party: Il believe that this is not SO
much q Convention to change the admins
tration Of the Government, as to say sehather
fhe-s shall Be any GOU1Hnle1d 10 be administered.
You have assembled not to say whether this