Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-07-13
Democratic Meeting in indiana.

Extract from a speech made by Judge EcKLEs at
Bainbri1ge, Indiana, on the 9TH instant:
John c. Breckenridge has been Vice President of
the United States and he has been sitting there in
the United States Senate President of that body.
No Douglas man, no Seward man, no Bell man. no
Lincoln man. has complained that BreckIn-
ridge did him any injustice. There he sat- and so
faithful has he been that no man has aught to say
against him. That is the sort of man upon whom
we can compromise. Was it worth while splitting
the old Democratic party for the sake of getting rid
of John C. Breckenridge? 1 think not myself He
is grandson of one of the old Democrats that pen
ned the Kentucky resolutions.
These fellows talk about this disuniOn party of
ours. All my friends, if | wanted disunion party,
the very last place to which should go to find it is
in Kentucky. If want to ind disunionists, l will
not look for Kentuckians. Wheu has this Union had
battle upon the field of which Kentucky blood did
not run rich? Kentucky has always been the first
State in the Union to defend and maintain invioate
the Constitution and to succor and assist her sister
States when in need or danger. She has always ig
nored the fact of the existence non-existence of
slavery when the safety of State or the perma-
nency of a constitutional principle was at stake.
The enemy of Massachusetts, State of, the Fed
eral Union, is to-day the enemy of Kentucky. Take
a look at the Mexican
Read the history of that sad event, and learn how
Kentuckys sons fell bravely into the ranks and took
prominent part in the contest Aye, my friends, and
foremost in the Kentucky ranks came Breckenridge
State? am afraid some of my Douglas Democratic
friends will permit their Democracy to become so
soft that it will not pass current in Kentucky 1t
has become soft and sushy that it looks very
much like a counterfeit article. | tell you, my
friends 1t looks suspicious.
want to talk about 10. Lane. He is ansther
disuniOnist, suppOse-is he? The Douglas men
say 20, anyhow, and you know they are posted, and
dllodyS tell the truth But is there, a man here who
does not know the history of 10. Lane? He came
to your soil, my friends, among the first who
emgrated here. He was but boy, in fact, when
he first visited the State of Indiana. He was for
long time, employed in choppng wood, and believe
he has done more at this kind of work than ever
Abe Lincoln did at ralsplitting He worked very
hard. lie was a very industrious young man.
When he not employed at housekeeping he
amused himself catching horse-thieves, for great
many of those fellow existed in those days. He made
a little money by this means.
a VOlce-Tell that wood story, Judge.
Judge Eckles-Oh yes, you want to hear about
that wood story, do you? Well, I'll tell you It's
good story, too:
was coming up the river in the steamboat Gin
cinnati, good many years ago. and we stopped
short distance below large town to get some wood.
The captain told the hands to take enough to last
to Three Sisters because there he intended to get
good supply. went to the captain and said
What's the use in stopping so often? Why don't
you take enough now to last you the whole trip"
Why" said the captain, 4" because we get honest
cords-gOod measure all the time-up there"
Who keeps the yardw said |.
10. Lane keeps that yard He keeps the best
wood, and gives the best measure of any man L
know o." replied the captain.
That's the wood story. You see, Jo never was
known to cheat.
But the old man is a disunionst, is he tell you
all my friends, Republicans, and Douglas and Brock
inridge, and every other kind of men, that If you
had been at Mexico in that fight we had there, you
would not say that 10 Lane was disunionist. At
least he didn't act like man who didn't love his
country and no disunionist loves his country. The
old man went through that campaign, and proud
er spectacle the human eye never gazed upon than
that caused by some of his deeds there.
Look at the part he took at Buena Vista He
fought four five desperate battles in Mexico and
when in the field was alwsys in the front rank. He
never feared exposure to the enemy. At the end of
one of the battles, when he had been wounded, and
was almost exhausted from loss of blood, and his
horse almost killed, too, some of his friends
carried him littledIstance to render him assistance
He soon partially recovered and his first words
were: "Where is my horse?" lie was told that the
animal was still living, and he pulled out dollar
and said TO one of his men, "Here, take that. Go
and shoot the poor fellow. Don't let those chaps
have it to say that they killed an Indiana horse"
Is that the sort of man you afraid of? He was
the only man that could pacify the Indians He went
among them when all was strife and dscord and
left them IN the enjoyment of perfect peace Is
that what makes disunionist?
But must hasten to conclude. l ask you all as
Democrats, and men-as men Of prnciple-tO
put the question seriously to yourselves and mark
out where you going to stand in this fght-for
fight It is. and there is no backing down either Are
you gong to dodge? Are you going to be found
among the artful dodgers? Do you want to renew
the scenes that transpired in Kansas? l want to
ask my Republican friends how much difference
there is between Lincoln and Douglas? Just sift
this Territorial question and compare notes, you
Black Republicans and you Squatter Sovereignty
men, and wouldn't give much for the difference
between you, can assure you. The Republicans say
Congress has a right to exclude slavery from the
Territories. and the Douglas men say that the Ter
ritOrial Legislature has that right. There is the