Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-08-18
moved resolution in lieu Of Mr.. LAnB's As follows

bill reported 70 the Senate Of the United States BY
the Committee on Territories, for the organizations
and government Of the Territories Of Kansas and
Nebraska. That We believe the principle involved
in said amendmentthat is the extension of the prin
cipes Of the compromise of 1850 to those terrific
ries-just and equitable in ITSELF and tlat tits in
conformity with the Federal Constitution, with the
treaty by which those territories were acanred and
with the compromise of 1882
This resolution, introduced by Wing member of
the House was voted for by every Wing in that
body. Both parties eoncurred in Tennessee as to
the wisdom and justice of the measure.
The amendment offered by Mr.. Dixon of XIV. came
up in the Senate and WAS VOTED FOR BY MR..
BELL, in connection with all other national men of
both parties. 1t was the first time for many years,
that, upon any material question involving the
rights OF the South he had failed to take ground
against the South and with his old Federal allies at
the North 1t was understood that the entire body
of Wing Senators from the South would support
the bill as thus amended. TIE National IsteEioencer
their organ at Washington was taking the contrary
course, and fearing that it might create false i'm
preston with the country as to the position of the
Wing party in the Senate caucus Of the Wing SEN
ators was held, and
"ResoUed, That we disapprove of the course of the
National IBtelkgencer upon the Nebraska bill and
that. in our opinion, it does not truly represent
the Wing party o. the South,
The Hon JOIN BELL was one of the p,embers of
tits caucus meeting. That resolution" says the
chairman of the meeting, Mr. TooMBs in a speech in
the Senate I" was adopted without dispute. Ibid not
hear the Senator, Mr.. BELLS, voice against it,"
Just before the meeting adjourned says Mr. TOoNBs,
Mr. CLAYTON and Mr.. BADGER, in their speeches in
the Senate, " 1t was suggested that it would be
several weeks before all of would have Oppor-
tunty Of speaking on the bill, authoritative an
nunciation of our position upon it in the Senate
would promote the objects of the meeting. This oaS
agreed TO Ioitbo,d dispute, whereupon the Senator
from North Carolina requested to state in sub
stance, that the Southern Wings ,oae a unit IN favor
| ofhebM The Senator from North Carolina, Mr..
BADGER having the floor next day, made the an
| nouncement accordingly. The statement went forth
10 the country The Senator from Tennessee" con-
tinued Mr.. TooBs, present ,ohen It uoas made,
but he did not utter publicly one word in OPPOSE
ton and never heard that the statement of the
Senator from North Carolina did not truly repre-
sent the position of the Senator from Tennessee u-
til heard of his vote against the bill when it pass
ed that body" Mr.. BELL denying that any such in
strucons had been given Sin his hearing" pretend
ed to be very much ENGAGED, and pronounced the
statement " false" To which Mr.. TooMBs replied
The Senator is very careful to deny what is not
| asserted and is especially careful not TO deny the
facts as hare laid them dolcn He may find pleasure
in his present exigency, in his of doing
it." Mr.. TOONBs continued by saying that the DIXON
amendment to the BILL repeating the Missouri Com
promise, is the great question of controversy in
the bill-the sole cause of that great excitement
which to have deferred the Senator from its
support" That amendment, as the Senator well
knows put there to stand the true friends of the
bill in both Houses of Congress have stood by it till
this day and doubt not will stand by it to the end
did not suppose needed any other guarantee for
the Senator's approval and support of the bil-that
he approved and would support it"
Senator CLAYTON, one of the purest men who ever
occupied seat in the Senate, said The Southern
Wings lin that meeting) were unanimous in favor
of the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. They
had consulted with each other, not in caucus
but we understood from private conversation with
each other, that we all thought the Missouri Com
promise line ought to be repealed Mr. CLAYTON
further sad he understood Mr.. BELL himself to take
tina: ground in his speech. Mr.. BADGER said in the
Senate Il certainly thought l was requested by
the meeting of Wing Senators, then and there pre-
sent, of whom my friend from Tennessee was one
not only authorised but TegueSed-in order 10 antici-
pate the delay which must take place before they
could either vote or speak the subject that what
ever course of reasoning we might adopt in bring
ing us to the conclusion IN support of the BILL ,ue
'0ere all united" Every other gentleman who spoke
confirmed these gentlemen in their statement (See
Ap. to Globe. vol 29, page 94O-4I.
And yet after having voted for the main feature of
this measure the repeal of the Missouri Compromise
offered as an amendment by Mr.. Dlxox-after having
attended meeting of the Wing members of the SEN
ate who were all agreed to favor the bill, and who
from their intercourse with Mr. BELL understood
him as being with them, and who authorised one of
their number, Mr.. BADGER, to announce in the Sem
ate that they were unit for the Nebraska Kansas
bill-Mr. BELL, true to his instincts abandoned the
South and even his party friends, on this question
and recorded his vote with the Abolitionsts against
it. The following is the negative vote:
NAYs-Messrs BELL. of Tenn CHASE of Ohio
DODGE of Wisconsin, FEssENDEN of Me-. FISH Of New
York, FoOT of VT, HAMLIN of Me-, Houston of
Texas, JAMES of II. l., SEWARD OF New York SMITH of
Conn, SUMNER of Mass, WADE of Ohio, WALLER of
Visit.
censure from the people of Tennessee and the Leg
islature that met the winter following acting in
cordance Herewith passed resolutions reendorsing
the Kansas bill Resolutions of this character were
introduced by both parties and were voted for by
| both parties The only members of the Tennessee
delegation in Congress who voted with him were
defeated at the next election; while Gen. ZoLLICOF
FER and the who voted against him returned.
The Nashville Patriot and number of the leading
organs of his party had the courage speak cut
10 tones of decided disapprOval but they were I'M
needed by Mr.. BELL. and in a speech delivered in
the Senate the ID Of July, 1856, he went so far
as to palliate the enormity of the crimes which
had been committed by the Free State rebels
who bad been sent there by means of Emigrant
Aid Societies to revOlutOnize that Territory, and
prevent its peaceful and harmonious action. He
said:
In private conversation with my friend from
Missouri MIR. Geyer,l some months age, upon the
subject of the Kansas difficulty, he reminded me
that some of the citizens of Missouri who wero de-
nounced as border ruffians were emigrants from
Tennessee. doubt it not; and | will say further,
that had | been citizen of western Missouri, and
had been crediby informed of the Wanting and
Boosting svowals OF their purposes, said to have
been made BY of the first companies sent out by
the emlgranL Alu WOulu
first clear Kansas of every vestge of slavery, and
then expel il from Missouri, have but little doubt
that should have earned the character of border
ruffian either principal accessory aud so,
the other hand had l been conscientiOusly opposed
to slavery and had settled in Kansas with a view to
better my condition. and had witnessed the outrages
said to have been committed by the citizens of Mis-
souri, on the rights of the free-State inhabitants,
and had fell my neck CALLED by the yoke of a 1Sluped
government, and had lost all hope Of relief from any
gtdrter- resistance TO such oppression be treason,
so HELP NE GOD, l WOULD HAVE BEEN A
TRAITOR.
The Presidential contest of 1856 came on. The
principle of the Nebraska-Kansas bill was made
a feature of the Democratic platform. Mr..
BELLS candidate Mr.. FILLMORE, deprecated the
passage Of that acs in the strongest terms. Upon
the recored thus made up, the two parties went
before the country. Mr.. FILLMORE received the
electoral vote Of but one State in the Union Mr.
BUCHANAN received the vote of Tennessee by an
unprecedented and overwhelming majority, and
carried every other State in the South with
the exception of Maryland and was triumph
antly elected. The following summer another cleo.
zion was held in Tennessee, and the opponents of
Mr.. BELL and his Kansas policy were again sustain