Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-09-16
John RslI, of Tennessee.


We know the gentleman WELL We know his va
cilating in the Senate, how he at one time
when desiring place and position from Tennessee he
could play the part of clustering ire-eater, and
how another time, when the rich bait of Presi-
dental nomination held out to him BY such men
as Horace Greedy, Wilson Co.. he deemed it not
dishOnOrable to c0nsort and vote with the Abolition
lists of the Senate against his section of the
country But it is not our purpose to point out
his Inconsistencies. We desire at this time merely
to hear from him on the question Of disunion. What
does he say
"Sir no man who loves his country, no man who has
any just pride in the reflection that he is an Ameri
can citizen but must desire that these dissensiUns
should cease For, sir, it is not a mere question
whether we shall preserve the Union; for that may
be and yet prove great boon either to ourselves
or pOster1ty. The question is not whether the
States shall continue united according to the letter
OF the covenant by which they bound together.
1t is. whether they shall continue to be practically
and efficiently cooperative in carrying out the
great ends Vt the association The question is wheth
er mutual trust and confidence in promoting and
multiply ing common benefits; or whether mutual
hatred and dlstrust shall step in to check all pro-
gress; to distract and eOnfound all joint endeavors
for the common welfare; in fine, to entail upon the
country all the evils Of endless discord That is the
question AND WHEN YOU PRESENT THAT Is
SUE TO NE, l SAY GIVE ME SEPARATION;
GIVE NE DISUNION; GIVE NE ANYTHING IN
PREFERENCE TO A UNION SUSTAINED ONLY
BY POWER, BY CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL
TIES, WITHOUT REClPhOCAL TRUST AND
CONFIDENCE. IN OUR FUTURE CAREER Is To
BE ONE OF ETERNAL DISCORD, OF ANGRY
ELIMINATION AND REMUNERATION. GIVE
NE RATHER SEPARATION WITH ALL ITS
CONSEQUENCES. If am to be at peace let
it be peace in reality; and if / am to be
at war. let me know it at once. that 4 may put my
house in order and be ready to meet The eonse-
Quenees APP. to Cong. Globe fst Sess. 3lst Cong
page llel.
We affirm that this goes further than even Mr.
Yancey and Mr. keitt have gone. They are for the
Union on the basis Of the Constitution, Mr. Bell pre-
ferred disuniOn-.sEPARATIoS WITH ALL ITS coNsE-
oUENCEs' to angry crimiadiOa and rscrIa;ration,"
merely angry words were enough for him. But we
are not yet done with Mr. Bell. On the 18th of
March 1858, he made speech IN the Senate from
which we quote
''When the North shall by any deliberate act, de-
prive the South Of any fair and just and equal par
ticipation in the benefits of the UniOn-lf for exam
pie, the Territory Kansas) now proposed to be adj
mitted into the Union as State, had not been sub
ject 10 interdct Of slavery for thirty years-if
1t were Territory such as that lying west Of Ar
kansas. by climate adapted TO slave labor, and by
population already slave Territory; and il on ap-
plicafion Of such Territory for admission into
the Union as q slave State, the powerful North
without any feelings and sentiments growing out Of
the repeal of thu Missouri Compromise in regard to
Kansas, should deliberately announce to the South
you shall have no slave States that aro.td af.
ford prstert lriA lciich the South might seik some
reason 9Th some assurances Of TIE alrDroual Of he ei
lied l00d and pOsteriy, SEEK TO DISSOLVE The
UNION. APP. LIST sess- Ssh Congress, spage
Is2.