Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-11-27
saught at their manllea to hide his 0wn


All This, because VIC have been accustomed
to believe that they succeeded in framing the
best Constitution, and organizing the best
Government the world ever saw. Is that
goyernmenf. after all, q failures Who shall
give us better, and how shall we eommem-
orate the worth of such wiser benefactors?
But If this government cannot enforce its
laws then it is failure.
We taye prolessed to feel and realize its
blessings. Eloquence has portrayed in mag
/ icf power lis progress In all the elements of
power, wealth, greatness, and happiness.
! Not a people on earth. since we achieved our
independence. has shown symptoms OF a de-
sire to be free. that we have not encouraged
by out sympaties, and as the sufficient evil
dence of all success i'll self-goyernment, we
have pointed them to our example There is
not people on earth who do. not point to
America and sigh for government like that
of the United States. Shall wefnow say 10
all these: Stop, you are mistaken. Our
reputation is not deserved. Be content with
your humble rule. The people are not capa-
| bic of self-government. This very govern
I ment, which you admire, and which we have
thought was model, is unable to protect
our people from the robber, thief, the muir
derer aud the fanatic!
II Fellow-citizens, before we settle down in
4
| put this government to test.
| (, Another advantage to be derived from sue
cess is that we shall thus end the agitation
of slavery forever. Its agitotion in politics
was wrong from the beginning. Debate its
| morality and justice as much as you please.
1t VIII stand the argument. But don't drag
| it down into party political issue. Show
me the man who agitates slavery as politi-
cal party question, and | will show you the
| true enemy of slavery and the Union, L care
not whether he lives North or South. The
safety and peace of the Shareholder and the
Union demand that this agitation should not
longer be allowed.
.But,lin the second place, if we fail we can
not be damaged, but great benefits will be
secured by the effort. $50
In the FIRST place, we shall have time to get
ready for secession. If we secede now, in
what condition are we? Our secession will
either be peaceable or otherwise. If peace
able, we have no ships to take off our pro-
duce. We could not get and would not have
tIIose of the ggyrIumenL rom which we had
Just seeded. We have no treaties, CONNER
cial or otherwise. with any other power. We
have no postal system among our own people.
Nor are we prepared to meet any one of the
| hundred inconvenience that must follow and
all of acliict may be auoided By taking time. % =
But suppose our secession be not peaceable.
In what condition &c we for war? No navy,
no forts, no arsenais, no arms but bird guns
for low trees. Yet scattered people, with
nothing dividing us from our enemy but an
imaginary line, and long sea and gulf coast
extending from the Potomac to Galveston
Bay, if all should secede. In what condition
are we to meet the thousand ills that would
beset US, and every one of which can be avoid
ed by taking time Eve have more 10 do
than to go up the hills and come down. Sc
cession is no holiday work.
Il While we are seeking to redress our wrongs
in the Union, we can go forward making all
necessary preparations to go out if it should
become necessary. We can have govern
ment system perfect and prepared, ready for
any emergency when the necessity for sepa-
ration shall come.
{ Again, if we fail to get redress in the Union
that very failure will unite the people of our
State. The only real ground of difference
now is, some of us think We can get redress
in the Union, and others think we cannot.
Let those of US who still have faith make that
effort which has never been made, and il we
fail, then we are ready to Join you. Ii you
will not help us make that effort at least, do
not try to prevent. Let US have fair trial
Keep cool and keep still. If we cannot save
onr- equality, and rights, and honor in the
Union, we shall join you and save them out
of it. s--- -
a voice.-When you fail to save your rights
in the Union, if you refuse to 60 with Us then,
what viii you do?
Mr.. Hill.-But we will go. We allow no
fito our conduct in that connection. IF,
when we come to join you, you get stubborn
and refuse to go, then we shall go without
you. 1 = ls7a "a
Now, my secession friends, | have all con-
fdence in your zeal and patriotism, but simp-
ly let us take time and get ready. Let us
work for the best and prepare for the worst.
Until an experiment is made | shall always
believe that the Constitution has strength
enough to conquer all its enemies-even the
Northern fanatic. Ii it proves to have not
that strength, | will not trust it another
honr. rr-
A third benefit to be derived from the fail
ure of an honest effort to redress our grievan-
ces in the Union. is the Union of all the
Southern States. Some of the States will not
| secede now. Some of the States who suffer
most from the grievances we have enumerat-
| ed will not -secede now, because they think
| these grievances can be redressed in the
Union. If this idea be dream let US wake
up to the reality by an actual experiment.
A further benefit to be desired is, that if all
| the Souhern States get ready and secede to-
| gether, we shall be allowed to do so peacea-
| bly,. Certainly it is our right to go peacea-
| bly, ANY way. The Government, though hav-
ing the right to enforce its laws against all
| the world, has no right to coerce back Sc
ceding State. But the attempt might be
| made and the peace broken, if only one State
| should secede or even few. But let all the
| Southern States get ready and go together,
| and.nO earthly power would interfere or mo-
| lest. Ny own opinion is that every Western
and Northwestern State, and the Middle
States, and perhaps all but the New England
| States, would go with Us. And the glorious
result might at last be that we should hold
| the Government with all its power, and thrust
! off only those who had been faithless to it.
But the Southern States alone, with the
territory naturally falling into our hands:
would form the greatest government then on
/ earth. z The world must have our products;
and after peace was once secured to us, the
1 world would furnish our navies and our ar
my, without the expense to US of a ship, or a
soldier. 4 %
Finally. my friends, we shall have secured,
by this policy, the good opinion of all man
kind and of ourselves. We shall have done
our duty to history, to our children, and to
Constitutional liberty, the great experiment
of self government. We shall have also dis
cerned the defects in our present government
and viii be prepared to guard against them
| in another. Above all, we shall have good
consciences, aud secured that, either in the
Union or out of it, which is dearer to us thar
tall Constitutions, however venerated-that
which is the end of all our efforts, and the
desire of alt our hearts, our equality al
States, our rights as citizens, and our honor