Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-01-08
fugitive s. .res, and shielded the murderer.


millions Of dollars and thus made the tenure by
which slaves are held in the border States so pre-
earfous az to materially impair their value.
It has By its John Brown aud montgomery raids,
invaded sovereign States and 'nuTdersaz psacsaee
# has iustified and exalted to the highest honoTs
of admiration the horrid murders, arsons, and rap
inc of the John Brown raid, and has canonized the
| felons as saints and martyrs.
\ j,ss burned the towns poisoned the cattle and
couspired with the slaves to depopulate Northern
Texas
IA has through certain leaders, proclaimed 70 the
slaves the terrible motto. Alarm to the Sleep fire
to the dwellings, poison TO the food and water Of
II has repudiated and denounced the decision of
| the Supreme Court pA g -
| II has assailed cur rights as guaranteed by the
plainest provisions of the Constitution from the floor
of each houseof Congress, the pulpit, the hugtngs
| the school room, their State Legislatures. and
through the public press, dividing and disrupting
churches. political parties and civil governments.
1t has. in the person of the President elect assert
led the equality of the black with the sctite race
lRhese are some Of the wrongs against which we
f&Aye demonstrated for more than a quarter of a
century, hoping, but in yain for their redress. until
some OF sister States in utter DESPAIR of obtain
ing justice at the hands Of these awless confederates
have resolved to sever the ties which have bound
them together, and maintain those rights out Of the
Union which have been the object of constant attack
and encroachnent within it.
| NoOne will assert that the Southern States or
Epeopie have, at any time failed 20 perform, fully
and in good faith all of the duties which the Const
| tuition devolves upon them
Nor will it be pretended that they have, at any
time eneroached attempted aggression upon the
Pizhts of a Northern sister State. The Government
was for many years under the control of Southern
Statesmen. but in originating and perfecting meas
ures of policy be it said to the perpetual honor of
the South, she has attempted 10 encFoach upon
a single constitutional right of the Nsrth. The
journals of Congress will not show even the intro
duction of single proposition, by any Southern
Representative, calculated to impair her rights in
property. inure he- trade, wound her sensibili-
ties Nor have they at any time demanded at the
hands of the Federal Government. or Northern
States, more than their well defined rights under
the Constitution So far from it, they have toler-
ated these wrongs, from feeling Of loyalty and de:
Yotien to the Union.-with degree OF patience and
forbearance unparalleled in the history of brave
and free people. Moreover, they have quietly sub
mitted to a revenue system which Indirectly, but
certainly taxes the products of slave labor some
fifty or sixty millions OF dollars annually, to in
crease the manufacturing profits of those who have
thus persistently and wiekedly assaulted them.
To evade the issue thus forced upon this tiEne'
without the fullest security for rights, is, in my
opinion fatal to the institution of slavery forever.
The time has arrived when the people of the South
must prepare either to abandon or to fortify and
maintain IT Abandon it, we cannot. interviewer
it with our wealth, prosperity and domestic hap
piness. We owe it to the mechanic whose shop is
thrown out of employment, to the trader made
bankrupt by this agitation. We owe it to ourselves
our children, our selfrespect and equality in the
Government, to have this question settled perma
nently and forever upon terms consistent with JUS
| tice and honor, and which will give US peace and
perfect security for the present and the future.
Palliatiyss and opiates in the character of legs-
| latiye compromises, may be applied, affording mo-
n;entR,y relief; but there will be no permanent
safety, security or peace. until Northern prejudice
has been eradicated and the public sentiment of
that section radically changed and nationalzed. To
attempt the application of effective remedies before
this great object has been accomplished, is like
cleansing the stream while the fountain itself is poi
soEed.
The Consequences and immense interests which
involved in the proper solGtiOR of the difficulties
that now surround u.s. the deep, lasting and vital
Importance of settling them upon principles of JUS
tee and equality, demand the most serious conside
ration of the whole people, as well as that of the
public functionaries of the State Whilst cheer
fully submit to YOUR discretion the whole question
/ of federal relations, having no doubt myself as
70 the necessity and propriety of calling State
Convention. yet respectfully recommend that you
provide by law for submitting 20 the people OF the
State, the question Of C5nrsniidn. OF No OoRcetloH,
and also for the election Of delegates by the people,
~ the ratio of legislative representation, to meet in
State Convention, st the Capitol at Nashville. at the
earliest day practicable, to take into consideration
our federal relations, and determine what action
shall be taken by the State of Tennessee for the
The question of Convention or No Convention, can
and should be determined and the delegates chosen
the election. which can be very easily ac-
comDshed by heading set of tickets CONVENTION,
and another set No CONVENTION If majority of
the people vote for Convention then the persons
eeeeiviRg the largest number of votes in their re-
gpectiye countez and Districts 10 re commissioners
as delegates.
This win place the whole matter In the hands of
the people for them, in their sovereignty, to deter
mine how far their rights have been violated the
character of redress guaranty they viii demand,
the action they will take for their present and
future security.
If there be a remedy for the evils which efiIict the
eauaFy consistent with the perpetVy of the Union,
it win. in mp opiaiqn, be found in such Constita
tionai amendments will deprive the tanatcal ma
iOrities of the North of the power to invade our
rights or impair the security value Of our pro-
perty.
Clear and well defined as rights are under the
presept Constitution, to participate equally with the
citizens Of all other States the settlement Of tfe
common Territories and 10 hold ourselves there IN
til excluded by the formation Of a State Constitu
ton vet every organized Territory will become
field of angry, If not bloody, strife between the
Southern man and the AbOlitenist, and we shall see
the tragedies of Kansas reenacted in each of them,
as they approach the period of forming their State
CONSTITUTIONS.
Plain aud unmlstakable as is the duty of each
State to deliver up the fugitise Stare to his owner,
yet the attempt to reclaim, is at the peril Of the
masters life.
These evils can be obviated to great extentif not
ent.raly, by the. following amendments to the Con-
titutiOn
list Establish line upon tbs Nqptlprn boundary
of the present slave States, and eKtend 1t through
the Territories to the Pacific Ocean, upon such par
aiiei of latitude will divide them equitahy be-
tween the North and South, expressly providing
that all the Territory now owned or that may be
hereafter acquired North of that line shall be for
ever free, and all South of it, tOreUer slave This
will remove the question of existence or non-eXs-
tence of slavery in States or Territories entire
! ly and forever from the arena of politics. The
Question being settled by the Constitution. is long
er open for the politician to ride into position by APP
peang to fanGtIcal BIejqdices, or assailing the
rights of his neighboFs.
| ID In addition to the fugitive SLAVE elsuse pro-
vide that when slave has been demanded of the
4 Executive authority of the State to which he has
fed if he ia not delivered. and the owner permitted
to carry HIM Of the State in peace that the state
so failing to deliver shall pay TO the owner double
the value of such slave and secure the right of ac-
ton in the SUPREME Court of the United States.
This will secure the return of the slave to his OWN
err or his value. with sufficient sum to indemnify
him for the expenses necessarily incident TO the re-
cOvery.
3D. Provide for the protection of the owner
In the peaceable possession of his slave while
In tFansIt. temporarily solournng IN any OF the
States Of the Confedepaoyi and N the event gt the
slaves escape or being taken from tho ovEsT, re-
quire the st ate to return or account Tor him as in
case of the fugitive.
4th. Expressly prohibit Congress from abolishing
slayrey in the District of Columbia, in any dock
yard navy-yard arsenal, district of any charac-
ter whatever within the limits of any slave State.
! 9Th That these provisions shall never be changed
except by the consent of all the slave States.
With these amendments to the Constitution
should feel that our rights were reasonably secure,
not only in theory but in fact and should indulge
the hope of living in the Union in peace. Without
these, or some other amendments which promise
an equal amount and certainty of security there is
| no hope of peace or security IN the government.
! If the non-saveholding States refuse TO comply
with demand. so just and reasonable; refuse to
abandon at once and forever their unjust war upon
as our institutions and our rights refuse, as they
have heretofoPe dOae to perform. in good faith, the
obligations of the compact OF union, much as Ee
may appreciate the power. prosperity, greatness
and glory Of this government; deeply as we deplore
| the existence of causes which have already driven
one State from the Union; much as we may regret
tbe imperative necessity which they have wantoniy
and wickedly forced upon us, every consideration
of sefpreservation and selfrespect require that we
should assert and maintain our equality IN the
| Tnion or independence out of u"