Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-01-17
Letters TO Georg1a,s Great oonnnoner.
80 V.

personaI nDefty acts IN aNoIinerh SAWS, -
a thing which has sprung up and fiourished
like Jonah's gourd. 1t will wither away
before the bright sunlight Of investigation.
Not that 1 look upon unfriendly northern
legislation with the least degree of allow
ance however do not recognize uucon-
stituiional acts as lars; and would ride
over sll such rough shod, with the laws OF
my country in ono hand, and the sword OF
need be- In the other. Neither viii | aid to
make laws of these impetent DEGREES, by
destroying the Constitution which makes
them yeid. One Northern Governor he's
iisgraeed a noble State, by a course of con-
duct which ought to be, and is now being,
resisted, in a proper manner, before the
Courts of the country, under the laws of
the country, by tho Governor of the State
of Kentucky. Let Us allow the proper au-
thorities TO attend to their own business.
The election of Lincoln and Hemlin is,
after all, the occasion mot the cause of
the disunion movement. And although you
very truly say this is not sufficient cause,
YET I6SdIu II do W Oh JUS IAC AiVo'
plausible of all the pretex!s which are as
signed for disunion. [ so regard it for
several reasons. In the first place, his
''rule," IS it is proyokingly called, is q
thing which would be escaped by success
full revolution Therefore the remedy would
be logical remedy, instead of being an in
finite aggravation of the evil Then this
thing of electing both the President and
Vice President from one section. by the
votes Of a mere majority of that section, If
long continued, must at last inevitably
amount to a humiliation of the other sec
ton. Again, if such an administration
should proceed TO administer the govern
ment upon sectional principles, even SO far
as that can be done within the limits of the
Constitution, that would become an intOler-
able offense to our people for obvious rea-
sons Also the fact that so large portion
of the Northern people, in view of the
earnest and almost unanimous protestatiOns,
not to say entreeties, of their Southern
countrymen, should persist in casting their
suffrages for candidates so very obnoxious
in their sight, as evidence of want of fra
ternal regard, infiets wound upon our
acute sensibilities, which is hard to conceal.
1t was in consideration of these reasons,
that l once remarked to a distinguished
friend of the Union, that I should regard
the success of the Northern sectional can
didates as furnishing stronger ground for
disunion than congI essional prohibition of
slavery in the territories, The latter 1
could not more than regard as an insult to
the South of an abstract character, aside
from constitutional considerations. should
hesitate to sacrifice the material interests
of my country upon the altar of abstract
theory. Moreover, the degree of insult
conveyed, would depend much upon the
spirit in which such deed might be done.
The question of constitutionality is a case
for the Courts; and as we have the decision
in our favsr, such an act would be null and
void, and so held. We have already as
much slave territory as We shall be able to
use for fifty years to come, and indeed. near
ly all adapted 10 us uses. .--
No, sir; this slavery question is only q
prtezt resorted to by ambitious men, whose
treason would add an additional hue OF
darkness to the infamy of Burr or an
Arnold. These men are utterly abandoned
to recklessness of the consequences of their
acts. The institution of slavery has more
to fear from their machinations than from
all other causes in the world combined.
Abolitionism has grown and fattened by
feeding on their exeesses. And their cause,
in its turn, has fattened and grown upon
the excess of abolitionism. No institution
of man is more dependent upon law and
order for its security and success than slave
~. Tranquility is its friend; anarchy is
its most dangerous foe And yet these men
teach US contempt for lsw--eontempt for
government-contempt for common caution
in proceedin gs of the greatest moment.
They use every applicance which parlizan
agitation has learned, or can invent, to in
crease the excitement of the people-to
..precipitate the South into revolution"
They are afraid of the calm reflection of
the people. They most falsely represent
the workings Of our government, in older
to increase the discomfort they have en-
kindled. We can never live under any sys-
tenn of government of human origin, which
is capable Of suppressing every evil. By
their system of misrepresentation, one
4 5000 ~ :, Tl,.;z.:o, ,a1i,;op a Fo;i,ra
or most pestilent invention of the devil.
Many fragrant evils exist in the midst of
the most christian communities, in spite of
Gods institution. Yea, the blacklist crimes
have stained the very bosom of The church
of God, and defiled her ministry. Even he
who dipped his hand with our Savior in the
dish, The same betrayed him. And here we
have a lesson. If we mean to escape all the
evils of the world, we must needs go out of
the world. Our government is the best on
earth 1t has given US mere prosperity, en-
lightment, and liberty, than any people
ever enjoyed, in the history Of our race.
Our federatire system affords greater Iprotec-
ton and security to the institution Of slaUeTy
THAI any srh,ch can be devissd. Yet we who
would uphold that system, for the protec
ton of slavery aud every other interest of
the people, are therefore regarded with sus-
picion. And he who is most violent and
hasty to destroy every guaranty of our
rights, is hailed as the friend Of the South.
What abturdity of madnessl Our people
seem given over TO believe lie, that they
may be damned Well may you exelaim,
s.What prophets have We slain? What Sa-
vior have we crucifiedf"
Suppose the Union were dissolved, and
that peaceably-which cannot be- Suppose
the whole South should go off in body. IL
what condition would the border States find
themselves placed, without any longer a