Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-01-30
COMMUNICATION.



no respect sanctioned By the editors OF the Journal
in whichthey appear My great object is to enforce
readers the vast Importance, the imperative ne
cessiy of Tennessee acting as unit in the moment
Gus events for which she is preparing and in which
her action is to he determined by the convention
shortly to be assembled to put the matter in per-
haps more serious light still, the calamity twill
be for fierce and exciting struggle to take place
in every district of the State, in which the war
cries are to be Union the one side Secession or the
other in which exasperated partsans will brand one
another as traitors and abotionists, or traitors,
rebels and disunloniss according as their excited
feelings may dictate though althe while their inter-
ests are one, and when probe them to the bottom
their opinions are one for all true Tennesseans are
united on the two great principles, that first every
effort must be made to secure rights within the
Union. and falling in that, then with sorrow, but
with infexible resolution. they must unite IN Vlnul-
eating them cut of the Union
Yet day by day, for the last few weeks, tlS unit
ed action has seemed to become at the same time
more needful and more hopeless, and tho arrange
ments have now been made for dividing the
State by a canvass which men who look at
+b;ngs seriously shudder to contemplate; issues
are presented by two antagonist nominating COM
;44ao- ~ sch a manner as to threaten the inaugu-
atom of two conflicting factions in this State,
,hose strife must engender animosites of such in
tapstv that peace and social harmony can never
aoain be dreamed of in it; the two parties which,
thank God. we have succeeded in reducing at last
70 n truce. will be succeeded by two organizations
whose controversy will be conducted in spirit of
def,nce bitter recrimination Infatuated invectve;
in the heat of the struggle both will be driven
into extremes the State Rights party will get to
oppose union on any terms the Union party, to
contend for it at the expense of enslaving Tennes
see to the North though at starting, both yearn for
restitution of the Union, if it can bs with safety
and honor And all this at moment when both
North and South are looking to Tennessee with an
anxiety that gives great hope for her to exercise
most powerful influence for good on both sections
provided she can take her position as unit
And can she not?
Until Monday night despaired of it, and despair
ing of that, despaired of her acting in such way
as either to exercise salutary influence upon her
sister States OF to escape the most ruinous discord
within her own borders.
But on Monday heard the speech of MIR. Ewing
"A
ing of Governor Foote'S address, printed in yester
days Uilion and after hearing BOTH took sourage
for. one after another, heard the same principles
enunciated in each,--one by one, all really practi
cal matters of difference seemed to vanish except
the one matter of time until finally the two gentle
men seemed to be placed in the preposterous posi-
ton of two combatants engaged in death struggle
which shall enlist their hearers in ferocious con
fiict while both parties are really aiming at the
same points Let us take up some of the points in
these two addresses mean the practical points, not
matters of opinion, which will never be embodied in
action. not what the two gentlemen think, but what
they propose to do
In the first place then, both in favor OF Tennes
see embracing the proposition of Virginia, to send
delegates namely, from all the Southern States to
convention to be held at Washington city during the
present month; that there united statement shall
be agreed upon of the terms upon which the South
ern States will consent to adhere to the Union as
now constituted that the basis Of this ultimatum
to be the Crittenden resolutions as amended by the
Virginia Legislature; and that if by the North this
proposition be finally rejected then the States join
ing in the proposals shall form Union based upon
the Constitution at present in force but with safe
guarantees for the unmolested rights of Shareholders
into which al States North and South shall be in
yted to enroll themselves Practically this is the pro
gramme put forward by both the gentlemen who have
spoken for the two committees by which they were
respectively put in nomination The difference
is as to the time within which the ultimatum is to
be accepted, which 1 will discuss presently; but
arstIlet me ask does not this coincidence IN the
two manifestos show that the people of Tennessee
are really united and will continue so in reference
to the policy to be adopted in the present emer-
gency unless points of difference are raised by the
coutending nominations, unless these are aagrliy
contested and forced into prominence before the
more important matters whereon they are agreed
and unless the efforts which ought to be made to
unite the State in concerted action are put forward
for the purpose of dividing it. We know that there
are extremes of opinion in the State that there are
men whs desire that Tennessee may remain con-
nected with the Eorthera States expressly in or
der that she may become free state, and who are
more devoted to the Federal Government nov il is
in the hands of the Republican party, than they
would have been if any one of the other three can
ddates had been elected. l challenge any one who
has had the opportunity of studying certain class
of the population Of our cities, to deny the exist
ence Of such political clement among US. On the
other hand there men even in Tennessee who
would rather see the existing Union permanently di-
vided than united and whs hailed Mr.. LINCOIS's
election gladly as the precursor iof such condem-
nation. Admit (what 1 rejoice in beleving),
that if all the men were put altogether who hold both
of these extreme opinions they would form a very
min IN thp
vast body of our citizens are Enanmous in the posi-
ton have above assigned that of both Mr. EBNG
and Gov FooTE. STILL an exciting contest once set on
foot politicians well know that it is the extreme
opinions held on each side which give their spirit to
the respective parties, the who hold intermedi-
ate shades of opinion being comparatively powerless
so that if the matter goes before the State its pres
ent shape we are ceFtain to find the people of Ten
nesee divided in this way, engaged in the fratrcida
rivalry of mutual denunclation, when in truth they
are really united IL opinion and when unity is es
sential had almost said, to the very existence of
State
This question of time might, think, be adjusted
by leaving il epsa t., it be determined at the
washington Convention. 1r. FwISa thinks that
year or even two, might be allowed 70
Mr.. FooTE (and I must agree with hlm) thinks
it essential that st least Congress consent to refer
the matter to the people before that body adjourns
Passing over other objections to allowing the matter
to sianS oyer for two years. as Mr.. EWING thinks
might be dong, this one seems insuperable--that SO
long as 10 does stand over tie uncertainty, suspense
and insecurity which is at present paralyZlng al
bu siness will continue till 1t ends in the production
of universal bankruptcy But as said before might
not that part of the question be postponed
Ever # Messrs FooTE and EWING were agreed as to
the time to De sNowed the North for their decision
there are many more ~4o Yil sit in the Washing
ton Convention to be brought to agraeEept snd
those two gentlemen could not be sure that ma
Jority would accept their opinion. The question of
4ua, therefore will have to be settled at Washing
ton in t;e elg, snq you'd it not be better that it
should be left open til ths1i
Having thus shown how both nominating commit
49,, oo,,ll +ba;, nraptipsly ruipd ont