Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-01-03

I
iEsrortsd % nc Unipn and Anerican1 I
Ma. CnAualAz xsb GsSIEnES: In rsspsiuse to
tie cali inside uponme ask, what the perils upon
the country What the causes which have forced !
them into existence and what the remedies for |
their removal?
A dissolution Of the Union by a secession of some
of the Southern States, now seems to be inevitable
For. by the 4th of March, 1861. unless some remedy
not as yet conceived. and brought to the public
view, Gamble devised to restore tranquility to South
err feeling; to insure the right Of property against
and domestic peace against probable
bloodshesl and to satisfy the public mind shat the
powers Of the State and Federal Government, shall
never mere be welded in hostility TO the rights and
equality of the States and the rights and equality of
their citizens, everywhere within the sphere of the
Federal jurisdiction of South Carolina and perhaps,
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, and
other Atlantic and Gulf States will have formally
seeded from the Federal Union. This meeting has
been called TO consider what should be the aetien OF
Tennessee, in reference to crisis 80 mumentous
/ viii not pause to consider the nature of the Tsg
OF secession, whether it is to be found WITHIN or
without the Constitution of the United States
may remark however, that have been accustomed
TO think that the trainers of the Constitution design
ed and hoped that it might be perpehated; and there
FORE that the right of secession hoes the C0nsttu
ton Il lies back behind and is close connected with
thatright of representation which is antecedentand
paramount to all constitutions and form Of govern
ment In the eye of the laws Of nations, States
arising from moral duties and positive agreements,
individuals themselves. And a right of secession
cannot arise in my oponion, in a State of the Fed
eral Union in view of the constitutional compact be-
tween the States, until necessity occurs to demand
provision for its safety and precauton against
imminent danger distant or impending In this sense
the right of secession well the rights Of reyolu
ton reserved to the people and the States to be
exercised alone upon tue contingency that when
such abuses and usurpatons have arisen as en-
Nv thp rio of
ty, the pursuit of happiness, the State may then
stand upon the great and sacred principle of indi
vidual safety and self preservation, and take pre-
eauhonary measures against such impending dan
gers So that the right of secession must be conced
ed to exist and its exercise to be rghtul whenever
life liberty property, and the pursuit of happiness
imperiled; whether by the unconstitutional nom
user, the Unconstitutional exercise Of the FEEDER
al power. Il can make no difference therefore,
4 practically, whether it be called constitutional,
revolutionary natural right; since its existence
| and rightful exercise must be conceded upon the
| happiness of a UNSUITABLE contingency and such
as for instance, specified in the Declaration Of In
| dependence of the United States. And whatever
may be the character and nature of the right, the
momentuous conclusion is forced upon US by the
| intelligence which daily reaches us, that these
States have named are about to assume Its eXer-
else and take their stand as Eeparate and distinct
Powers among the nations of the earth. And the
question arises what likely be the result of such
State action and what shall be the action of Tennes
see Il may be that Lincoln, when inaugurated, will
attempt coercion of the seeding States to return
! to their places in theUnion. If he should, what
shall be the probable consequences. and what shall
| Tennessee do
In my opinion the firing Of the first gun in the at
tempt to coeTce a sovereign State, would enkindle
the flame of revolution of civil and of servie war
| throughout all the Southern States. The attempt
once made State after State would drift upon the
| current of a common sympathy, interest AMI dan
ger into the vortex of revolution; until all the
saveholding States would be arrayed in conflict OF
arms against the Federal Government, and the
brave and chivalrous people Of the South hastened
down into abyss of blood, unequalled IN this OF
any other age or country Added to this would be
the horrors of a servile war.
i The aboliaonist in the fury OF his fanatlcism
acting upon the minds of free negroes Of the South
| and North and they upon the slaves, would attempt
to bring this servile race into the field of conflict
| and the flames of ineendiary brands the outrageS
of brutal lust and the cruelty of barbarc feroeity
! to women and children, would in all probability
lend the gloom Of more awful horrors to the clvl
strife in which brother may shed brothers
blood l here say nothing about those social and
domestic revolutions which breaking up the grea
branches Of the national industry, shall crush the
relations between capital and labor and fill the ant
with the cries of orphanage and the Lamentations
Of the bTe2Gless and homeless POOR! What are IN,
causes which are precipitatng this disastrous stat
of things upon the country? They are to be fount
in the organization, growth, and triumph OF th'
Black Republican antislaTery party IN the North
They are to be found in the sectional locality, II
the moral dogmas, aud fanatical sentiment Of tina
party. They are to be found in the avowed pur
pose Of Mr.. Lincoln, the chieftain of a million o
Black Republican vassals to WELD the Fedora
powers to prohibit slavery within the Fedora
Territories, and place it everywhere in thu
course Of ultimate extinction. They are TO b
found in the purpose OF that party, by physical ne
cegsities and moral and mental influences to confne
IMPAIR and wound the institution within the States
They to be found in the acts OF non-slaveholdn
States, multiplying the Fugitive Slave Law, IN TIL
aut-slaYery sentiments brought through the press
mails and partizan emssaries to bear on the mind:
and passions OF the slave population ever tending t
incite them to arson poison, murder, and lnsurrec
ton The are found in the widespread belief IL
the public mind at the South that the domestic tran
guilty the right of property and lie itself are III
secure and, indeed, IN constant peril. They are t
be found in the attempt Of such men as Helper ant
! his endorsers and sympatiZers to make spirit o
antagonism and hostility between the slayeholdln:
and nonslavehoding citizens of the Southern states
to be aided by the influence of the patronage OF al
antislayery Executive, upon the appetes of hungr,
and reCreGnt placemcn for plumber and for power
| These are some of the causes of the evils that arr
upon US. And how are they to be averted? l an
swer alone by the removal Of the causes that hav
pointed out, and by which they have been produced
/, Can this be done? | am frank to answer that d
not Jei.eUe can 1t in the power Of Mr.. Llncoli
and the party with whom ne acts, alone TO remove
them. And l do not suppose that he and they Will
Happy would it be for tins nation if they would.
It is true that should have been pleased TO hav'
seen conference of the Southern states, that they
should have specified the guarantees they required
and should have in their united and aggregate ca
pacity made their solemn demands of the Northern
States. If not granted it would have indicated a
least the rectitule Of their intentions before TIL
II world. fear, however, that the time for such
remedy has passed; and that several OF the South
ern States will have seeded before such confer
encc could now be had. What then shall TENNESSEE
do? The call Of the Legislature by the Governor o
the State in cXtrasessOn, think under the circum
stances was eminently proper. And If there shoulC
be dissolution Of the Union by secession OF south
States, there ought to be call Of State Conven
ton fresh from the people, TO determine what SHOULD
be the action Of Tennessee. She ought TO make tn
: annoRncenent, in her sovereign capacity, whethe
81 she E maintenance or resist coercion by Fedora
arms Md declare her election whether she vii
81 stay wHh the North go with the South. Suci
a course seems to me to be necessary for her owl
protection and for siding in the preservation Of TIN
national peace and for ayerting bloodshed in civil
and servile war maintain that there is no consh
tutonal power for the coercion of State in th
, | Federal Government. The proposition to confer
it was expressly made and deliberately denied /
was deemed wiser to trust the federation 0
the States to the patriotism and discretion of th
/ people than 70 invest the Federal arm with tht
power of military despOtism to compel 1t. There
IS it Is true clear, legal distinction between tht
Executive authority by necessary and defensive
| means TO enforce the tederA laws within a stat
/ Of the Union and the unconstitutional aggressiV;
authority to coerce State and rule it by military
! force.
The first is conferred and eDjoined and the latter
/ denied and therefore prohibited. The power, how
ever, TO enforce the Federal laws within State o
the Union is supplemented to, and INDEED, onll
come in aid of the Judicial and ministerial agencies
in the lawful attempt to administer and execute TIL
laws ofthe General Government within State of th
Union. But if IheDState becomesa foreign State b,
secession withno power in the Federal Government
70 force it back, then can the Federal Government
enforce the Federal laws in such foreign State
outside Of the places which it has eX
elusive jurisdiction by secession from such State
| l think not
The day, therefore, that Lincoln would attempt b,
military force to coerce a State would mark his ad
ministration with the usurpatons of tyrant l
would be subyerson of all written limitations
power and a conversion of the Federal Government
into military dcSpotsm Shall he then, by an at
tempt to coerce, usUrp the powers Of 2 tyrant
Shall he enthrone himself as emperor at Washing
5 ton. surround himself with body guard at tins
White House? and rule the State and the people by
the sword, amidst civil and servile war? for one
aRswer-no, no never (Applause) And inmy opin
ion the brave Sons Of Tennessee who fear no foe