Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-05-22
Facts and Reflections for SGuihefT
Union Men.
LIBERTY, * CHAINS.

coustrue the issue involved IN the same hgnt
there would be no dissenting voice at the
election then to be held, but the unanimous
response from every part would be: "Give
me liberty, or give me death"
There are those, however, who are still fol-
lowing the ghost of Union, while the very
meat and substance of freedom is being rude
ly and violently wrested from their posses
sion. To these we desire TO offer. in the ut
most kindness, a few common sense sugges
tons.
You, in common with ourselves, have de,
MED that any State possessed, under the Fe
deral Constitution, right TO peacefully Sc
cede from the Union. You still deny that
right. Tennessee through fair vote of heT
people on the 9Th of February, denied any
such right-and further said there was al
that time no sufficient existing cause for q
violent disruption of the Union. We all as
serted the right of revolution, right which
we claimed 10 be inherent and inalienable
among all free people. We asserted further
that we had grave causes of complaint
against the North, and that we desired TO ex-
haust every effort within our power as an
honorable, law-abiding and justice-lOving
people to obtain redress for grievances within
the Union. We declared further that the
election of President by a sectional MAORI
ty holding views, which if put in practical
force by the Federal power would strip US of
rights of property which we deemed essential
to our welfare and deprive of equality
nf no mi ba
Constitution. was a serious cause of appre
hension and alarm; and that. though the
mere election of such a President did not
constitute, in itself, a sufficient cause for
disruption of the UniOn-still our sense Of
honor and future security required a speedy
and final adjustment of all the outstanding
differences between the two sections This
ground upon which the people stood so una
nimously on the 9Th of February
To the end, therefore, that this high and
lust position SHOULD be sustained and made
triumphant, we favored every proposed com
promise and settlement, which gave promise
of satisfying the demands of the OCCASION
We were willing to sacrifice minor consider
atoms of detail and look only TO the great Oh
ject. We approved of the proposition pre-
sented to the Senate by Mr.. CRTTTENDEN. ear
Iy in the session of Congress We hoped
Congress would refer it to the people for ac-
ceptance; but it was defeated in that body
thrnngh Republican opposition With sbe
same approval and satisfaction We witnessed
the appointment of a select committee in the
House of Representatives, composed of one
member from each Sate, for the purpose of
considering the :, ctiOnal disagree ments of
the country. But through the Republican
influence. this committee failed to come TO
any understanding which would be accept
able either TO Congress or to the prople We
then looked with hope to the efforts of the
Peace Conference which assembled at Wash
ington in February. and which was in s-ssiOn
at the time of our election. 1t agreed upon
basis of settlement which we thought should
have been satisfactory to both sections. But
Congress again defeated the effort towards
settlement by refusing to submit the Peace
Conference proposition to the people, either
for acceptance OF rejection.
No one can doubt these facts, and very few
will deny that We have truly represented the
Union feeling in this State up to this point
Baffled and foiled in every effort in and
out of Congress. the friends of the Union |
and the Constitution were driven by necrssi- |
ty to abandon every other hope but in the |
maintenance of peace by the then Incoming |
administration, and future dirrct appeal to |
the sense OF justice of The Northern people |
at their coming State and Congressional cleo
was no better founded than any on which they !
had before builded their hopes. No sooner |
had Mr.. LINCOLN taken bis seat in the Execu-
tive Chair than be began TO prepare for war. |
In four weeks he had put in commission a
more extensive war marine than We had bad |
since the war with Mexico. And ia FIVE weeks |
his vessels were off Charleston harbor to pro- |
vision and reinforce Fort Sumter by force
He had already given assurances that Sum
ter should be evacuated. and thus added per
idy TO breach of the peace. He WIS pro-
perIy met at the threshold, and repulsed.
Not day elapsed before he had issued his
proclamation calling into the field IS 900
demonstrating his call to this and other
Southern Stales-for the purpose of whip
ping our Gulf sisters into subsection, aud
scarcely eighteen days had elapsed till the
requisition was increased to 15s, 900 men.
In the meantime the excitement. ardor and
enthusiasm of the entire people of the North
knew no bounds. Old party lines were OBJ
liberated on the instant-everybOdy united
in support of the administration in the war
of subjugation it had thus inaugurated
against the South. There was not friend of
the South left in any NortheI State. And
Tennessee, with the other Union States. was
len to decide whether she would continue an
interior and dishouorable political connec-
ton with the North to assist in the war OF
subjugatiou or 90 10 the assistance and sup.
port of the South. This was the simple
question left her, and was forced on her with
out her consent.
In this emergency we demanded an extra
session of the Legislature. l. met and made
it's decision, and referred il to the people for
ratification. That decision IL, Immediate in
dependence of the North, aud a military and
provisional political alliance with the South.
In the declaration ofindependence the Legis-
lnture placed the act on the broad and indis-
putable ground Of revolutions right which
we reserved in our Bill OF Rights and of
which, no power on earth can deprive us.
They said /: "We the people OF Tennessee.
.sairing any prsssiOn Of opsniOn az 10 The absroet
doctrine Of ssc<ssion, bat assrtiaS lhs right 40 a
fSs and snd9mdMt people TO alta, rerm q