Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-02-19
The Herald en- LincOln's InauguraI.--
NaticDsl Convention, &c.
The New York Herald Of the 18th, says:

Aue reW 1Ork lI6fuid OF TIE iZtn, says.
National Convention good thing; but how is
II 10 be reached? The fifth article Of cur federal
constitution DEGREES that 'the Congress. whenever
two,thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary,
shall propose amendments to the constitution, or
on the application Of the Legislatures of ti5osirds Of
The several SQtes shall cali convention Ga National
Conventionl for proposing amendments, which, in
either case shall be valid to all intents and purposes
as part OF the constitution, when ratified by the
Legislatures Of threefourths of the several States,
or by conventions in threeiourths thereof, as the
one or the other mode of ratification may be pro-
posed by Congress"
Here are two modes Of amendment provided
short and long one. The short one is the adoption
of amendments by a two-thirds vote of each house
Of Congress, and their submission to the several
States for ratification. If the Republicans party in
Congress and IN the States willing to accept it,
and ready the Crittenden proposition in this way
could be submitted to the States TODAY and before
the 4Ih of March tcould be ratified by the required
threefourths of the States. At all events, the ac-
ceptance by the Republicans in Congress of the
Crittenden proposition would be at once accepted
by the border slave States as a compromise, and
they would cordially assist in its ratification, and
| in winning over to it the seeded States.
But this short method of settling the controversy
does not satisfy the Republicans in Congress, and
they Will not accept it. Whyl Because it involves
concessions to slavery, and because as it now APP
pears, their President elect is opposed to it and
PrSterS iVDg anu fouDuhOOut nctaOu VI ma
tional Convention. Let US look for moment the
odus operandi of this plan. The new President, in
his inaugural address, recommends National Con-
venton Union saving measure. 1t must be called
by an act of Congress; but Congress cannot act
until the Legislatures of twothirds of the several
States shall have applied for such CoRyen-
ton How can they apply? There will hardly be
a State Legislature in session the 4th of March:
so that to secure decisive action from the States
the Presidents Recommendation before next winter
most of them will have to call not only an extra
session. but special election of their Legislatures.
Nor could anything by the conservative majority
of the people of the Northern States be done now
in behalf of Convention, even if they should at
once proceed to act upon thus hint of Mr.. Lincoln.
Our Northern Legislatures republican, and they
would say, let US wait to hear officially the views
of our President elect. Thus the game of com
promise is blocked at both ends. The short method
is offensive to the republican party, because the
Union compromise of the border slave States is of
fensive and the long method of convention can
not possibly be reached inside Of twelve fifteen
months, or, to use the words of Mr.. Seward till
:" one two, three years hence, when these eceen-
trIc secession and disunion movements shall have
ended"
Briefly, then, Mr.. Lincoln's plan of suggesting on
the 4th of March Union saving National Conven
ton is humbug. 1t means nothing but 'nlasterly
inactivity Meantime this Congress will have ex-
pired, and the difficulty of enforcing our federal
laws in the new.Southern confederacy will be very
apt to compel Mr. Lincoln at short notice. to call an
extra session of Congress to consider not the ques-
ton of National Convention but the policy OF re-
cognizng as an independent nation the confederaed
States of the South. Between this alternative and a
wasting civil war let him prepare to make his cleo
f1au