Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-04-24
The Progress of the Revolutton-The
Duty of Tennessee.

The Progress of the Revoiufton-The
Duty of Tennessee.
The we'll authenticated events OF the past
ten DAYS are sufficient, we imagine, to con-
vince every reasonable mind OF the utter
hopelessness of peaceful solution of the in
tersectional troubles which have divided the
country for some years. Though these events
have been attended with degree of excite
ment, general and all-pervading, unknown
to the present generation, they sufficiently
Indicate that war alone can lead US to peace.
The events at Fort Sumter and the quick
following proclamation of Mr.. LINCOLN call
ing upon all the noR-seceding States Tor
troops, together with the prompt response
from the non-seceding slave-holding States
refusing obedience to the call, has obliterated
all party distinctions in the North and united
the whole people of that section in support
of the war of subjugation upon the South
which is now in progress. This fact is un-
questionable. We know Of no influential
individual or journal in the whole North
who or which advocates peace, or looks to
anything but the umpirage of War between
the two sections. We hear but one voice
from that entire region. Among all the FORM
er opponents of the party which now has
control of the Federal administration, there
IA not one of whom we know, of high or low
degree, who is no. willing to stand by the
administration in the;vigorous aud desolating
prosecution Of that war. We cannot deceive
ourselves If we could, and for our own part
we would not if we could. Whilst we have
resisted thi. dire alternative from the begin
ming and urged with all our power peace and
union. we are forced to the conclusion that
the one is altogether out of the question, and
the other is gone irretrievably.
In this condition Of things our own State
has been placed in q peculiar position. liz
the first place she declared her devotion to
the whole Union so long as it could be main
tanned on the principles of justice and equali-
ty to every State and to each individual.
This appears now to be impossible. At the
same time she declared her disbelief in the
idea and doctrine of "peaceable secession
but reserving to herself the inalienable right
to throw off by an act of revolution the au-
thority of the government of tie Union,
when by its NAL administration it became in
tolerable to her. She also reiterated the
principle of the Declaration OF Independ-
ence that all free government is based upon
the consent of the people, and took decided
ground against the doctrine of eoercing the
seeded States into an unwilling Union by
force of arms. Such we understand to have
been the position OF Tennessee from the be-
ginning. We understand her people to oc-
eupy the same position still. 1t now remains
for her to determine her path of duty under
these principles, and to pursue that path at
all hazards. To do otherwise would be
10 sacrifice her honor and her liberty, and
rather than do either she will suffer an
Inhalation. This is the first question for
her to decide, and in SO deciding she
must put herself in condition to exc
cute her judgment She must therefore arm
her sons. Let her make no account either of
blood or treasure, but arm to the teeth, and
sooner than shrink from duty, sooner than
sacrifice her honor, her liberty, or her rights,
give up everything else. 1t is these only for
which freemen live; without these life itself
i. intolersble. Let but the great cardinal
principle of free consent be overturned and
freedom is at an end. To this We must look
first, and in standing on this ground we must
accept all the consequences, whatever they
may be.
We have already set out in this glorious
pathway. We have refused to furnish SOL
diers to aid sectional Administration in its
nefarious attempt to overturn the Constitu-
ton and to substitute in its place an unjust
and unequal party platform. This is our first
step. But it is not our only step. To refuse
to furnish men. and at the same time consent
to furnish money to carry on this war of sub
jugation would be worse than nonsense. We
will not only not furnish men, but we must
cut of money supplies. To do this We must
declare in some form our independence of
the government which seeks to rob US of the
rights of freemen. Let Us do this as soon as
possible, and thus give ourselves wholly to
the cause of justice and liberty. In view Of
past events and those every hour occurring
this is demanded at our hands, without re-
gard to consequences. We can provide for
results IS they come. Let US defend Ten
ne.see from this war of subjugation and dis
honor at every cost. Let US first ride sue
eessfully the storm of Revolution upon which
we are thrown, and then we can determine
in which hsrbor we shall cast anchor for fu-
ture safety. In the battles which are coming
rzill ate nd in of oil nd hot a1l
must of necessity come from the slaveholding
States-an Of them. During the war there
must be a united South, whether afterwards
or not, The identity of object and the COM
munity OF interest existing in all the slave
holding States must and will unite them for
the purposes of the war which is forced upon
Us, and in such manner aud to such extent as
shall make that union most effective against
= common enemy. In the raising of men,
the Supplying of means and in the conduct of
the war there must be either entire unity or
the most perfect concert. Whoever disbe-
ceived by experience.
Tennessee does rot claim the right of Sc
cession, but she acts. like freemen ought al
ways to act, upon the inherent right of reyo-
luton. She is already by the action of her
Chief Executive and by the almost unani-
NOUS sentiment OF her people in revolution
airy attitude, and she must and she will COM
plete it. But to her, words are of little worth,
and banners and flags are nothing except as
the emblems of great principles. Therefore
We invoke the people all over the State to
permit nothing of this sort to come between
them and their first and paramount duty
Every breeze from the North tells us to arm
for our own defence, every suggestion of rea-
son and right appeals to Us to fight the bat
ties of the South as against despotie North