Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-02-01
10 the voters Of Knox Conrtv.

FELLOW CITIZENS: The Legislature of the Stat
now in extraordinary session. at Nashville, resco,
MIXING the public peril, have, BY a unanimous yoi
of the Senate. and by an overwhelming vote Of III
House, enacted law calling a Convention of III
State. and the 9th day of February next month. j
the time appointed for the people to elect their de
egates.
respectfully, fellow-citizens, present myself a
candidate to represent Knox county in the Cor
vention and in the most brief manner possible
proceed to declare the views l entertain. and b
which shall be governed, if honored with the hia
position seek.
The action to be had by the Convention is th
most important which Tennessee has ever bee,
called to take. Nothing less than the tranquility
the security the freedom. and the very existence
our people is involved. We cannot remain inactive
70 stand still is to act and to choose for association
hereafter with the North rather than the South
There is no question now Of Union or disunion an
no weilinformed nam can justly present such choic
to the people or insist upon that issue. The Gov
erument is alreadysbroken up and the question TO
you to decide is, whether you will choose the Nortl
or the South Association with the one or the othe
is a necessity we cannot control Separation is al
existing fact and States as well as men are obliged
to consider and act upon facts as they exist. TIL
eghth section OF the act of the Legislature calling
the Convention is in the following words
"Be 1t further enacted, That no ordinance or reso
luton, which may be adopted by said Convention
having for its object change of the position or re
latlon OF this State to the NATIONAL UNION OR HEI
SISTER SOUTHERN STATES, shall be of any bindin,
force or effect until it is submitted to, and ratified
ana adopted by majority of the qualified voters IL
the Staten &C.
This public law of the -St4te enacted by the near
~ unanimous vote of the Legislature, and for which
your Senators and one of your Representa- ives
the other being sick and absent-yoted. recognize.
and establishes the fact of the two conflicting pow
ers of "AGioRal Union I" and our ''sisrER SouTHER,
STATES and contemplates that the people and theil
delegates in the Convention are reduced to the al
Tentative Of a choice between them. What is you1
choice in this sad condition-in tins great public ca
lamity? Without the slightest hesitation or doubt
answer am for the South, aud shall lend my aid
to place Tennessee and her destiny for veal or woe
with her .'sister Southern States1
This is the feeling-this is the incnation-this is
the interest and this is the affection of every impulse
which should animate Tennessean. This COMFORTS
with the honor, the equality, the independence Of
Tennessee.
feryently hope, as patriot, that every State OF
the South, and By united people in each State may
without intestine strife and without civil discord
march with single tread TO the consummmatio n
OF their high and stern resolve. Union among our
selves Is the only safety. united South will repeI
all interest in the enemy to attempt subugation and
will command respeet-forbearance from them |;
Is my settled opinion if there shall be serious di
visions Of opinion in the South that the triumphant
alb litionists will seek by force of arms to compel
SuDiuihSlOu huIuOIlly, winch mas DseH used
always heretofore whenever they had power, and
M be used dgdin c abolish the institutions of slavery
Yerywhere, TO destroy all distinction arising from
color and existing between the white man and the
negro-plAcing the negro morally socially and le-
gally upon the same common level with the white
man. ard III every conceivable manner, and way,
insulting aud degrading Southern men. Are YOU
prepared, my countrymen, to see your fields desc
lated-your habitatlons destroyed-your fellow cit
zens, your wives and children, slaughtered either
by abolitionism from abroad, or by discordant
connecting divided and phreRzed passion of broth
ers and neighbors at home? VIII you not avert this
the direst Of all calamities? Viii you not unite and
move together one man?
We do not differ as to the wrongs and injuries wan
tonly and wickedly inflicted upon us by blind IA
naticism-we disagree only as to the means of re-
dress and shall il be SAID of u.s. by the impartial
historian, that We turned our knives and bullets
upon our own brethren in fratricidal war making
our warfare upon our brethren mere bitter and re-
lentlescly than against the common enemy, only on
confhcung opinions as to WHAT REpREss and WHEN
we shall exact it.
There is no party in this-there can be no party
in it. In revolutions OF sections, parties de-and
they are dead. In all the North, where the South
had as late as last November, a million and a half
or more of voting friends, there can now be heard
only here and there, at long intervals of time,
feeble, waiting note of sympathy for US, and this
Union, and harmony of action by the dominant sec
tlon IS also thedggreSSiCs section uniting to crush by
force of arms the oppressed and weaker section
Great God-reverently call upon his holy name
will not the South, the injured-the sggFieved-
the oPpressed-the degraded section UNITE to de-
lend themselves their honor-the safety of wives
and children-the equality and tranquility of their
States-their native home?
All of us-every citizen of the State-is or should
be deeply concerned in this momentous struggle;
but If there be degrees of interest it is the humble
D0or man whom it most vitality affects If war and
ha aOIow hold
las the ability to transfer those and dear to
llm and dependent on him for protection, to places
If safety, and support them there while he meets |
he invading foe. If the odious doctrine of negro
equality comes the wealthy again remove to |
ome region where the number of this degraded |
ace will be so few that they cannot degrade the |
white race. How different will be the fate of the
Worthy, HONORABLE POOR While they bare their |
osoms to the storms of war their loved ones in the
ocalitIes OF its desolation must share that fate /
which brutal soidlefy choose to inIct-a fate have
lot the heart to poPtray-end if negro equality shall
btain they again and the humber they are for that
eason the more certainly are by necessity in, and
must remain where the degraded rage are numer-
US and riotng III their assumed equality cast upon
hem suddenly what horror of horrors will they
etrain from, IN tier forced association lc tbshelp
IS?
THIS is no exaggerated, overdrawn picture 1t
lay soon be sober reality and the one or the other
rlghttu as either may be. will only be arrested by
ssuming position with our Southern sisters" and
nth such united action among ourselves as will
nable US to depart IN peace from a false fanatical
md dominant section who have broken up the
government of our fathers, and who are the trei-
,rs Of the country.
-citizens-Many OF you remember when
oolitiOnism was but small, dark spot on the
IN of our National glory. For a number of wears
S hateful spirit grew slowly in national action, but
eyertheless it grew steadily ard long before its
aletul objects had marked page of ruin on the
atoms escutcheon it had the control of States and
lelded Its power to degrade and ensave the free
'uth' 1t was my fortune, as your Representative |
congress, to be present when aholitionsm Has |
'st lnaEgurated into seGtiOnal organization |
aspng at National power, on the single idea Of ag-
esslon upon the South, to degrade and ruin her |
hen the 34th Congress met, the North seeking no |
d. expecting no co operation, desiring no support ;
ON the South, presented MP. Banks as their cam |
date for Speaker-the third officer of the Govern
ent and upon an interrogatory then propounded | !
him, he stated in his place in the American Com
ess-I quote from official records:
Il have to say, in this matter, that ascent the
ctrlne OF the Declaration of independence, THAT I
III MEN ARE CREATED FREE AND Equal. In
gard to the superiority OF races, | am Impressed
tn the conviction that it is TO be determined ree
ntly by capacity for endurance. So far as | have
ldied the subject it seems to me to be the general
that the weaker is ABSORBED or disappears alto
Their. Whether the black race of this continent Z
any other part of the world, is EQUAL TO THE s
HITE RACE CAN ONLY BE DETERMINED BY
he ABSORPTION OR DISAPPEARANCE OF t
Ne OR THE OTHER, AND PROPOSE TO WAIT
IT'LL THE RESPECTIVE RACES CAN BE. PRO p
,RLY SUBJECTED TO THIS PHILOSOPHICAL | II
ST BEFORE GIVE 4 DECISIVE ANSWER" h
These Etrociogs sentiments we're received By al a
tonsts WITH iroars Of laEghEe.n ana after their II
erance by Northern votes alone he was elected n
en- again the single idea of hostility to the South
iting them, they nominated strictly Northern 81
'tional ticket f. the Presidency and Vice Presi-
hey. in 1856. and came very near electng It, The n
ne destructive and unfortunately growing, sec L.
nal spirit continued increasing in malgnity as it
wv IN numbers, and our divisions and dis d
'ds, until 1860 when it nominated its candidates. W
I'D BY THE FORMS but AGAINST THE tn
IRIT AND SUBSTANCE OF THE CONSTR 10
TION succeeded in electing its candi- at
es. The HOminatiQn was made en- The
gle considerations of hostility 10 the whole South q
her institutions, under the highest pledge of Al
Tor which can bind man TO his filth. Mr.. Lin er
n accepted the nomination, and avowed his de- an
mination to maintain and enforce the platform en-
his party. The canvass was conducted solely IN
the view and the whole North unted-a IN
cton of one small State only excepted-and or
S secured by gross fraud upon the Constitu- al
and our rights by mere form, the election of Ia
Sc sectional candidates Since the electlon- no