Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-02-09
GO TO THE POLLS!
Freemen of Tennessee, go
to the Polls and Vote for
CONVENTION, 'andfor
ANTI-CoERcIoN CANDIDATES.
r...,.. 4. cheasaam and others.

mcssrs. A. Cheatham and others.
tr.,,l,,n,a,-Iu nv last letter, I endesvsred to
show he error Of the President elect and of the
Abolition party, in the assertion made BY them,
,L.t ,be States which formed the Constitution PIT
=; ancrat;on a series Of measures for the ultimate
| o~t;pction of slavery. | shall row endeavor 10
sho The error contained in his statement that the
| comparative reppse which existed in the United
states in regard to slavery from the formation Of
! Inc Constitution, in the year 1889 to 1920, was
| o1;po 10 the fact that the people Of the United
States were satisfied that it was in course of ex-
tinction, and that they were watching it as it ex-
| pired. just the contrary is the fact The people,
during that period saw slaves increasing in number
in all the old Southern States and in the new States
Of Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama. They saw
the acquisition of Louisiana with slaves in it. ad-
mitted into the Union. They saw Florida acquired
with slaves in it; they saw Missouri rapidly grow
ing up with it, when part of Louisiana Instead
therefore, of watching il as it expired, in the
thirty years alluded to, they watching it as it
grew and expanded over the Southern part Of North
America.
Now what was the truth? 1t was that the excite
ment was slight, and almost wholly political, be-
cause, during great part of that entire period,
slavery existed to soEe extent in nearly all Of the
Northern States 1t was because the men who kept
the slave trade open and secured snd protected the
institution were still alive The debates in the Ma
tional Convention, and Of the conventions of the
States ratifying the Constitution, and elaborate
publications like the Federalist, issued through the
newspapers, ali had given the whole people full
knowledge of the principles on which the Union
was based Ii would have been worse than Punie
faith for the generation of men who had established
the Constitution to have overthrow its guarantees
l shall now rotice some of the progressive steps
by which the anti-slavery party of the North was
brought into existence, and has continued its ag-
nufi ON cd rad IN ha eY-
tinction of slavery has seized possession Of the
Government
1 shall pass without special notice the parties
formed in the Cabinet of General Washington, and
in Congress headed by Jefferson. Madison, Monroe
and others in the South sustaining the sovereignty
of the States, and By Hamilton, Adams and others
advocating stronger Government, tending to con-
soidation and monarchy. The Jeffersonian party
sympathizing with the revolutionists IN France
and in Europe, the Hamiltonan party SYM
paihizing with the holy alliance and the
law and order party in Europe. General Washing
ton stated in letter to Mr. Jefferson, that he had
decided as often for the Jeffersonian, as for the
HamiltOnian party.
/ shall pass by without special notice the fact
that the advent of the Hsmltoaian party to pow
er ander the lead Of Adams, was characterized by
law called the Aleen law, authorizing the President
to remove from the country all foreigners whom he
might think dangerous TO the peace Of the country
an arbitrary discretion, dangerous to the liberties
Of a free people. This administration was also
characterized by the passage of q law called the
Sediion law, and which authorized indictments In
the Federal Courts, against persons who should
print and publish defamatory matter against the
President, heads Of departments SC. This was re-
garded as breaking down the freedom of the press,
as secured by the Constitution, and securing the
Government against investigation of its aims,
which would end in most corrupt if not in mon
srehsl Government.
These laws gave rise to the Virgins and Kentucky
resolutions 1898 and 1799 and led to the eVerturn
ingof the Northern administration and brought into
power the Republican party Of that day, led on by
Jefferson and Madison. This triumph of the plant
ing States of the South the commercial States
of the North created the deepest hostility to the
South by large portion of the Northern people,
and the subsequent acquisition of Louisiana by
purchase from Bopaparte, then in power in France,
was resisted with great violence chiefly in the New
England States 1t was said that the admission in
to the Unicn part CT the United States, terri
tory larger in extent than the original thirteen
States was in itself, dissolution Of the Union snc
discharge of all the original parties to the COM
pact. John Quincy Adams stated that determl-
nation existed on the part of the New England fed
eralists to withdraw New England from the con-
federacy, from that period till 1914. The over
wheming popularity of the acquisition in the South
and West, secured the adoption Of the treaty and
the Incorporation Of the territory into The Union,
with special guaranty to its inhabitants Of oil the
rights Of citizens of the United States.
In 1872, Louisiana vas admitted State into
the Union, and in the same year the war against
Great Britain waged to resist the asserted right Of
that power TO search American ships and impress
naturalized seamen, broke out. The Southern
States with much unanimity sustained and carried
on this war, whilst most Of the Northern States,
and especially the New England States resisted it
with unprecedented violence. This resulted mainly
from the fact that the non-ntercourse measures Of
Mr.. jefferson, aad the war policy of Madison, had
broken down the commerce Of the New England
States This resulted in the call of the celebrated
Convention of the New England States, which met
at Hartford. The design imputed to that Conven-
ton, was the establishment of New England Con-
federacy-a separate treaty with Great Britain
and statements were made that the Duke of Kent,
brother 10 the reig3iDg monarch Of Great Britain,
was TO be crowned King Of New England. The
design however, in all probability gent no further
than the establishment of q separate Government
under the protectorate of Great Britain. This
wss attributed TO the slave pGwer. The approxima-
ton of psaee closed the deliberations of this famous
Convention with propositions to amend the Constr
tuiun the chief of which that the article in the
Constitution allowing representation, based upon
slaves shall b. abrogaed and that no new States
shall be admitted, except upon vote Of two-thlrds
of each house.
TAus it was, about quarter Of q century after
The formation of the Constitution, that the first
organized assault HSs made by New England on TIE
Constitution, with view to break down the polIti-
cal power of the Southern States. The poison
which the Hartford Convention infused n the pub
lie mind soons pread through the whole population
of the Northern States and the act Of 1893, passed
for the reclamation of fugitive slaves, was found to
be insufficient to meet the altered state OF the pubic
mind and in 1917 bill was introduced to amend
that lsW and give more Efficient remedy. 1t was
defeated by Northern votss.
THE ADMIssioS OF MISSOURI.
In 1919, Florida was acquired from Spain, in
which slaves were held, as in all the Spanish colo
MES. Arkansas vest of the Mississippi river, was
rapidly acquiring suffciency of population to be
State and Missouri memorslized Congress to en-
oct Law to enable her form Constitution, prepsr-
stoYV to her admission On the Introduction OF sn
enabling act, Mr. Tslmadge, of Kew York. introduc-
ed section, providing fer the frcedotl Of al Eav2g
born in Missouri, after such slave should arrive al
at the age Of twenty-one and prohibiting the intro
ductOn of others from beyond the limits OF the
State. This bill passed il the House bit was de-
feated ultimately in the Senate
Thomas, of Illiuois offered he following
"Yhst in all that Territory coded by
ceded by kraac5 20 the United States, under the IL
tie of Louisiana wkich lies North Of thirty-sK de-
gress thirty minutes North latituds, not included
within the limits of the State, contemplated by this
ect slavery and involuntary seryitude, otherwise
than in the punishment of crimes, whereof the
parties shall have keen duly convicted. shall be,
and is hereby forever prohibited: Provided always
that any person escaping into the came, irO abor
or service is lawfully claimed in any State or Ter
ritory of tae United States, such fugitive may be
| lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person
claiming his or her labor or sevice az aforesaid"
There does lot appear upon the face Of this enabling
act sDy INDICATIONS of o bargain er compromise
1t is merely an act providing that the inhabitants
| of the Missouri Territory should be authorized to
| form Constitution and State Government. and
| when SO formed. shall be admitted into the Union
uuop an equality with the other States in all re-