Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-05-19
Program me of the Irrepressible Conflict.
From th Knoxville Register.


At whatever point the conflict of arms may COM
mence and whatever section may bear the brunt of
it. it seems clear to us that Northwestern Virginia
Is be the base of the operations of the irrepres
slble conflict" which it is confdentiay calculated
will abolItioniZe the border States. From our tee
graphic dispatches it will be seen that traitors
convention is now IN session at Wheeling, and that
they propose detach that section of Virginia from
the Southern Confederacy, and unite with the aboli
ton government. 1t is pretended that rs counties
are represented in this convention. There may be
traitor in each of Is counties of the Old Domi-
Mon. who may claim 10 represent these counties,
but knowing the trick praetIced by the Black Re-
publican convention that met at Wheeling 10 form
Lincoln electoral ticket in the last election, we
doubt that % counties can furnish traitor
each for the present 6isgraceful asseDlblage. Be
that it may, the convention is in session there,
with the purposes shown; and further. the Lincoln
dynasty have pledged themselves that the Union men
of Northwestern Virginia shall be sustained and
protected with the whole force of the Federal Gov
eminent if necessary.
There is more in this Wheeling movement than
the mere detection of the Virginia Panhandle.
We have before us q small abolition volume, pres
pared at the office of the New York Times and
lately circulated extensively through the Border
States entitled the Effect of Secession. &c." 1t is
accompanied with map, showing the distribution
of slaves in the Southern States. On this map is
laid out district of country extending from North
western Virginia through Kentucky and East Ten
nessee TO the cotton district, in which slavery is
represented having almost no existence. To
this territory the writer of the volume before US
thus alludes:
This great tongue or wedge of land carries
Northern ideas. Northern industry, Northern popu-
laton right into the heart of Cottondom and within
two hundred miles of the Gulf of Mexico. 1t is
now, and must continue to be, the strategeuc line
controlling the whole question Of Secession. 1t
now holds the Border States"
Here we have the secret of the vast promises of
aid TO the Virginia traitors from the Lincoln Gov
ernment-the programme of their campaign. The
public cannot fail TO perceive too, that in order to
the successful prosecution Of this programme, the
Abolition Government must have agents in TenneS-
see with the bulldog perseverance" of Andy John
son-that money must be layIshed-that the Union
men of Tennessee must be melted to take up arms
that. in short, East Tennessee must be carried
against Independence in the coming election, if it
can be at all hazards and at any cost TO the Abo-
litiOnsts Hence, too should the vote of East Ten
nessee for Union be overwhelmed by the vote of the
other sections of the State the secret Of the threat
that East Tennessee will resist, even by force, any
union with the Southern Confederacy.
In this connection we will state that we have
good TO believe that johnson il negotia-
ting with the North for arms and ammunition to
arm the Union men of East Tennessee TO sustain
this stratagetical aim of the Lincoln Government.
A Convention OF Union men in East Tennessee is
called for the 3Oth of May. 1t signed by number
of influential citizens of this city Every cOunty in
East Tennessee is urged to send delegates. We
cannot think that the parties to this call have any
thought of lending their influence to the damnable
strategy we have exposed above; but we would
ask, will not johnson and others, who are in close
league and alliance with the originators of this plot
be the ruling spirits of that Convention, and will
not whatever of mistaken but honest devotion to the
Union there may be in that Convention be made
unwtingly, but equally as unavoldaby, to subserye
the base ends Of Llncoln's hrelings?
Let the honest Union masses of East Tennessee
ponder these things calmly and seriously.