Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-05-22

abolish os,r gopeyn7ssut In such as lce
think 1roy,r. ia oyfrin and declare" &c. They
do not uretend that they have any authority
to .ssecede." they do not undertake to decide
about the adoctrine ofsecession;" but know
ing themselves and their constituents to be
freemen. and seeing their liberties about to
| be violently taken from them without their
consent, they take them into their own keep
ing and defy the instruments of Northern
| q spotism to come and take them. This is
now what is proposed to you, and is precise
" the same that was done by our forefathers
IN their struggle for the liberty and indepen-
! dence which they transmitted to Us. 1t is
| not secession" and whoever supports it Is
not thereby made .'secessionist:" but 1t Is
the act. the highest exhibition of the virtue,
manhood, courage and self-reliance, OF a
FREE PEOPLE. resolved 10 continue and pre-
serve their freedom or die nobly, goriously,
| joyously in its defence Do not deceive your
selves, or permit yourselves to be deceived
by the false cry that this glorious and manly
declaration is secession trick" or trap
to lure you to ruin
We beg of you to consider the consequent
ces of refusal to take this step now. The
war is now made upon Tennessee in conse-
quence of this declaration, though not
brought upon our soil Mr.. LINCOLN has
embraced US in what he terms Military
District. and placed US under the command
| of a Massachusetts General, who may, at any
| time it suits his convenience or caprice, de-
clare us under martial law. Our trade is
cut off with our neighbors and friends even
in the other slave-hOlding States, where 1t is
| in the power of our Oppressors to do It, We
are called rebels and traitors. just as our an
cestors in Virginia and North Carolina were
in the days of George ILL.,, and British tyran-
| ny; and war exists against US in every form
but actual invasion of our soil, and the desc
lation of our homes. What is this war for?
| What have we done that we should be subju-
gated or exterminated? What have we done
| but assert the right of revolution, and refer
red the question of its present exercise to
| the people? The war, then, upon US is moth
| ing more nor less than positive denial to
US of the right of revolution. That right
which has never been questioned in any free
| country is denied US. 1t is precisely the
same principle that gave birth to the dogma
of the divine right of kings. What is the
essential or practical difference between the
divine right of the king, and the divine right
of the Union? A nOminally Republican
| government can do any act of oppression
that kingly government can, and a real
| Black Republican government can perpetrate
| greater Outrages against an abused people,
than a king would ever think of committing
against his subjects. When we yield the
right of revolution, we yield the only essen
tial safeguard to freedom, and we yield it
forever We can have no further security for
any right. The North has the majority, the
majority is infallble, the majority is the
Union, the Union is scored, the Union is d.
vine, and the Union must be perpetual under
all circumstances. Such is the demand of
the entire North at this moment. They will
maintain it, if it is not successfully resisted.
Having sustained by the sword their denial
of our right to alter. reform or abolish our
government; having deprived US of the right
and the power to right our wrongs; having
wrested from US at the point of the bayonet
the last defence against oppression, and the
last stronghold of freedom, the way will be
open ever afterwards for every indignity,
every deprivation. every oppression, every
usurpatiOn, every abuse, that passion may
suggest, or revenge desire.
Be now warned. You have the issue
plainly and truthfully stated. Strike now
for liberty. or die slaves, and leave an unend-
ing servitude, dishonor and disgrace to your
children ard their children to the latest gen
Grafton.