Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-01-26

speech:
/, therefore, following the example of the noble
Senator from Tennessee Mr.. Johnsonl ayow my adj
herence to the Union in its integrity and with all its
parts, with my friends, with my party, with my
State, with my country, without either, as they
may determine, in every event. leer Of peace or Of
var a0iH sye Consequence Of honor or dishOHor, Of
- 49, ssl.a sz
The Union cannot be saved by proving that seces-
sion is illegal or unconstitutional Persons bent on
that fearful step will not stand long enough forms
of law to be disodged, and loyal men do not need
such narrow ground TO stand upon.
/ fear that little will be gained from discus
sing the rights OF the Federal Government to cOerce
seeding States into Obedience. If disu1on is to go
on, this question will give place TO the more practl-
cal one, whether many seeding States have right
to eoerce the remaining members to acguiesce in
dissolution. ....
dread. as in my Utmost soul abhor. civil war.
/ do not know what the Union would be worth If
saved by the of the sword Yet for 81 this, do
not agree with those who, with desire &c avert the
great calamity, advise conventional or unopposed
separation, with a view to what they call recon
structiOn; and secondly that the strength of the
vase in which the hopes of the natiC held con-
sists chiefly in its remaining unbroken.
Those familiar with Mr.. Stewards style of ad
dress, and with the character of the man, can not
for moment doubt that he meant what he says.
He is polite well too adroit 10 employ that
style of language, which might be construed into
threat, for such language would, he well knew,
only precipitate the action of the dsafected States
And yet it would be difficult for words to make the
idea more clear that coercion would be the pol
icy of the administration of which he is to be prime
Bearing always in mind the fact that it Is to the
North we must hereafter look for evidence as to the
policy of the Federal Government rather than to the
South, which is new in hopeless minority, and
compile ely at the mercy of the Black Republican
States so far as Federal legislation is concerned let
us look for a moment at a few general facts Of
startling import. -.-.
bow many Of the Black Republican members Of
Congress have repudiated either the doctrine or
purpose of coercion, when all peaceable efforts to
induce submission the part Of the seeding States
shall have failed? Not one. On the contrary, SO
far as there has been expression of opinion and
it has been quite general it has been in favor of the
policy of enforcing the laws of the General Gov
eminent wherever its jurisdiction extends, and
claiming that jurisdiction well against seeding
States as against those which shall be content to
abide the action of the administration Some,
it is true, are not yet prepared to invest General
ScoTT with dictatoral powers, but not the less on
that account have right TO infer that Trey will
favor the policy Of peaceable secession.
Mr. SHERMAN. who stands at the head Of the Black
Republican party in the House of Representative,
IN his speech on the 18th, said y a.a
Under the grave responsibility upon which we
are acting feel it to be my duty to you, to my fell
loH-nembers, aud 10 my GOVnuymen, North and
South, to say frankly that in voting for this Army
bill vote with the expectation that tie Army will
be used in protecting the acknowledged property of
the United States, N Tec0rerNg that ul.ch has been
taken, and 10 maintaining the Union.
In the same speech he said
V-Sir we owe it az the most sacred of duties to put
down this heresy (Secession) If 1t now fortifes
itselS bv sectional anmosites if it rises from party
rebellion to sectional and civil war, still It must and
will be met with determined resistance Upon this
poitn am glad 50 say, the people Of Ohio are
unted II the unanimous voice of the Legislature OF
that State Is a true indication
He concludes with these ominous words:
Ibelieve the Republican Administration will do
right Give it trial. That is all we ask, and 1'tot
are lriR demand at al hazards
Look again to the action Of the Northern States
whose Legislatures haze lately convened Read
and reread the resolutions of New FORK, Massachu-
.etts and Ohio We might refer to other evidences
NJ Northern sentiment which the general reader
vroua readily understand, butWe prefer to ooniine
ourselves to evidence which Is papable unmistaka-
bls and yet sufficiently ample TO controEert the
o,inion of the Banner " that there are no real
grounds for any such apprehension as indicated
nv the name of the anti-eoercion organization. But
that we may not be misunderstood. we repeat, If
tbe South shall be a practical lua in resisting this
odious doctrine and shall in good time, put it
seIf in a position of defense which shall make
such an attempt hopeless of success, then We shall
sov As we have before said, that there will be much
Sess ground of apprehension than now. Tho" ~s
Ssss zoe shall haze peace ard no i0ar IN the sense
ia which that term is generally understood.
We cannot effect this unity Of seton by attempt
,rc 10 divide our community into classes by giving
encouragement to Helperism, bypretending thatone
,orton of our citizens sre less interested in the
maintenance and protection Of cur institutions than
anotssr In our opinion coercion and civil war can
s prevented only by srming the State to she teeth,
and then lock shields and link our destiny with the
States now ont Of the Union. So loug as We re-
main IN The Union the influence of the State is con
strnes in favor of Black Repubhcsnism and against
the South. While we remain in 1.-THE Union
we never can convince the blscK hsPuO-
hcan party that the Union men ef Inc
State will not submit to their rule without con-
cession or compromise Every sentiment eH
pressed by the Black Republicans in or out OF their
press, and in every other way show how utterly
futile 1t Is to hope for the lowering of their standard
Dy even hairs breadth Mr.. SHERMAN referring
20 me principles embraced in the BREcKNRIDGE
platform says:
Is 1t likely that we will yield what our Northern
DEMOCRATIC friends could NOT vieI5S Con Won ex-
pect mat TINS Black Republican parry as you
please 70 can H. viii yield to you what your North