New-York daily tribune., 1861-05-15
yOUV BELL.

making a speech at Nashville, wherein he threw
hirnself body and boots into the camp Of the
traitors. OF course, be did this with hesita-
tions and qualifications, for he never does any.
thing wthout; but the effect was just the same
as il he had directly sworn allegiance to Jei'.
Davis, though he has since assured loyal friends
that he meant il for Union speech Having
at length been driven to publish its substance,
we give that substance in our columns to-day.
And now let us look closely into it:
Mr.. Bell begins by saying
"It were worse than useless to attempt any expo.
saou of the causes which had brought the country
into its present perous coudon, or to inquire VINO
were to blame or who were Innocent OF proyoAlnS the
strife The past should be regarded as sealed book
We must now look to the realities OF the present and
the contingencies OF the lutuIe, ana make such pro-
visions for bOta as wisdom and prudence may dildtc
Practically we mad thrown or the authority of the
Government. With the general approval OF the peo-
Ile the call for troops by the President had been re-
pGdated; ara q war of such character was menaced
bv A united North; war, III elect, of sn6lugatlon
which, ii made, would have to be net by united
South and Nould lead inevitably to permanent sera-
ration of the entire South from the North"
-" Useless to inquire who were to blaTnc,'
Mr.. Bell 7 Hhy useless You tell MS that the
people Of Tennesscc-aud you among them
have "thrown off the authority of the Federal
Government" They have resisted and ded"d
the authority of tho President aud are preparing
to mako that resistance systematic and deadly.
And you, a Christian statesman, tell your neigh
bors and followers that it were worse than
"useless to inquire who were TO blame or who
"were innocent of provoking the strife" Could
.lk sot cnrlh mo
morality
You coolly assume TINT the people of Tennes-
see are to arm aud fight tho GoSernment-ior
what You accuse it Of seeking to subjugate
the South. No, Sir Not so The Government
resists and seeks to subjugate armed rebellion,
because it must do so; but that is not suejuga-
ting the South. save in so far as the South
plunVes into the rebellion. Tennessee had simply
to do her plain duty as loyal State and nobody
this way would ever have thought Of subjugating
her. How. then, can you pretend that the Gov
ernment makes war upon the South III your
neighbor ressts a legal process, and the sherlh
summons YOU to help him give effect ~ that
process, do you make war on that neiShoor oy
complying
Mr. Bells Characteristic twaddling and see
saving between loyalty and treason, we pass 10
silent contempt. Suffice it that, like oil who
seek to steer midway betwiIt right aud wrong,
he lands plump in wrong at last.
He says he urged Mr. Lincoln in march, TO
" administer the Government in a just, pacific,
" and concatory spirit" Well has he not
done sol What say the blackened aud battered
walls of Fort Sumter What say the sacked
Armories and Arsenals in North Carolina and
Virginia What say the captured forts in Arkan-
sas1 Should the President have stood stlll until
its last fort. arsensl, aud customhouse had been
wrested from the Federal Government by the
armed hosts of Secession Is this the dictate of
the late stsndard-bearer Of the party that rallied
for 1.-The Union, the Constitution, and the En-
" forcement Of the Laws" Let us hear hun:
"Mr b. stated that he had strongly urged npon
all, in any position Of Influence IN tie hepubhSah
party, whom he met at Washing on, and W ON he felt
al liberty TO confer with upon the auh e. tho pohcy OF
Withdrawing from the southern forts IN The possession
Of tie Government except those on The tlorIa reels
ald aiordiDg opportunity for COLLISION between
the troops OF The secedcd States ana those % tne poF
eruHent."
Mr.. Bell you are known to be lawyer aud
professed Christian, aud yoa knoe that this
tame surrender Of public property, this refusal
to uphold and enforce the laws, would have been
a gross, palpable violation Of the Inauguration
oath which MIR. Lincoln took with such solemnity
on the ith Of March last That he so regarded
it, hc expressly stated ia bis Inaugural: has any
maa ever attempted to clnfute him ! How dare
,ou ask him 10 violate bis oath, to skulk from
his duty, aud surrender to rampant treason the
Government of the United States How eau
you stand before tine American People, whose
suiIrages you so lately invited, and tell them tLat
you if elected, would tLus have pejrured your
self and betrayed your high trust
But hear him further:
eff that policy surreuderI ,houli not be sue
cessfrl after allowing reasonable time 20 the seeded
Sta'es to rv the experiment 0i separate C0ncieracy,
and they should still manifest liberalization to main
tain then ndepe ndcn,e, might be iegardeda ~ certain
tht the policy Of coercion 10y tie usJ 0f the bnyonet
could not succeed
This is lame logic. " If your froward child
" errs when you let him do just as he peasrs,
YOU may be certain that Le will do worse if
you attempt to restrain and control him.
We don't know about that At all events, we
should give the policy fair trial.
Mr.. Bell says he left Washington in the conf.
dent belief that Mr. Lincoln would pursue "a
"paci6c policy" What can the man mean ?
Does not the sheriff or police marshal who strictly
enforces the laws pursue pacific policy Would
he come nearer it by telling every rowdy TO obey
or def the laws as he should dcem most conye-
nient