Daily Nashville union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1862, 1862-04-26
The Spirit OF thc North and Object
OF The RepnbIienn Party.

we lntenu 10 give IN q lew WOrQs5 ana
frankly, what we believe to be the pur-
pose Of the Northern people respecting
the institution Of Slavery IN the States
By the North, we, Of course, do not mean
Greeley, Wendell Phillips, and the Jaco-
binical, revolutionary faction led by them,
who answer in the Northern States to the
per Sc Disunionists in the South But we
\ mean Che Bell party, the Douglas party,
three fourths of the Breckenridge party,
and very large majority Of the Repub-
flican party--constituting altogether, we
believe, the largest party ever known in
the Northern States, or, more correctly
speaking, the Free States We say, then,
that it is our firm conviction that The 8g8-
tenn Of Slavery in the Statee IS in no danger
whatever from any assault made by The Re-
publican party The Chicago Platform on
which Mr. Lincoln was elected declared,
unequiyocally, that the domestic and To-
cal institutions Of the several States were
Objects of State legislature exclusively.
I SO repeatedly Mr. Lincoln has declared.
The following resolutions passed the
United States House of Representatives,
February 18th, 1861, by a nearly unani-
nous votes
ResolUed, That neither the Federal
Government nor the people or govern
ment of the non-slaveholding States have
a purpose or constitutional right to legis-
late upon or interfere with slavery in any
of the States of the Union.
ReSolUed, That those persons in the
North who do not subscribe TO the fore
going proposition are too insignificant in
numbers and influence to excite the Sc
riOus attention or alarm of any portion
of the. people of the Republic, and that
the increase of their numbers and inllu-
ence does not keep pace with the increase
OF the aggregate population Of the Union.
In the late debate on the bill to eman-
cipate slaves in the District of Columbia,
on the condition of compensation to their
owners, Hon. W. NJ Dunn, Representa-
tive from Indiana, and speaking for one
of the strongest Republican Districts in
the State, said
understand the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. VallandiDgham) to say, few min
utes since, that he had been accustomed
10 hear the charge that il was the pur.
pose of the Republican party to interfere
with slavery in the Slave States de-
nounced as TocOfocO lie and a SLAM
der" and j wish TO say that, in my
opinion, the charge was very properly
designated, / sag ID is not the p,apoee Of
tie Republican partH DeUer has Jeea, nor Ger
wiH be, a0hile am member II 10 interfere
l0ih slaUeyy IN the States by Congressional
action. II is a SANDER upon the party TO
so charge; and this wicked falsehood,
charged at the South, and attempted TO
be proved by the reckless statements of
political partisans at the North, has done
much to involve us3in our present trou-
bles. IL may be that some who, as &C.
casion suits them, act with the Repubi-
can party, but are not of il, are in favor
of interfering with slavery in the Slave
States. But, sir, we do not get the doc
trines of party from a few individuals
who may act with it, or be of it, but
from its authoritative utterances through !
its regularly constituted organs,
When the representatives of the Re- !
publican party met at Chicago in 1860 !
and nominated the present chief execu-
tive officer Of the nation, then they spoke !
with the authority of the people they re-
presented and made the declaration |
that, in their judgment, Congress had no
right to interfere with slavery where it |
existed under State authority. And let |
me say here that if that Convention. had !
not so declared, or if such had not been |
known 20 be the sentiments of the party, |
Mr.. Lincoln would not to-day be the |
President of the United States, nor would |
we now have Republican majority |
upon this floor.
But il is doctrine Of the Republican /
party that Congress has the right, the |
constitutional power, TO inhibit slavery |
in the territories, and abolish il in the |
District of Columbia, and that is another
reason why the people gave their conf
dence 10 he candidates OF that party.
This is most important testimony as TO
the purpose and spirit Of the North with
regard to the domestic institutions OF the
States. We hope that no secession lead
err will call in question the sincerity of
these declarations, for it would lily be-
come one who is himself polluted with
perjury, treason, fraud and covenant
breaking TO reproach an adversary with ]
a want of good faith. A kettle should |
be very polite indeed when discussing |
the subject of blacl,ness. Let us consid-