The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-07-27


dents Address on the subject of emanci-
patton, say in the courseof their remarks:
"Nor do we (permit us to say, Mr.
with ali respect 10 YOU agree
that the institution Of slavery is "the
lever of their (i.o. the rebels,) power" but
we are of the opinion that "the lever Of |
their power" is the apprehension that
the power Of q common Government, |
created for common and equal prOteo- |
ton 10 the interests of all, will be WELD
ed against the institutions Of the South !
ern States"
Now an alarming inquiry forces itself
right here upon every rejecting mind
If demagogues and reckless office-hunt-
ers have been able to deceive the people
Of the South into the belief that the Fed
eral government intended TO destroy slav-
ery,at the very time when the government
was fostering and protecting the system
in everyway possible, win it not be just as
easy to do so in the future? Why the
most potent weapon ever used against
the venerable ORITTENDEN himself. whose
name is on the majority reply, was the
utterly absurd charge that he was I'M
sound on the slavery question, that he
was lukewarm on the Southern question,
and was not to be trusted. The ablest
politicians Of Kentucky themselves
slave owners such as MoREHEAD, GUTHRIE,
and HENRY CLAY himself, have all been
branded as Abolitionists by their adj
versaries. Slavery has been the stock in
trade of Kentucky politicians for years
past, and has excluded almost all other
topics in canvasses both for State and
Federal Offices. The reason is obvious; of
all questions il is best adapted to inaame
the fears, prejudices and indignation of
a slaye-holding population, and it is a
most unreasonable thing to suppose that
Ollico-hunters will drop 50 potent
weapon voluntarily. Men who have been
victimized as often rs most of the signers
ofthis Report have beer, ought certainly to
know that slavery is terrible lever of
power" in the hands of a mob leader,
and admirably adapted to precipitate the
State into civil war. In tact the nu-
merOus and minute laws and regulations
on the statute books of hentucky
in reference TO the regulation OF
slavery, prove how explosive a mater al
her legislators have always regarded il.
If peace were made ON the basis of the
recognition OF the Southern Couftderacy,
and Kentucky were a constituent part OF
If, neither Mr.. CRlTTENDES, nor Mr.
MALLORY, nor General JAUKsoS, nor Mr.
WlcKLWFE, though all slave holders,
would stand any better chance of being
elected to the humblest office than we do
of being Minister TO England; they
would be branded socially and politically
as AbOlihonists. Nor, again, if the Union
were restored tomorrow, with the system
of slavery untouched, would these gem
tlemen fare any better at the hands of
the Southern Rights men. Whenever
they might offer themselves as candidates
for Office, their loyalty to slavery would
be called in question, just as it has been
a thousand times in past days. Can any
sane man doubt the truth of this? Is
there the faintest shadow of n hope that
unprincipled office hunters will ever cease
TO appeal to the fears and supposed in
terests of slave holders so long as the
system of slavery exists? Experience,
too, has shown clearly that the slave
holding interest is more easily con-
solidated than any other Other inter-
csts may divide and act separately, but
the overwhelming mass Of Shareholders
act and vote together. The few excep-
tions to this rule seen in the occasional
isolation of a Congressional District in
Virginia, Louisiana, or Tennessee, or per
haps halfa delegation in Maryland orKen-
lucky, only 80 to illustrate our position
more forcibly, 1t viii be found even in
these cases that the successful candidate
t-heroded Hcrod, and proved himself
better Southern man" than his rival
Now, Of necessity, this consolidated in
teFest, moving, thinking, and acting TO-
gether; as inscparablo as the Siamese
twins; at all times linked together by
SELF interest, conscious l1eakpcSS and tedGmust
ever form the controlling hoad Of poit-
ical party. Does any man hope that the
Millennium is at hand, aud that office
hunters are all going to be honest? viii
a political caucus or convention cast
aside a watchword which has rallied
from ten to fourteen States, in many a
political contest and made eight presi-
dents Of the United States We think
not Just from our own acquaintance with
human nature. Ii is unreasonable to eX-
pect any such thing. Here, then, you
have the clements of a rebellion porpetu-
ally brewing; it is a magazine that may
explode either from q foreign or domestic
spark it is a volcano whose thunders,
though imprisoned, will not be hushed,
and may, at any moment, yomit out It's
torrent Of fire