Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-28

JOHN TRIMBLE, EsQ., AND CAIlDs,
In compliance with the request in the
following note from John Trimble, Esq,
we publish below the card in full, adj
dressed by that gentleman to bis con-
stituents in the spring of 1861, resigning
his seat in the State Senate
OFFICE CEDAR STREET, March 9th,
1sG7.-To THE EDITOR OF THE UNION
AND DisPATcH-DEAR SIR: In notice
you take Of my card, announcing myself as
a candidate for the Congress Of the United
States, you publish the concluding sentence
Of my card Of resignation in May 1861.
Please publish The 'rhOls card, and oblige
Yours, truly, JOHN TRIMBLE
TO TIE oIrizgys OF DAVIDSON COUNTY.
i have resigned the Office of Senator for this
county IN the Legislature OF the State. TO take
eject from tAis date. / was nominated Tor that
Office at public meeting OF the county WITHOUT
my knowledge. / did not seek 10, neither did
decline IL. ] would have declined Il, bat MY
deep gratitude for the confidence implied by the
nomination. the fact that MY whole life had been
spent Va your midst, that / owed my all TO the
geod people Of the county, and that Il was the
duty Of every good citizen 10 serve the people
with whom his lot was cast, whenever aud
wherever he might be called. forbade IL.
did not canvass the county. / was elected
by a very large vote Ofthe peOple-teok my seat
IN The Senate aud served lay immediate con-
stituents aud the people Of the State, with all
good faith and 10 the best OF my ability,
through the regular session. ca notice from TIE
Governor / appeared and served through the
extra session lately closed, and again on a like
Rotice / took my seat in the present session, and
during its progress grave questions have arisen
and have been voted upon. My only guide 90
my action upon those questions have
been the constitution Of the State OF Tennessee,
the constitution Of the United States, my cath
Of office, the good of the people. and my own
sense Of duty TO myself and 10 the State. Upon
questions Of expediency / have voted as be-
lieyed nav constituents would have voted had
they acted for themselves. Upon constitutional
Questions i have voted under the guidance Of
the best nuthOrites-the founders Of the gov
eminent. aud the decisions Of the highest judi
cial tribunals Of the country. Upon all saeh
Questions my action has been guided by the
lights furnished by such men Washington.
Jefferson. Madison, Marshall, Story, Kent, Clay
and Webster. | have had but one object in view,
and that object has been 60 serve the public
faithfully, sternly. sOlemnly. / have become
sensible that my services can no longer benefit
the public. and hence | retire 10 private life TO
remain and devote the remainder Of my life TO
Euch duties as may devoiye on me rs a citizen Of
this community, with the trust that may have
tie wisdom and strength to perform my whole
duty 10 my State and my friends and neighbors
Tennessee born myself. and Of Southern Bnees-
tors for three generations nay whole life bias been
passed In your Inidst, and | am wholly. heartily
and entirely identified with you and shall con-
tinue united with your fortunes and ask no
other destiny J9HN TRTNRLE.
May l9, 1851.
COMMENTS.
We presume that Mr. Trimble 8 motive
for desiring the publication in these coll
umns Of his entire card, is an impression
that he suffered injustice by the insertion
in our remarks of yesterday, of the "con-
Guiding Sentence only, No injustice
was intended, and we give it now, with
out charge, aud chee@fully.
In our notice Of Mr. Trimbles candi-
dacy for Congress, we invited him to a
bold and candid canvass Upon care
Gal reading of the card of sGl, we thought
the gist of his position then to be in the
. concluding sentence. We knew that
bis public course, from the overthrow Of
Confederate rule in this city to the pre-
sent time, had not been in consonance
with the sentiments of Identification in
feeling, fortune, and destiny with the
Southern people, therein avowed. We
construed the whole card to mean, that
Mr. Trimhle as member of the Senate
Of Tennessee in 1861, had opposed the
league with the Confederate government,
the raising Of $4,000 troops for State de-
Tense OF that league and the submission
Of the ordinance Of secession and repre-.
sentation to the people on the 9Th Of
June; that having opposed these mea-
sures in vain, and it being manifest that
bis own immediate constituents and the
people Of the State would ratify them,
he, in difference 20 public sentiment,
had retired from public station; and,
that as a private citizen, he acquiesced in
the will Of the majority, and united
himself and his fortunes with the lot
it had chosen Not once, however,
in this card, is reference made to
bis duties as citizen of the United
States, as paramount to those owed
to the State, and the conservation of the
interests Of his constituents and friends
and neighbors These were then thought
to be in jeopardy, and the public mind
was intensely excited. The card, while
intimating that the judgment Of the au-
thor did not approve the mode of main
tanning the rights of his native State, and
the interests Of his fellow citizens, which
had met the popular approval, yetbreathes
a spirit Of devotion to these objects only,
and closes with solemn protestation
that in What they had resolved to do, he
was a Tennessean, wholly, heartily,
and entirely" If there is any force in
language, he accepted the situation,
and stood unequivocally for Tennessee
lf it did not mean that, and Mr.. Trimble's
subsequent course, and his apparent
present sOlicitude that il should not be
SO construed, would indicate that it did
not, then there was an equiyocation In
May, 1861, he could not serve the United
States government with the degree of
loyalty now prolessed, and be so ardently
attached to people and power then
virtually at war with it In other words,
Mr. Trimble either meant by the whole
publication Of 1861, to abandon his oppo-
sition 10 the junction Of Tennessee with
the other Southern States, and go with
her, or be did not 1t is now polite to
appear that he did not, and we give him
the benefit Of his whole card to prove
that such was his position, if legitimate
construction will allow it.
At this time, we will not discuss the
question whether Mr. Trimble's legis,
latiye career in 1861 was pursued under
the guidance Of the great names he men.
tions in his card nor demonstrate that
has course in lS65-6-7 has been in direct