Year: 1860

acknowledging he honor conferred upon him By


he Conrendon in recommending him as a suitable


Candidate for the Presidency, and IN declaring him


10 be thcsr choice as the Pfeadenfai nominee Of the


National Union Convention. eaa





The adjournment fromthe afternoon session was
to half-past seven o'clock p NJ, at which time the
Convention was called to order. During the day a
committee was appointed, by order Of the Conven-
ton, to wait upon Mr. BELi, inform him of the ac-
ton of the convention, and invite him to make a
speech at the night session in consequence Of
which the hall and galleries were more densely
crowded than at any time during the day. In about
fifteen minutes after the convention was called to
order, the committee appeared with Mr.. BELL, and
seated him on the left of the Speakers chair, when
in response to loud and repeated calls "BRowYLow."
that gentleman uncovered his head and said
GESrLEMES can scarcely be heard; but, If
you are quiet will say that one Of the commit
fee of three appointed in the afternoon to bring our
friend Col BELL to the stand, | have to report, in
behalf Of the other members that that gentleman
sits my left, or, 'the prisoner is at the bar"
[Laughter.]


On every hand, and all over the house, arose
shouts for "BELLp GBELLl" "BELLp


Mr.. BELL advanced to the forum, but was pre-
vented from speaking for several minutes by long
loud, and oft-repeated shouts When this outburst
of enthusiasm had entirely snbsided, and an almost
breathless stiffness pervaded the hail. he spoke
follows:


Insensible would be indeed, If these manifesto
tions of your kind feeling toward me did not i'm
press me in q manner which should be proper and
natural response to your cheers and the interest
which you manifest in my political fortunes.


lappeer before you, gentlemen of convention
and feow-citizens, at this time, to discharge duty
which Is far more pleasant to me than it can be Of
interest or even acceptable TO you. II is to relieve
the burden Of my own heart-to express to you
briefly my deep and profound gratitude for the
honor which you conferred on me this day. You
have nominated eand earnestly recommended me
TO the acceptance and nomination of the Union con-
servative men OF the United States, and in every
section and State but is not that which mprcsscs
me so deeply and inspires all my gratitude. Is it
that you--the representatives Of the Opposition in
Tennessee, from every part ofthe State-the repre-
sentatves Of my own party associates for period Of
twenty-twenty-eigh was going to say, but il has
been period of thirty long years-it is that you
have thought proper TO bestown this mark Of your
confidence and friendship upon me.


Though no convention, no popular meeting in any
OtneT SeCtlOH UT Outtc VI NC uiS-
posed to confirm or accept your nomination. though
my name may be known and spoken of only
candidate for the highest honor in the gift of the
people of the United States STILL that you have done
so is the measure of my ambition in respect If
] should live but few years only when come to
die, and TO look back upon this mark Of the con-
fdencc of large portion Of the State of Tennessee
it will be a consolation to me In the last hour Of my
existence.


l., 10 IL s,t H.. ,,l
the people among whom was born and brought up
and who have sustained me under every vicissitude
of nv political foftuhe by their confidence. II Is
you who have sustained me even when thought il
my high duty to my country and to this glorious
Union TO take course upon two or three most deli
cate and important questirns in opposition to the
judgment for the time being, of thousands Of my
own friends. Upon my return home, after having
cast the most important of all those votes which
have been called in question, | met some hundreds
of my old friends in Middle Tennessee, who said to
me solemny upon their first meeting with me- ~
am afraid you have made a mistake; fear you have
committed an error which will impair your future
prospects, and which may withdraw from you the
confidence Of large portion of your old supporters
vet J. though differing from you, still have conf
dence in you. A voice-"good." | have known
you too long not TO suppose that good position gave
you an opporunty'of Judging better than ! could
and that your long experience has given you adj
vantage over your fellow citizens in Tennessee who
could know but one-half of what was going on I'M
der your eyes when this measure was passed. My
approval of your course for long period prevents
me from supposing otherwise than that whatever
YOU did was done with the sole view of discharging
your duty TO your country at any hazard TO your
self" | would meet another and he would tell me
the same thing. and yet another and the same ex-
preston of abiding confidence ould be made, tho
differing with me in the expedency Of the course
which took.


Let me say to you gentlemen of the convention,
and fellow-eitizens, that when | took my position
upon these grave and important questions, | knew
WE'LL was well aware by brief responses from my
correspondents and by few letters addressed to me
i knew it was impossible that the people of the
country and my political friends and supporters
could be wen informed upon the question as
was, because the question was sprung suddenly
no popular movement having been made in its favor
either North or South. When gave that vote,
and those votes had the greatest and fullest con-
idence as expresscdmyself in the Senate that the
first impression Of my constituents would be against
my course upon that important subject but that
had known them long and knew after they had
had SO many opportunities ofjudgng of my motives
and of knowing my prudence in taking any impor-
tant step that was not TO commit an errer re-
peat when lgavc those votes, knowing that shonld
not Immediately meet the approval of my constitu-
ents did think the time would come and that in at
Ia few years, though might be thrown out of
position by the result Of my course yet in the end
should meet the approval of those who knew me.
did not anticipate that time would come so soon
and, gentlemen, would to God, for the sake of the
country, that hmight never have come. However
grateful towards you my feelings might be, would
il might never have come when my course would
meet with 80 general and enthusiastic approval. |
would that the evils which now inflict and rack,
and imperil this great country and the Union were
not; yet know it has been these circumstances
which have convinced my old friends that had
been right when they thought was wrong.


repeat again, that the measures of my ambition,
so far as the full appreciation and vindication Of the
motives TO my course, by my immediate friends and
fellow citizenS are concerned, is fully awarded TO
me. 1t is full, and though nothing more may come
Of your distinguished mark Of confidence to-day,
though this may be the end oft, this nomination is
consolation to me and more than that, il is an
honor which no future contingency can ever wrest
nom me. Checrs.


have now discharged that duty, so grateful 10
u,vsalf nf making these sincere ark now