The Daily Nashville true Whig. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1851-1855, 1855-11-01
THURSDAY MORNING, NOV. 1.
Democratic Construction of the Constitution.

Constitution of the State of Tennessee is in
the following words:
ain all elections TO be made by the General
Assembly, the members thereof shall vote UiUG
coco, and their votes shall be entered upon the
journal"
At the recent Convention of the two Houses
for the purpose of electing State officers, Mr..
Senator Carter offered resolution providing
for the appointment of a committee of three
20 wait upon an absent member, and receive
his vote for Treasurer, Comptroller and Sec
rotary of State, the same to be counted in the
bslloting. The Speaker promptly pronounced
the resolution unconstitutional, and being so,
his duty, as an officer sworn to support and
protect the Constitution, was clearly to rule it
out of order. he very properly did this, and
the Convention sustained the decision, all the
American members voting to sustain the deci-
sion, and some of the opposition.
But the Union and american takes the
ground that if the absent member informs a
committee, who are appointed to call upon him
in his room, that he is for Mr.. a. for Comp
troller, for M. B. for Secretary of State, and
for Mr.. G. for Treasurer, that that committee
can come into the Convention as proxies of the
absent member, and when his name is called,
or at any other time during the balloting, cast
his vote in the different elections. In other
words, the Union and american disregards the
obvious fact that the Constitution contemplates
that the member must be inside the bar Of the
House before he can be heard upon any cues.
tion. The requistion that he must vote 0iUG
Voce, is priHa tBcie evidence of this fact. The
assumption that man can vote CiUG UOce in
any election without being in person within
the hearing of the tribunal or Assembly in
which and with which he is voting, is too alb
surd TO require an argument.
"For the following review Of" the article in
the Union and american in regard to the pro-
ceedings of the Convention, exactly agreeing
with our own views, we are indebted to the
pea of friend:
For the Nashville True Wing.
Ma EDITOR: A review of the article, from the
"pen of a friend" which appeared in the Union
and american, of Tuesday morning, is hardly
worthy the attention of your readers" Justice,
however, to the President of the Convention, re-
quires, perhaps, word Of reply to that article
And we will just preface our remarks, by suggest
ing, that the i'll temper exhibited by the writer,
he, we suppose easily accounted for and should be,
,rhaps, excused. 1t has been suspicioned that he
was disappointed in not being allowed to make
speech at the Convention. If so, how manifest"
the Tyranny of this ruling" If the gentleman from
- s to be restrained by "UsuTpatiOnS," not
sanctioned, of course, BY the Constitution" 1--WE
submit tohonorable representatives" whether the
liberties of the people" can be 'safely intrusted to
legislative assemblies" Is it not, sir. "a fair H.
Iustratiou Of the tendencies Of knoD,aotLngian y?
Who, then, should be astonished at the appearance
of little acid in the gentleman's communication
How natural, that he should write for the papers
under the circumstances! That speech had soured |
upon the gentleman's mind Something had to be
done. An explosion was spprehended! His arti.
Gle, filing more than half a column of the Union
aud American, thickly interspersed with italicized
expressions, Gntended thereby, to be made more
pHngent we SUPPOSED it is believed, will ultimately
which cat the risk Of his life, was upon him for
some four days and nights, has been thrown off,
He is doing" we are told, "as well as could be
expected" "God bless him, say we"
But to his article The excitement under which
the writer was no doubt laborng, in the preparation
Of his article, will account for some errors into
which he has fallen. Il was not Emotion" that
Senator Carter introduced but resolution. The
olution the presiding officer Mr.. Cheathaml thought
would, If adopted, infringe upon provision of our
State Constitution and declared ruling it out Of
order The decision of the President is character.
ICED by our friend as tyranny" He sof opinion
FIAT the President had no right to make any decs-
on in the premises that was the exclusive perog-
.tive of the Convention to pass upon the constitu
ionaty Of the resolution, and that "the rights Of
we're Outraged by the Presi-
lent. Without stopping 70 discuss the question,
Is TO whether the presiding officer had the right to
decide upon the constitutionaty Of the resolution
We will simply state that some gentlemen, " OF as
air legal attachments as the gentleman from
-, are of opinion that the President had q
,eht 10 do Just as he did. The more important
question now is, were the rights Of anybody affect.
d by the decision Of the Presidenti We answer,
TO- But il ais the peculiar province Of the Leg.
stature or Convention" to decide such questions,
avs our friend Well, we ask him, did not the
Convention decide this very questions Upon the
residents announcing his decision, did not the
from Wilson express the hope that
,ote would be taken by the Convention upon the
Iuestionf And was a vote not taken' Yes, sir.
md upon the ayes and nays being called, the de-
ison of the President was sustained-syes so,
oes 4l-severa Democratic members voting with
be majority. So, the question 'Oas decided by the
Convention. Where then Is the warrant for the
fensive expressions used by the gentleman
But the gentleman from Shelby mr. Ilolmesl
moved the previous question, (which cut on
n debate" and prevented "the members Of the
democratic party" from sustaining or explaining