Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1856-12-10
WEDNESDAY MORNING, DEC. 10. 1856.
POPULAR REPREsENTATI0S--RE-AP
MENT OF THE STATE.

being Of republican institutions as full and per-
feet reflex of the popular sentiment of the sover-
eign people through their properly appointed rep
resentstives in the Legislatures of the country,
Federal and State. So long SIS the people are
soVereign-so long as they are the source of all
political power-so long as our theory Of govern
ment is that the voics of its citizens is the law of
the land-al political action must be- as it were,
but the pulsation of the popular heart and the
working of the popular mind; and just in proper
ton as it fails to reach that end just far is it
false to the spirit and genius of republican nstitu-
tons.
In no other State in the Union has the nature
of our republican system been more warred against,
snd its Legitimate action more wrongfuly pervert-
ed, than in Tennessee. Any one familiar with her
history, her people, her geographical position, and
her past and present political attitude, must in
frankness admit that she was originally, continued
to be, and still is Democratic in ell her political
tendencies. In her early history, her people were
Democratic almost to unit-thers was scarcely
such thing as an opposition party in the State
1t was upon no change of principle that she divi-
ded 10 1886, but upon an issue about men; the RI
vslry being, not between opposing tenets, but
merely who was the soundest and safest exponent
of our political creed, Van Buren, or White. Per-
sOnsl ambition and private interest were at the
bottom of al of it and large proportion of the
people of Tennessee were led off and gradually
alienAted from the Democratic party, never dream.
ing at the time where they were being ed.-
They were still Democratic and continued 30 I'M
I'll smooth-faced hypocrisy and ingenious cunning
had warped their minds and implanted lasting
prejudices in their hearts. Then it was that there
began to exist, really, another than the Democrat
ic party. But STILL through all the changing vicis-
STUDIES of time, many, whilst opposed to US from
prejudice, were with US in principle. 1t is not
unfrequent that men, from force of habit, sssocia-
ton and education, one thing, while in all the
tendencies of their minds and hearts they are quite
another.
On all the leading issues that have come up in
the history of parties 10 Tennessee, whilst voting
against our candidates, she has been with us in
sentiment Who viii seriously say that Tennessee
was ever for United States Bank and a High
Protective Tariff and yet by the ingenuity of
party leaders she voted for the representative of
these measures in 1874. Who believes that the
real sentiment Of Tennessee was ever opposed to
the admission Of Texas-substantally the achieve
ment Of Tennessee valor-into our ssterhood of
States? and yet such was her decision at the bal
lot box when that question was pending. Who
believes that the sentiment of Tennessee was ever
that the war with Mexico-to which she contri-
buted so much of her best blood, and in which she
gained SO much renown-was an unjust and a
wicked war; brought on by a Democratic Presi.
dent2 and yet she voted in 1848 with the party
that made that issue. How were these things &C.
complished2 Thcse who are familiar with the cry
first raised that "WuITE was better JACKSON man
than VAN BUREN"-who remember the Log Cabins
Coon skins and Hard Cider hurrah Of l640-who
reeoIIect the extreme violence and intense feeling
gotten up in lS44-snd the Zachary Taylor-Bue-
ma Vista-Fuss and Festhers-military psrades Of
ls4S and 1852, may readily give the solution to
the problem. The prejudices and passions of Ten
nessee have been sngularly made to smother her
nober and more natural instincts, which were ever
democratic.
Be this, however, as it may, there can be no
controversy as TO the fact that the political sent-
nent of Tennessee nOw is, and has for years been,
Democratic. In the last three popular elections,
twice for Governor and recently fer President, we
have carried the State, and yet during all that
time we have failed to have corresponding ma
iority where most needed, in the Legislative coun.
ellis of the Nation and of the State By the re.
cent Presidential vote we carried Tennessee by up
wards of seven thousand majority, and yet by the
same vote in Legislative election We would only
carry the Senate by one majority and the House
by but three To what is this attributableP To
the corrupt and unconstitutional gerrymsndering of
political trieksters in the Legislature of 1872,
in so spportioning the representation in the Gene
raj Assembly of the State, and in the Congress Of
the United Ststes-gVirg some portions of the
people too much and othsr portions toe little rep
resentaton-depriving the freemen of one section
of the State Of the inestmable right of representa-
ton and upjusty comforting it upon citizens in
other sections of the StAts-as to give the oppo-
sition, by the arrangement Of the Districts an uu-
due advantage in all elections; thus exercising
species OF tyranny and seeking to legis1Gte itself
jHtQ power by force of law, reckless of the rights
fundamental principles of all popular government.
Thus: $3.50 voters were required for Ssns-
torial district The second district, by the act
referred to, is made up of the counties that fell
short by 473 votes Of the number required; while
the third district was composed of counties whose
vote was 1888 more than the number required;
making difference upwards of 2,400 between
the two districts. The voters of the two districts
might have been more equally divided but to have
done SO would have made the second district Dem
ocratici There was the rub. This same principle
of shameful inequality was carried on to the same
end throughout the apportionment, both for Legis-
lsture and for Congress which it would be useless
to detail.
The result of all this wrong and outrage has
been to stile the popular voice and give control
to 3 usurpipg and tyrsnnical minority-to make
place fer ambitious psrtizsns even at the sac
rifoe of our political equality. If the State
had been spportioned in 1872 upon COnstitu-
tional principles, the popular majority that elected
a Democratic Governor in 1853, would have
elected Democratic Legislature also; and that
Legislature would, instead of electing Mr.. Bel,
have sent Democrat to the Senate of the United
States, who would have properly represented the
people of Tennessee on the great Kansas question
The popular majority that secured US democratic |
Governor last year, would have secured US also |
-..;or;tx of the GonpressonaI 3eleontioD u,ho in