Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-03-18

out of the thlrty-fOur organized counties were
| embraced in the apportionment; and the jour
nails of the convention exhibit No. ~ show
that all these were represented in that body.
| From the same proclamation it will be seen
! that five election districts embracing thirteen
| counties, were left out of the appOrtOnment.
| These were, as will appear from what has been
| stated, the 18th district, being Franklin cOun-
| ty; the l4th, including Weller, Breckenridge,
| Wise and Madison; the 18th, Butler and COZ
| fee; the 18th, Anderson county; and the 18th,
| WoOdsOn, Wilson, Greenwood Godfrey and
| Hunter.
OF these thirteen counties nine had but a
small population in them. This (apart from
the statement of Mr.. Calhoun and other relia-
bic information CLEARLY appears from the re-
turns Of the election on the 4th January last,
last, the official announcement of which is
filled with the papers of this report. From
that it will be seen that not vote was return
ed as having been cast in that election in seyel
of these thirteen counties about the disfranchse-
ment of which so much complaint has been
made. These seven counties are Weller, Wise,
Butler, Wilson, Godfrey, Greenwood and Hun
ter. Nor was there vote at that election in
either of the three unoTganiZed counties of
Washington, Clay and Dickinson.
In two of the thirteen counties stated above
-to-wit: Madison and Woodson-there were
| but 80 votes cast-40 in the former and so in
the latter; and but ,l35 in the four remain
ing--to-wit : Franklin, 304; Breckenridge l9l
Coffee, 453; and Anderson, III: so that if the
| election Of the 4th January should be received
| as evidence of anything, il would prove moth
ing more conclusiyely than that the clamOr
about the Acknowledgement Of half the people,
or even considerable portion of the people
of the Territory, is utterly groundless, and
resortcd To only as a prctcxt for the want of
something more solid This pretext becomes
the more glaring when the cause of there be-
ing no registry in these four counties of Frank
lin, Breckenridge, Anderson, and Coffee is I'M
derstood This is fully explained not only by
the statement of Mr.. Calhoun alluded to. but
10y the deposition of Geo. Wilson, to be found
in Senate Document No. 81, ut this session
From these and other notorious facts, the real
and true cause of u failure of registry of vot-
ers i'll these counties, and a const quent failure
OF representation being appOrtioned TO them
III the convention, too clearly appears to need
much explanation. The parties in whose be-
half the cry of disfranchisement is now raised
prevented the registry themselves. Since tine
organization of that Territory there has been
in it class of men whose avowed object was
to oppose and overthrow all legal authority.
They went there with this purpose. Their
object was to set up an mleriunH ui iutperio In
the language of the President they have been
in ''state of Rebellion" against the legally
constituted authorities from the beginning
This is fully enthusiastically numerous reports
of Governors Shannon, Geary, aud Walker.
and Secretary Stanton. They were, to great
extent, the cmissaries of those who denounced
the Kansas bill when it passed as great
wrong" and an Outrage" and who were
resolved to defeat It's peaceful operation.
To show the grOundlessness OF the first cla-
NOR, as well as the last, we might here inquire
what was the wrong or outrage of that bill I?
Was 1t IA great wrong or outrage to permit
the people of New York, Massachusetts or
other States of the North, as well as the peo-
pie of the South going into new Territory
the common property of all, to be as free as
they were at their native homes and in form
ing new States to enjoy the same rights which
their fathers did in the formation of all our
present State constitutions and governmental
This is just what that bill did ON the main
question of controversy in Kansas-nothing
more-nothing less. But, rather than see this
great principle" of right. justice. and equality
carried cut, this class of men went 10 that Ter
ritory To defeat it at every hazard. Setting
themselves up in defiance OF law from the ne
ginning, they now denouncc II constitution
made by those who coniUrmed to law rs "a
fraud. y IA cheat and "a swindle." But the
more ultra OF the same party elsewhere have
long since said much worse things of the con-
stltution of the United States. This class of
malcontents la Kansas are organized ia IA
party having the control of some of the coun-
ties. They refused To recognize the validity
of the law requiring the registry to be made
They opposed its execution, both by with
holding lheir own names in some instances,
aud in others by driving the officers. whose
duty u was TO make Il, from the country, with
threats TO take the life OF any who should at
tempt it. his was particularly the case in
Anderson and Franklin counties IL, then,
these counties were unrcprcsrnt.d in the con-
vention, their dlsfnzI,csiSs''elW was the work of
their own people. Another significant fact
To be noticed from their registry aud appor-
tionmeut together with the Official report of
the 4th January, is this that the i've coun-
ties-to-wit: Leaveuworth, Atchison, Doug
las. Doniphan, and JeiI, rson--at that election
cast an aggregate vote of Oils, which Is IA
majority OF thc whole vote reported 10 have
been east throughout the eatIre Territory
against the constitution. And yet all these
were represented la the convention.
They had 50 Of the 60 delegates Of which that
body Was composed. Now, If IL be true that
the oppon-nts of the constitution are 80
largely ia the majority ia those counties, aud
are violent in their opposition, as they are
to be, why did they not elect men
to the convention, who would have formed
more to their liking! These eoun-
ties alone, by the registry, had within four
votes a two-lhrds Of the convention, and eoGli
have made just such constitution as woal
have been most agreeable 30 ti,sir people. II
they ref ised 10 act at the proper time, why
do they complain now II othcfs, conforming
10 tue law, went into the convention and
formed constitution TO suit themselves, was
Il not their fair, just and legal right TO do il
These comp a nts come too late, even il they
come from orderly, law-ablding citizens. As
we'll might the thousands who abstained from
The polls, threw away their votes, at she last
p esidential election, now come forward and