Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-11-28
TENNESsEAN.


Legislature. There are times and emergencies
which demand the prompt and firm action of the
people; and there are times and emergencies which
require and demand of the people the exercise OF
| thought, deliberation and judgment to precede &c
ton for the accomplishment of the object intended,
and which time to think and deliberate before action
is precisely the present time. The States of Mary
land, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri
constitute the Thermopyle between the North and
extreme South, and upon which her citizens will be
! inundated in preservation of the Federal Consttu
ton with all the rights therein guaranteed alike tC
the North and South, East and West. Their duty
then in the present crisis is not excitement or any
action that can or may produce excitement, but a
firm decisive conservative stand regardless of the
untimely, premature and njudicious of South
Carolina however pure and patriotic the motives Of
that may be, and also regardless of the cruel
and barbaric course of Kansas, and also of the
past Legislation, and personal acts of the North
alike resistant to the Fugitive Slave Law and sub
versive of the Constitution.
In the present crisis all the fiery elements of the
human character South are now justly inhamed
burning with explosive heat, which, if not cooled
or quenched, may prematurely involve in a war OF
determination the only people on earth, ancient OF
modern, having voluntary written constitutional
government, in which civil or religious liberty are
equally secured with the lights Of life, liberty
| and property without distinction. At moment OF
such excitation the physically bold daring and in
trepid powers and energies of the human character
are first moved and their actions the result of first
intention This principle of human nature is almost
if not altogether, existent and predominant in the
Of fho If
population in Tennessee.
To the young, properly and of necessity, now as
at all times past and to come action has been justly
permitted and committed while to the aged, mature
and cautious the propriety of action, the prepara
tory means Of action and the time Of action have
been committed The history of mankind proves
that the young under the impulsive powers and
energies of nature are ever ripe and burning for
action, regardless of consequences, which never i'm
press them; that to the young hope is reality,
olution accomplishment, will and courage, power
and ability. While the old, on whom the frosts of
time and the eventful vicissitudes Of experience
have impressed their lessons teaching the Elusive
ness of brightest hopes and strongest preparations
and the deceptycncss Of best formed judgments as
b means and consequences are ever slow 20 act but
quick to thought and dc.iberatlon to the time of
action, its propriety, its consequences and the
means and preparation therefor. Should, then, the
people be called in primary assemblies together, in
different counties, composed the assemblies must
and will be of much the greater portion of young
men, it deeply feared the voice Of age, the wisdom
of time and history, and the admonitiOn Of truthful
experience will be but the tuking brass or sound
ing timbrel
Whatever may be the action of the assembly, or
of how many or what composed, it is promulgated
to the world as the united action of the sovereign
people of Tennessee. Again the Governor is re-
quested to convene the Legislature of Tennessee
with a view to provide for State Convention, the
object Of which shall be to bring about conference
of the Southern States to consider existing political
trouble and, if possible to compose our sectional
strifes this procedure, if possible, is objcc-
tionable than the former, and full of danger
Because the members elect constituting the Assembly
are almost fnot altogether young whatever may be
their talent and therefore liable to the in
uence and control of the above rcCited principles of
human nature, because they have been elected and
entrusted by the people in way think act for
them in the present emergency. because the Legisa
turc has power to call convention of the people
or to advise or dictate to them upon that subject
and because when convened, though assembled IN
der the proclamation of the Governor for the pur-
pose and action alone specified in the message the
Legislature beside that, have all power to deber-
ate, think and act, upon all OF any other subject
connected with the subject matters submitted which
it would have when assembled regularly in the
usual manner.
Whatever, then, a majority of the members may
think and resolve relative to the present crisis.
its consequences, or its remedies, will go forth,
and correctly too, to the world the thought and
resolution ofthe sovereign people of Tennessee and
what that majority may think resolve is beyond
the ken or thought of man. The members now
elect of the assembly when convened have no more
right power as such TO think, or act upon
the matters of the present crisis for the people than
each and every citizen in the State now has 1t Is
true the General Assembly or the Governor may re-
commend or request the people to call convention,
and so may any number of citizens, likewise recon-
mend the people of Tennessee TO call a Convention
and the Legislature might make provisions by en-
actments TO dcray the expenses of that Convention
Convention Of the people 1dSSe is alone by the
people IN their absolute right; and when convened
for the time benghe Constitution the State is pse
facto dead letter or suspended, and everything
aoat at the will and action of that Convention I'M
til resolved to vitality and placed in order by some
act of the Convention. Therefore we insist, the
legislature have no power under the Constitution
to call State Convention, or to leglslatively act
upon the matters of the present CRISIS and as great
injury as well as expense might fall upon the peo-
pie such Convention of the Legislature IS not now
required, because of the present political excite
ment or crisis Nor if convened the Legislature have
no power ofgiving relief or providing for the wants
of the people but one and that is to repeal the Bank
restrictions of 1859 and thereby permit the Banks
to suspend speciepayment the restriction of 1859
may. as to the Banks of Tennessee, be removed By
the Legislature and again imposed, but as to the
Stock Banks, when removed. never again be
imposed without the assent Of the stockholders.
! The above remedy if adopted is however more
Imaginary than real because it will not extinguish
the debt but only renew it for future payment and
because the remedy viii in its application from
speculation and other causes involve the State and
the citizens thereof in much larger Indebtedness
Under the Constitution the Legislature have no
mower to suspend or stay the arm of the judiciary
TO alter or impair the obligation of contracts or to
substitute any thing article but gold and silver
in payment of debts. Every effort OF the Legisla-
ture to supply pecuniary means for the people or
remove uheir wants, has proved abOrtive or re-
shifted in accumulated debt difficulties. In 1872
the time of universal distress which has no paral
lei in the countys history, the Legislature conyen
ed for that purpose created a state Bank with an
agency in each county of the State; made Bank
paper legal tender or stay of execution in default
of the creditor taking it and made land and ne
groes redeemable in two years after sale Where
upon the credit Of the State was in great degree
destroyed the value of land and negroes deprecated
at execution sale the country involved in years of
litigation TO the constitutionality of the laws,
and finally the Bank and agencies all broke, and the
people taxed to pay its capital and expenses
| In 1871 the Legislature which was convened to
supply remedies for distress and want resulting
from the panic and failure of 1878, found itself