Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-09-25
Our November Elections.

We have seen in the newspapers of this
State several errors on the subject OF the
elections the people are required to make On
the 9Th of November. We deem it proper
to correct them, and submit to the people
the facts as follows: promising that we have
been operating under the Provisional Gov
eminent of the Confederate States. and that
the elections before us refer to the inaugu-
ration and carrying forward of the govern
ment under the permanent Constitution:
Under the permanent Constitution. we are
required to choose thirteen Electors for Pres
ident and Vice President. and eleven mem
bers of Congress TIE Senate of that Con.
gress is to be chosen by the Legislature.
And here the difficulty, which we are to en-
counter. begins. Heretofore we have had
ten Congressman and twelve Electors. We
now have eleven Congressman aud thirteen
Electors. We have larger vote for Presi-
dent and larger vote in Congress than we
had under the old Government. The num-
Der of Electors Is composed of the represen.
tation in the House and Senate in Congress-
We will, therefore, have to change the old
representation, in order to express our full
voice in the new. The representation in the
Senate remains the same. The State Legis-
lature has the power, under the census to
apportion within the State the representa-.
ton in the House.
The embarrassment arises out of the short
ness of time elapsing between the meeting
of the Legislature and the election. If the
Legislature is unable to redistrict the State,
so as to give eleven Congressman by Dis
tricts, we will lose member and an ElectOr
for President, unless we can supply the de-
fault in some other way.
1t is contended that the Legislature has
ample time to redistrict the State 1t is also
contended that it has not. While we wish it
may be able to redistrict the State in time to
do the people justice in all its parts, we in
cline to the latter opinion. However this
may be, can We have our full vote for Presi-
dent, and representation in Congress other
wise than by redistricting the State To do
so, it has been suggested that we continue
the ten old Congressional Districts, and elect
an additional member for the State at large,
by general ticket, and to pursue the same
course in the selection of Electors. To this
course, it is objected by several papers. that
such a course would be unprecedented and
unconstitutional. Is this objection well
founded. We are clear that it is not. Il is
not unc Constitutional, because the Constitu-
ton, both State and National, is wholly ST.
lent upon the subj"ct. 1t is not unpreee.
dented, because the State of California and
Minnesota have never elected members to
Congress except by the general ticket system.
If it be still objected that the election of a
part of a State delegation by general ticket
and part by districts, is unprecedented. we
refer the DIRECTORS to the of Mississippi
where that was actually done, and never met
with question or challenge from any quarter
And we are prepared to say that never
10 the whole history of the old Union, whose
organic law is substantially the same as ours,
has this right and power been questioned
If any one will bring case to the contrary
we will yield the argument.
In the premises we suggest that the Legis-
Iaiure redistrict the State, if il can do so
with Justice to the people of all parts of the
State, in time for the November elections;
and If it cannot, let it enact at once that the
old districts be observed, and an addition
al Congressman and Elector be chosen from
the State at large. The unconstitutionality
and want of precedent of the latter course il
q sheer Pigment of the brain.