Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-08-24
WHOLE NO. 2499
What Does Parson BrovsnIow
uTAna

frage in Tennessee" comes from Brown
lows Knoxville Whig.
The great outcry against negro suffrage
in Tennessee, and the constantly ex-
pressed dread ofnegro equality by those
who are "sorter for and sorter not for''
the Union cause make it proper to state
few facts in the history of our State,
that will not do for candid men to reflect
upon when otherwise Unemployed
They will learn some facts FROM our arti-
Gle that rebels and rebel sympathizers
would never communicate, and facts,
stubborn and notorious that many Of
those in sympathy with the rebellion
will resoultely deny.
In the convention that formed the
first Constitution of Tennessee, the ques-
ton arose as to who should exercise the
right Of suffrage in the State. Slaves
were held in Tennessee while she was yet
Territory. And fact now generally
known is this-a majority of the dele
gates who framed the Constitution were
Shareholders. In fixing the qualifications
of voters, all free citizens were designa-
ted as proper persons to vote. An amend
ment was offered to insert the word
"white,, after the word free. This
brought up the question of the right of
free negroes to vote The vote vas ta-
ken upon the amendment when sontem-
plated the exclusion of the negroes from
the polls, and the amendment was lost
by decided vote. The first constitu-
ton of the State, therefore, declared free
negroes to be citizens, and gave them the
right of voting, which they exercised for
many years, and were electioneered with
by our politicians for their votes. John
Bell, in a closely contsnded race for
Congress in the Nashville District, when
he defeated Felix Grundy, owed his
election to the vote of free negroes,
there being several hundred in his dis
trict.
Andrew johnson was popular with the
negroes on account of his bravery and
his eulogy upon negro soldiers at New
Orleans; and when he defeated Col. John
Williams before the legislature at Muir
freesboro, it was by only seven votes,
and these seven votes were gained for
johnson before the people by the negro
voters of the counties sending them.
Gov. Carol was very popular man
with the negroes, and would come more
closely to the thing of uniting their votes
than any man in the State. At one of
his closely-contested elections, friend
of his led a procession of sixty or seventy
negroes to the polls at one time, who
all voted for the old war-horse.
Hon. Cave johnson, Postmaster-G -Gener-
al uneder former Democratic Admins
tration, has been seen, in his early political
contest in Tennessee, when he used to
serve in Congress, during the administra-
ton of John Q. Adams, lead negroes to
the polls, arm in arm The young scions
of Southern chivalry how in the rebel
army must permit US to tell them, in
frankness, that their fathers used to go
to the polls in this State, and even before
they were born, side by side with the
black negroes and vote for Governor,
Congressman and other civil officers.
'But we give another very remarkable
case, and we are indebted to the Nash
vile Times for the facts. Its case that
occurred in the election of delegates to
the second Constitutional Convention OF
Tennesse, in the year 1884. 1t also hap
pened in the County of Wilson in Middle
Tennessee. The notorious Robert n.
Burton, lawyer of prominence, proud
STAKEHOLDER, and an aristocrat related to
the slaVeoeratcy of that county. The ne
groes became alarmed at the proposition
made by some of the candidates to dis
fanchiss them in the then approaching
convention to revise the constitution
Burton ran as friend of the negroes, s,and
pledged himself to stand by them and
advocate their rights. He received
something less than four hundred negro
votes, while his majority over his compe-
titor was about half that, showing that he
was returned to the convention by negro
votes. To his disgrace, Burton betrayed
the negroes, and voted 20 disfranchise
them. For let it be remembered that
negroes were never disfranchised in
Tennessee until it was done by the Consti
tutional Convention of 1885.
The manner in which the State acts1
under Governor Harris and his rebel Leg
islsture inclines US to wish it had been
under control of a sober, hard working
set of free negroes. Nay, We have no
hesitancy in aVowing that we had sooner
be governed by Union negroes than dis
loyal white men.