Weekly Trinity journal., 1864-10-15
NUMBER 40.
Negro Suffrage in Tennessee.


wing;
The great outerY against negro suffrage in
Tennessee, and the constantly expressed dread
of negro equality by those whoarc sortorforand
sorter not for the Union cause make il proper
to state . few facts in The history OF orr State,
that will do for candid men to reflect upon when
otherwise unemployed. They viii learn
facts from our article thai rebels and rebel SYM
pathizers would never communicate. and facts,
stubborn and notorious. that many Of thos. IN
sympathy wilh the rebellion VIII f,solutey deny.
In The convention taat formed Ia, FIRST Consti-
tuition OF Tennessee, the question arose as to
who Should exercise he fichi or suffrage in Tie
State Slaves were i Id in Icnressea Nliie she
was yet Territory. And q i~.; not no5F tener-
ally kuoWa is this--a majority ot the delegation
who framed the Constitution were slyeiaiGers.
In fixing the qualifications Of voters, all . free
citizens were de. igi.tad e proper persons 70
vote. IN amendment was offered to insert the
word. white after the word - ircc. hi-
brought up the question Of the right G.. free
negroes to vote. The Vote waS taken on tie
amendment which contemplated the exclusion Of
the negroes from the polls, ani the amendment
was lost bv i decided vote. The FIRST tonstitt.-
4ion OF the State therefore declared free negroes
to be citizens, and gave them the right Of otint
which they exercised i0I many wears, and were
elcctioncered with by our politicians for their
votes John Bell, in closely contested race
for Congress in the Nashville District, when he
defeated Felix Grundy. owed his elecfal 10 .he
votes Of free negroes, there beng several hur-
drcd in his district.
Andrew jackson popular with the neeroes
on account of his bravery and his eulcgy upon
negro soldiers at New Orleans end w!en be
defeated Col. John Williams before The Le@islA-
ture OF Murfrcesboro, it was by only rcu votes.
and these seven votes were gained 1Vr Jackson
before the people by the negro voter oi 'hc
counties sending them.
Governor Carol was very POI Hl,r nfHn
among the negroes. and could rolac more closely
to the thing of uniting their votes than any man
in the State At Of hii c!o-.lv-contested
elections, friend Of bis led prcce son Of six
ty or seventy negroes to the polls at one time
who all voted for the ol war horse.
! Hon. Cave Johnson, Postnas;or-Goneral under
a former Democratic Administration, has 6een
seen in his early political contest in Tennessee.
when he used to serve in Congress. dur.ag the
admin stra;ion Of JoinQ. Adams, 70 lead nc sroes
to tie polls, arm in arm. The young >cions of
Tennessee ariStocracy and of Southern chitalrv
now in tn" rebel army must permit rs 70 tell
them, in fIankness, that their flth"rs used - -
to the polls in this STATE, ana even before they
were born side by side with the black negroes
and vote for Governor. Congressman and other
civil officers
But we rive another very remarkable case,
and indebted to the Nashville Times for
the facts. Il i 4 case t,at occurred in lie elcc-
lIna "a; ltc9tes to the second Con stitp;iGnal
E0ny -uioE Of Tennessee. in tEc year 1884. 1t
also heppcHe! in lie County Of Wilson, Middle
Ten1esrae The rotoso-. Robert IL Burton,
lawyer Of Vr0.f n nee. 9 proud stakeholder. and
~ aris'otr;t related '3 the s'lycocracy Of that
cone.y Thr negroes became alarmed a the
propo itioa 4 a. hr en.ae oi Tic caNdilatas 20
disin'nchse tlcn il the tAen approaching
convention to revlsctle constitution oi tue State
Burton ran - the scieul Of the negroes, aud
pledged h;mslf 10 tan by them and their rights.
lie received something les t..9u four hundred
ucgro votes, While his mfjority over his compet
itor WAS about half that. showing that he was
returned 20 the convention by t.t. negroes. To
his disgrace. Burton betrayed tn" negroes, and
voted 10 distraucise them. For let it be re-
membcred that negroes were not disfranchised
in Tennessee until II was done by the Cons tia
tional Convention of 1898.
Coop FOR Ben CorroN.-On "Wednesday a; elit
Ben Cotton singing the song entitled. = How
are YOU, .1{atqHa z" and when he reached t-,t
portion of ii which refers 70 the ra-eeetion %
Abraham Lincoln. lot OF Coppcrheada in the
pit and galleries began to hiss. Instantly there
was such It burst of applause that the hsses
were silcnccl and the singer unable to proceed
When order was restored, Ben stepped toward
the fOotligl!tS and abandoning the assumed cant
and tone of the negro, pointed 10 the Luzzing
gorrillas in the pit Democrats, WAS not say
ing how you shoHfH vote, w:;s only saying how
I would vote, and if God les he live til the
Sth Of November next, Shall vote tor Honest
Old Abe and johnson = The ycs and stamp
ing which followed were almost dcatening. lie
finished his song and retired but wa called back,
and sang with unusual sp.rit his Old song of
the dark days-.' The Union Right or Wrong
There may cor., on Ben face, but there Is no
treason in his heart.-i}fy, S'pf -2t
Coxgrar>cn Apfoi@r4.rxls.--l TIE proceed
ings of tie late coaf,ren~n Of The Methodist
Episcopal Church we find the following list of
appointments for Humboldt and Yr-i,n Districts:
Humboldt District-Eareka J. w. Hines, p. Z.
Arcata. j. VI. Campbell. Eel river. j. Bald
win. Ferndale. to be supplied, l. Rice tres
cent City, j. j. Cleveland Smiths river 10 De
supplied 4. B. Spooner. Hoops ant orleans,
to be supplied.
Yro,a District. Gown, ?. E.-Ireka, A.
e yrDoural. Shasta Valley, to b. supplied
SCOTS b r aud Klamath, to be supplied Scott
y,IIev J Corwin salmon and Sawycr's Bar,
to he supplied Weayerrilc, G. ". lIeuang
R,cKrD-Nichael Reese, rich old Copper
hood of San Francisco, wanted to bet his money
on Mcclellan. Some Union men called on him
and offered accommodation. The fioJ SAYS
Michael weakened would only hot that the
Union party voG,d not carry the State ~ more
than %, 900 majority. Sagacious Atchaei-
ALL soldiers of foreign birth, ho1orat'y IS
charged, who have resided in the United @'ates
one year. may be Immediately naturalizcd. Ac-
cording to the Confederate. Constitution foreign
ers no: permitted to vote ut Al. ihats the
reason they hang to Democracy. we suppose.
NArrREs LAw.-oae OF our Coppefbead ex-
changes, addressing It's party. says s. Ne shall
see after the election No doubt of il. iin-
election takes place November sth, and ihe great
Democratic pnp Will get its eyes opened oa the
ninth day. --Taolaaae G0tlrler.
A Guard OF HoSoa.-Whcn the Broom lsin
gers were marching Thursday evening, says the
Eloo same two hundred policemen, attenieli.the