, 1864-05-08
;nEEuD SUFFRAGE IN TEN.
=, NtsSSEE.
A nem1ntseence for 0opperheads.

+, Tic Nashville 1smt= ircu,gcs in 5ouc his
,torical "Reminiscences, Which aro hardly cal.
cnls1ed to eoo!ho tic wounded scnstbiIities
at thosc srictcd with, nesrophob,s. We
quote the following: - = go:
!: aTu the. Convention which framed the tlsst
Constitution or Tennessee, question Of the
highest importance arosa In regard to the
pcisons who should exercise the night Of suf-
frsge. It must be remembered that slaves
were held in Tennessee while she was yet
territory, and that large majority Of the
deIegates In her t11st constitutional conyeu-
ton were s1ayeholdcrs. In fixing the quaua-
cations tor voters It was proposed that all
free citizens should be allowed to vote An
amendment was offered to insert the word
swh,tt' ataer the word ffce.' This amaad-
dutelT gave rise to discussion aa to tho
right Of free negroes to vote. Indeed there
was no other question to d1scuss Tho
amendment contemplated the exclusion Of
all negroes from the polls, and on tlis very
point the s1aveholdinS delegate OF the 81 we
territory Of Tennessee neio an anlmated oa5-
ment was lost By decided vote. The first
Constitutional convention Of Tennessee de-
clared that Tree negroes we're citizens and en-
titled to exercise tic right Of suffrage, and
they 70 voted for more than generation
ft.From the formation OF the htat state can.
Constitutional Convention, free negroes votsd
universally all over the STATE, through The
deusely populated slave coun les Of middle
Tennessee, IN Davidson, Sumner, Maury,
williamson, Rutherford, Bedford, Wilson,
ana IN ts toWns .. Nssnv a
ncgroe vote. Candidates for Congfrss eloc-
tloneered With free negro voters n labori-
o1aly and zealous1y as they did in bar rooms
and doggeries with white voters. The aged
and venerable Major Wm. 3. Lewis, Of this
city, General JRckson's confidential friend,
and auditor In the Treasury Department dur
ing his administration, a man OF high social
position, and slavcholder, informed US re-
Gently the leaders Of the various political par
ties nanifessed quite rs much aolic!tude to
secure the votca Of uegrors as they did to OBJ
tain those OF white mcn. The free negro vote
once elected Hon. John Bell to the national
House Of Representatives., and no doubt the
great champion Of Southern Rights aud the
Union, Constitution, and enforcement Of the
laws, treated many sable friend to aglass
OF pure sold Robertson"
The Times then proceeds to show that An
drew Jackson, Felix Grundy, and Ephraim
H. Foster, the two latter OF whom became
United States Senators, we're great favo1ites
with the free negro voters. Gen. William B..
Carroll was also very popular with this class
| Of voters.
| "At one hotly-contcsted election one OF
his friends led procession Of sixty negroes
70 ths polls who cast solid vote for Gen,
"Aphys1cian in Southern Kentucky,
. gentleman Of unimpeachable verac::::jJ, told
! Us seyeEnl ycars ago that be had seen Hon.
/ Care johnson, Postmaster General under
| President Van Buren, in his political races,
lead txs '.tyrot1 70 tie las IN eseetian dey, ons
/ AwAh hEa mat IL 49, t...
enumerated arc not exceptional csses; they
were Of yearly occurrence f1r more than Sc
years, and doubtless our older citizens can
recall multltudes Of like cases."
| The 1Gnes then gives the names Of mum.
ber Of colored residents Of Nashville who
had voted under tho old constitution. II
| gives the following good advice:
| 1--WE hope none Of the scions Of Nashville
aristocTncy will fcel uncomfortable ovcl
| these "reminiscences. II historical facts
show that their fathers voted with negrocl
and electfoncered for negro votea, It Ia >ne
fault Of ours. But We suggest TINT In future
IL would be advisable for them not to accuss
ONION men Of having snigger on the brain-
Remember yonz fAthers' antecedents, nopili
t. Of Tennessee"
i But there Hns another matter In which thl
laws Of Tennessee permitted "negro equal
ity:n
It was not as voter only that the free col
ored citizen was on On equality with the wlita
citizen. The laws of Tennessee required hin
to attend militia musters regularly, dul.
armed and equipped, or else be punished b.
q fine Of fifty cents for each absence from
military duty, just Is white citizens were
The free negro could yote or not, as he sav
proper, hut in military duty he had no choice
he was compelled to muster or be fined Ten
nesseeans Of that dag performed military dut