Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-05-07
Negro Suffrage in Tennessee.

The great cutlery against negro suffrage
in Tennessee, and the constantly expressed
dread of negro equality, by those who are
sorter for and sorter not for the Union
cause, make it proper to state Il few facts in
the history Of our State, that will do for
candid men to reflect upon when otherwise
unemployed. They will fcarn some facts
from our article that rebels and rebel sym
pathzcrs would never communicate, and
facts, stubborn and notorious, that many Of
those in sympathy with the rebellion will
roaalutaly hnny
IN the convention that formed the first
Constitution of Tennessee, the question
arose as 10 who should exercise the right Of
suffrage in the State. Slaves were held in
Tennessee while she was yet territory
And fact not now generally known is
this-amajority ofthe delegates who framed
the Constitution were shareholders. In
fixing the qualifications Of voters all free
citizens were designated as proper persons
to vote. An amendment was offered to in
sert the word "WhHe' after the word free
This brought up the question of the right Of
free negroes to vote The vote was taken
upon the amendment which contemplated
the exclusion of negroes from the polls,
and the amendment was lost by a decided
vote. The first Constitution Of the State
therefore, declared free negroes TO be cti-
zens, and gave them the right Of voting,
which they exercised for many years, and
were electoncered with by our politicians
and dcmagogues for their votes. JoIN
BELL. in closely contested race for Con
gress in the Nashville District, when he
defeated FELIx GRuNDY, owed his election
to the votes of free negroes, there being sew
eral hundred in his district.
ANDREW JACKSON was popular with the
negroes on account Of his bravery and his
euIogy upon negro soldiers at New Orleans;
and when he defeated Colonel JOHN WILL
LrAMs before the Legislature at Murfrces-
borough, it was by only seven votes and
these seven votes were gained for JACKSON
before the people by the negro roterS Of the
counties sending them.
Governor CARROLL was very popular
man with the negroes, and could come more
closely to the thing Of uniting their votes
than any man in the State. AT one of his
closely contested elections, a friend of his
led procession of sixty or seventy negroes
to the polls at one time, who all voted for
the old war-horse.
Honorable CAVE JOHNSON. Postmaster
General under former Democratic admin
istration has been seen, in his early polti-
cal contests in Tennessee, when he used to
serve in Congress, during the administration
of JONI Quincy ADAMS, lead negroes to the
polls, arm in arm. The young scions of
Tennessee aristocracv and Of Southern
chivalry now in the rebel army, must per-
nit us to tell them in all frankness, that
their fathers used to 90 to the polls, in this
State, and even before they were born, side
by side with the black negroes and vote for
Governors, Congressman, and other civil
officers.
But we give another very remarkable
case. and we are indebted TO the Nashville
Times for the facts 1t is case that oc
Cured in the election Of delegates to the
second Constitutional convention Of Ten
pessee in the year 1884. 1t also happened
in the county of Wilson, in Middle Tennes
see. The notorious Robert w. Burton, a
lawyer of prominence, proud STAKEHOLDER,