The Portland daily press., 1864-08-04
The Question of Negro Suffrage.


In some Of the border slave states the ques-
ton of admitting the colored PEOPLE to vote at
the polls is now earnestly discussed. and
those who favor this measure recommend it
as only return to an old custom, which was
but recently abolished by the Shareholders
Parson Brownlow gives, in a recent number
of his newspaper, the Knoxville Wing. some
instructive and curious facts about the negro
vote in Tennessee, showing that thirty years
ago there was no repugnance in that state to
free colored men voting They were first dis
franchised by the Constitutional Convention
of 1885:
sin the convention that formed the first con-
stitution OF Tennessee, the question arose as
TO who should exercise the right of suffrage
in the state. Slaves were held in Tennessee
while she was yet a territory; and a fact not
generally known is this-a majority OF the
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 insert the word "whites 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 con-
ltlAbcu tANAueiDu vi HcBfDcS from the
polls. and the amendment was lost by de-
cided vote. The first constitution 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 election
eered with by our politicians and dema-
gogues for their votes. John Bell, in close
ly contested race for Congress in the Nash
vile district, when he defeated Felix Grundy.
owed his election 70 the votes of free negroes
there being several hundred 10 his district.
Andrew Jackson was popular with the ne
groes on account of his bravery and his eulo-
gy upon negro soldiers at New Orleans. and
when he defeated Colonel John Williams be-
fore the legislature at Murfreesboro, it was on
ly by seven votes, and these seven votes were
gained for Jackson before the people by the
negro voters of the counties sending them.
Governor Carroll was very popular man
with the negroes, and could come more close
ly 10 the thing of uniting their votes than any
man in the state. At one of his closely con-
tested elections, friend of bis led process
sion Of sixty or seventy negroes to the polls at
one time, who all voted for the old war-horse.
We notice that some Of the northern news
papers which copy Parson Brownlow's article
do not credit his assertions. We think L
worth while, therefore, to print here the clause
in the Tennessee constitution of 1896, which
secured to colored men the right to vote at the
polls
"ARr. III. SEcI.-All freemen ofthe age
OF twenty-one and upwards, possessing fee
hold IN the county where he may vote. and
and being an inhabiltant of any one county
within the state six months Immediately pre-
ceedng the day of election, shall be entitled
10 vote Tor members ofthe General Assembly
for the eolnty in which they shall respective
ly reside"
Under this constitution every free negro in
the state who owned an acre or half an acre of
land, or town lot twenty feet SQUARE. voted
forty years-till 1s36-for county, state and
federal officers, for sheriff, representative In the
legislature, governor, congressman, and Presi-
dent OF the United States. Mr.. McEwen. a
well-known citizen of Nashville, native of
Tennessee. wrote last summer to the Nashville
Union the following "reminiscences of the exer-
else Of this right.
'Ia the election for state officers, governor,
DC, IN 1871, had in my employ free negro.
On the day OF the above election he asked the
privilege Of accompanying me to the polls,
wishing me TO certify his freedom. / did so.
! saw him vote for governor
This eolored man voted for Gen. Sam Hous-
ton. John Bell boosted that he was twice ell
ected by negro votes.
But Tennessee is not the only slave state
whose free negroes have exercised the right of
suffrage. They were permitted to vote in No.
Carolina until 1885, when in that state also the
constitution was revised, and the colored peo-
pie were DISTINGUISHED. The Nashville Union
discussing this question last year, wrote that
Senator Douglass, in the debate on the admis-