The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-04-30
a9agllrille &5lniu1l.
VIZ. CAMERON d CO., PRbIlshers.
SUNDAY, APRIL 80, 1865.
Who is Rlgible to the United States
Senate!

The Constitution of the State Of Ten
nessee provides that Z" No Senator or
Representative shall, during the time
for which he was elected, be eligible to
any office or place of trust, the appoint-
ment to which, is vested in the Execu-
tive or General Assembly, except to the
Office Of 3 trustee of q Literary Insti-
tuition" This, it is said, renders ineli-
gible, any member of the Legislature
to seat in the United States Senate.
This cannot be so. How is the election
of Senator of the United States deyolv-
ed upon the Legislature? Where does
the General Assembly derive its power
TO elect q SENATOR Surely, by virtue
of snd under the Constitution Of the
United States, which provides that 'the
Senate of the United States, shall be
composed of two Senators from each
State, chosen by the Legislatures there
of, for six years" Here is the power
and authority to elect. The Constitu-
ton of the State has nothing to dowith
it 1t can only apply to and prescribe
qualifications and restrictions upon
persons TO be " chosen" to fill State off,
| ces alone.
The qualifications Of Senator to the
/ C,,,grasz of the limited States are
these:
mo person shall be a Senator who
shall not have attained to the age Of
thirty years, and been nine years
citizen of the United States, and who
shall not, when elected, be an inhab-
liant of the State for which he shall
be chosen" No other qualifications
are required or restrictions imposed by
the Constitution of the United States,
aud if the State Constitution imposes
any other, it is void, for the Constitu-
tion of the United States Is the "Su-
prene law Of the land" anything in
the Constitution OF laws of any State
10 the contrary, Notwithstanding.
Article SIX of the Constitution, page
I8 of the 6ode)
Mr. Bell, q member of the House Of
Representatives of the Legislature Of
! Tennessee, was, On the 22d day Of No
yember, I847, elected to the Senate of
the United States. The vote in the
Senate was as fonows
For Mr. Bell.-Messrs. Bradbury,
Bratcher, HeiskeH, Henry, Kyle, Nc
Kahn, MEIGs, Muirhead, Richardscn,
Roach, Thornburg, Tyler, Mr. Speaker
Anderson.
Now we have the construction placed
upon this clause of the Constitution by
Hon. r. J. Meigs, the present candidate
| for a seat in the Senate of the United
States, under the sanction of an official
oath. It is Unquestionsbly correct
| There has never been any doubt since
The Constitution Of the United States
requires, however, that q person to be
eligible to a seat in the U. S. Senate
must, "when elected, be an inhabitant
of that State for which he shall be
chosen" Now, if the clause quoted
above, from the State Constitution, ex-
| cIudes members of the General As
sembly from Office, as it unquestionably
does, the clause of the Constitution of
the United States must render ineli-
gible" to a seat in the U. s. Senate any
one who is not an "inhabitant' Of the
State where chosen.
In 1889 the Hon Felix Grundy was
elected to the United States Senate,
by the Legislature of Tennessee, whilst
he was residing at Washington as At
torney General of the United States, in
| Mr.. Van Buren's Cabinet He was in
eligible; and came back to Nashville,
with his family, so as TO be an inhabit
ant of the State, and the Legislature
again elected him. This is q case in
point and conclusive Mr.. Meigs, has
resided in Washington, and been Clerk
of the Supreme Court, of the District
of Columbia, since March 1868, whilst
Mr. Grundy had been Attorney General
for some fifteen months, and expected
to return at the close of Mr. Van
Burens administration. Not so with
hr. Meigs. CONSTITUTION.