Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-11-15


A meeting was called last NIGHT hv
the constituents Of Col. c. 5. Cameron.
one Of the representative from this
county to the Legislature, and who has
recently been declared ineligible to his
seat bythat body.
Quite a4argeassemhly, considering the
meagre notice which had been given Of
the event, The darkness Of the night and
the bad condition of the streets, was
called To- ofaerby Col y. D. Collins, and
the orator Of the evening was introduced.
Col. Cameron Is a small, intelligenls
earnest looking man. His style OF elo-
quence is quiet but it nips. He stated
that he appeared there at the request Of
gentlemen whom it was his duty 10 obey.
He was their agent. After q forid COM
pliment TO his supporters, and a better
I sheer at the opposition, and denying that
any money had been spent In his cleo
ton. he proceeded to narrate the manner
in which he was busted from his seat at
the capitol
On the second Of October, on the call
/ of the House, there were but forty-eight
( old members, eight short of a quorum.
/ There were nine new members seeking
admission. A member suggested that
the nine be sworn in, which was
/ objected TO on the ground that without a
quorum no business could be done.
Pending a discussion whether swearing
inmembers was business % moi, the House
adjourned The next day the new mem
bers were svornin. 4 resolution declar-
ing our orator ineligible was reteHred
to a committee with power to send for
persons and papers, There was no OBJ
/ lection TO this course, provided the mem
Der, whose seat was questioned, be al
lowed to 80 before the committee. This
appears 70 have been rejected, and some
technicalitles were debated for three
days. when a motion Of tho previous
I question crt of debate. Col Cameron
made a point Of order that s committee
: could not have powers 10 send for persons
and papers on mere rumor, in which he
was sustained by the SPeake-, hut an
appeal was moved and sustained,
and the House adjourned. The
position next day was abandoned, but a
resolution passed declaring that eontmoh
fame made the Colonel neE ible. tt was
then moved that the House go into a
/ Committee Of the Whole, evidently, ss
the Speaker declared, 10 cut Off evidence.
These manoeuyres occupied ten days,
when the ease finally came before the
! Committee of Elections. The Commit
tee reported in favor of eligibility.
+ The vote to concur was lost by a tie
vote. NeStdaya gentlemsn desired 10
change hisvote, and the House c~oncurred,
but subsequently q gentleman moved a
reconsideration, and the question not to
concur come up, which was carried, and
Shelby county lost the beneht Of Col.
fCameron's services in the Legislature.
We have not time to go into the
elaborate argument by which Col.
Cameron proved his right % the
seat. He dis~ected the House. Accord
ing 10 his statements there are many
who voted Tor his exclusion without a
shadow of right to their seats. In fact,
the Colonel made it moderately plain
that none of them had any right to be
there. ,.
1t appears further from the statements
of the Speaker that the present is an adj
journad session, and that there is no.
power, under the Constitution, to repeal
either the Tax or the Franchise law until
eighteen hundred and sixty-seven. This
announcement caused some dislay in the
faces Of the wrapt hearers Of the speaker.
We were treated to some charming capi-
Of gossip, which we do not think proper
to reproduce here. The speech was a
rare and entertaing effort, and the facts
which he detailed are well worthy Of
the serious attention Of the people Of
West Tennessee.