The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-01-14

Isham 6. Harris had derived his sutho
rity for preeipitating Tennessee into
rebellion, and for one, he would consent
that our action should be founded upon
the revolutionary right therein atirm>
ed. AS ne understood it, the Federal
GoYernment guaranteed TO every State
a republican form of government, and
in pursuance Of President Lincoln &C.
ton, we were now permitted to inau
gurate movements looking TO restora-
ton Of civil authority in Tennessee. He
denounced the action Of the rebel le-
gislsture, under the above provision Of
the Bill Of Rights, thought it highly
improper to even refer TO it, and con-
cluded by moving that all that portion
Of the preamble containing it be strick-
en- out
Mr.. Bingham, of the Business Commit
tee, explained and defended the prop
osition. He had been amazed to hear
gentlemen on that floor, protesting
some legal knowledge, denouncing the
report in question as endorsing seces-
sion. The proposition was liable to no
such objection. There never was a
greater misrepresentation and perver
sion. The declaration of the Bill Of
Rights-that the people have at ali
times an inalienable right to alter or
amend their organic laws, was literally
true, and the fact that Isham G. Harris
and his coadjutors had professed to de
rive authority for their course in trea-
son from it, was utterly fallacious 1t
grew out of gross pervsrsion The
Constitution of the United States is the
supreme law Of the land, and no State
Constitution could be lawfully so altered
or amended as to contravene its bind
ing obligations Yet Harris had done
that precise thing. Protesting to de-
rive power from the Bill of Rights, he
had artfully SO prostituted the language
as to hoodwink the people then in Ten
nessee to believe that they had author
ity to set aside the supreme law of
the land He regretted, however,
that gentlemen lal been unable
to get over the binding influence
of thot trick. No.s we are exercising
our inalienable and indefeasible
right to alter our State consti-
tuition, and the alterations proposed
are not against the Constitution of the
United States, which is the supreme
law of the land, but are in exact &C
cordaRce with that sacred instrument
In the one case an attempt was made
to operthroic the supreme law; in the
other, to build up the temple of our CT
vii liberty underline law and in accord.
ance Herewith The charge therefore
that the language objected to endorsed
secession was founded in the 'grossest
misapprehension lie insisted on the
preamble as originally reported.
The vote was then taken on Mr.. Till
mans motion to strike out, and it was
decided in the negative by a large ma
jority
The preamble was then adopted.
The article abolishing slavery was
then adopted without dissenting
voice, and the announcement was re-
ceived with loud cheers.
The second article was then adopted
without debate.
The schedule (printed above) was
then taken up, section by section
and the first, second, third, and
fourth were adopted without amend
ment.
When the fifth section was called up,
Judge Trewhitt moved to strike out the
concluding proviso, as it recognized
the validity of rebel judges.
Col Mullins concurred with Judge
Trewitt
Judge Gaut dissented from the views
Of the gentleman. He thought the
provision necessary.
Considerable discussion here arose,
when the convention took a recess un-
til : O'Clock P. NJ.