Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1865-02-01
F"T IHu NHn1VIIIo Will
To the People or Tennessee.

Permit member Of the lato Nashville Conven-
tlon to present some thoughts in favor efsho meas
ures which that body in lis deliberntvc wisdom seen
1T to adopt II Is well known, perhaps, to all who
have taken any interest in the matter that the
yenton was called mainly for the purpose of laying
the ground work for the meeting Of regular con-
yonton, whose duty II should be to rovso and amend
the constitution Of the State, But when tho late
convention met, II determined to dispense with any
future convention, and instead Of this to draw up
such amendments rs the oIgencios of the times de-
manded, and place these In such form us that they
could be voted upon by the people, directly, and
thus change in this mode the fundamental law Of
the State, Now, thoro seems TO DO in the minds Of
number of very honest and good men, great and
serious objections to this mode Of amending tho
constitution, They are for the amendment but be-
licvc the mode unconstitutional and dangerous
Now the first question that arises, docs our present
constitution anywhere authorize such procedurc2
II we turn to the declaration of rights in the con-
sttuton, we find that the first section declares that
all power is inhcrant in The people, and that all gov
ernmonts are founded on their authority, and nsti-
tuted for their peace, safety and happiness and for
the Advancement Of these ends they have at all
times nm naenable and ndefeasable right to alter,
reform or abolish the government in such manner
as they may think proper, Now, if wo turn to the
last sentence in the constitution, We find that the
bill OF rights is made part of tho constitution and
1t is expressly declared that il is important part
that it shall never be abolished or changed Then
it is clear that the bill of rights is an unalterabe
part of the constitution itself Then let us analyze
and examine closely the clause of the bill of rights
1t is exceedingly broad and comprehensive. No
language can be more SO. 1t declares that the peo-
pie can at all times, whenever they may think prop
err whenever it does not secure their peace or safety
or happiness, alter reform or abolish their whole
form of government and then il further declares,
that they may do this in any manner they may
think proper. 1t evidently contemplates that the
people may spontaneously rise up, if they believe
the government does not answer the ends for which
it was instituted and in body march to the capt.
tal and seize upon the Governor, destroy the ar
chicves, and burn the constitution and set up a
kingy government, instead of the one under which
they had lived or they may come to the polls, and
all vote untedly for the same thing or at the sug-
geston of the humbcst man in the State, they NAV
agree TO make radical changes in their form of gov
eminent, or they may do the same thing through q
delegated convention, or they may adopt the more
cautious and tardy move recommended by the con-
stitution itself
Now the late Nashville Convention arrogaed no
power to itself as has been falsely charged 1t
SIMPLY was an embodied instrument throwing into
form and expression that which the sovereign peo-
pie, if you please, desired. To enable thom to re-
form their form of government at the ballot box it
done no more than the humbest individual in the
State had the right to do. And had ono man seen
proper to draw up and embody precisely all that
the convention did, and had called upon the people
of the State to ratify what he had done, and had
The people in any way showing fair majority so
ratified the act, it would have been Just as lawful
and constitutional as any mode that could be de-
vised.
There is one mode prescribed in the constitution
and only one by which that instrument oan DO
amended, and that clauseis evidently only advisory
If it prohibited all other modes, it would certainly
repeal part of the bill of rights and yet that has
been forbidden to be altered in any manner in anoth-
err clause Of the same instrument The constitution
is totally silent on the subject of Conventions. 1t
knows no such body. 1t prescribes no rules for
its government. And hence, if the late convention
had done what the majority of its members went to
do, it would have had no sanction from the consti-
tuition ITSELF and would have involved the State al
ready bankrupt in debt of at least hundred
thousand dollars; and would have called together at
this exciting time hundred men, many of them
noisey, wrangling, radical fearless theorists who
would have felt at liberty to lay violent hands upon
that sacred and time-honorcd instrument and in
trying to, amend might utterly destroy it, The con-
sentative men in that convention felt that the least
that they could do so as to meet the present emer
gehcy was safest and the best and they endeavored
to discharge that duty to their country as became
patriotic men, fearless of reproval, happy in the
thought that they contributing to the best in
tcrests of their beloved but distracted State
BE-.