Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-07-19


OF Maine it is dihehlsltO see what sb-
lection could have been made on C0us;i-
grounds. Bat IN difference to
the tastes and habits of our p5opls it
chose cur own Constitution, Invested
only of that feature which had caused al
our sufevings, and paOeeeded to present
US with our own abandoned s1ip ot state,
clothed IN its aneientRiggiRg. 1t IS not 4
for us to say there were irregularities IN
the mode or time of setting the State
in moti0h. Il was for the
National power in performing its guar
antee to choose for itself the manner and
the time of q seherzing It's duty. IL
chose to revive the State Government 4
through the loyal people Of .tbeg State
those who had. not proved themselves
unworthy Of free Goyernme ent. IL pre-
scribed tbrodgk its agePt its own plan of
operations, and had q right to Go so.
The State Government is thus the gift of
the Nation, audi certainly a comphsace
with the.ob igstion in the CONSTITUTION to
guarantee TO as a republican form of
GOVERNMENT Z 5y,s-.sss. :
With this general statement l might
conclude, but feel called upon TO meet,
Specifically, the complaints OF those who
affect 10 be aggtievsd. f.Y,
II is said that the Constitution Of jan
uary last was self-constituted ard ire
sponsible, and assumed to amend she
Constitution. The GOuEention.wss the
ifitiatory means chosen by khe National
hdministraI3on.% through It's civil agent.
L., ~.f =
to prescribs to the General Government
its FIRST step toward republican form of
government for the State.s The ConVen-
tion consisted Of overa6Fehundred dele
gates; il it,had been but five, or one, or
If Gov. Johnson himsAll had sat down in
bis effice aud dFswaRp adonmin governsl
ment, aud by hority OF ths nation had
proclaimed il 10 the people, jtiwould have
beehfalI The same--a national act u
1t is said the, ,amshdmente and sehed~
ule w4re-submitied TO only'aipart OF the
people, and was theE ef5Fa9 paEtial and
Itmay well be questioned whether the
national authority wasannder any cousti-.
fbtionai obligation to submit 10 a vote at
all, it's 'businesssbeing to place over us a
republican form Of goyernment, ehoos-
ing itself. the means aud the channel of
transmitting it to us II was submitted
tora vote of the loyal people, Aud Why
subscribe 1t TO the dlaloyahWho we're in
arms and In the fed fighting to destroy
the nation itself bat Itbis, too, was
uational act, in which We we're strictly
entitled to take no part guol CT a.
Aggts. it's said that the State Gov
erument was forced upon the people.
Certainly, it was f,rced upon-the rebel.
lious msiority Of the State. So was the
authority of the United States forced
o potf them, and at the poiEt of the hayo-
net; and just so. thesnatioh, had a right
TO force upon them repub'icah form, df
govern neRt. for nothing but f5rce was
lee ghizsd>by theEa
The next cause of Complaint, ana
that which is now ehdangering the
peace of the State, Is that the Leeisla
ture has passed and the Governor Is try.
ing to enforce :" An Act to Limit the
Elective .Bran chise. Alarming and
serious'a as the question is. there are iasf
two classes, Of persons Who object to, It,
namely, rebels, and those who want
rebel votes. loyal men are never heard
to complain of it.
It IS said this law is nnconstitutional
This is impossible, as the law is part of
Hthe cdVstitutioa itself. ..-t-
The Federal Government, by its agent.
Governor JohHsoa, through the. Conven-
ton, and the ratification Of the people,
conferred upon the FIRST General ssem-
bly, that should convene the power to
limit the qualification of voters. The
qualification OF voters is prescribed by
the Constitution. The Convention: PRO.
posed that the Legislature might amend
the Constitution 10 this particular. ard
the people ratified the proposition Thus.
the power of amendment was delegated
to the Legislature, which became, while
acting upon This subject, to all intents
and purposes, O, Constitutional Convex
tom The power or the Con vention to
delegate this authority was legitimate
andsheyond question, By Being the chosen
instrument Of the Federal Government
whose authority was supreme. a5@a'
Finally, itis.said The law is harsh and 4
wanting in magnanimity BY law, the
crime Of the disfranchised is treason,
and the punishment is death and conis,-
cation of property z AlLthfs is waived,
and, it is said to be ton cruel to refuse
them the privilege Of voting for few
years Magmsaimity requires, that they
should go to the ballot box and, with
bloody hands, deposit their bailofs, and
by force iofgnumbers seize the reins of
the Government they have fired to des-
troy-elevate their baffisd leaders to
power - renew their prosecutions Of
UafoH 'meh, and at last have the victory
IN the State. East Tennessee, with her
thousand martyrs t6oremsmber, is again I
to come under the rule Of such men as
Harris, or CheathaE, or Bates, Or, Pill |
low, q mere sppendage to rebel StateI
Ia province 10 rebel government 7
And yet this will be the early result of
the repeal or failure Of the "Act to limit
the Elective Franchise" leo2 3 ~
Having said this much by way Of
friendly explanation, Eeonne to the prin-
cipal object of this address; and that is,
that this Important Law IS already set at
nagght 40 many localities, by the eevasion I
Of those whose official duty II Is 10 exc /
cute it, and to announce tRat it viii be
enforced on the day of election as far
SIS the civil aud military authorities can
enforce IL And ali elections affected
By illegal votes will be anuulled, and, if
necessary the officers elected will be ar
rested The civil and military authori-
ties understand each other and viii act I
in harmony The commander of the |
military division Of Tennessee win aid |
the civil authorities in all instances !
where the powers of she latter are made /
quate to- protect the Daiiot-box from
fraudulent voting, or to remove the
county officers in one. half the State BY
whom elected. Judicial proceedings |
will be utterly imp practicable. and the
-eiVil-Eemedg-wholly inadequate. The
military will assist in this particular.
This step, so likely to become necessary,
is much to be regretted, and the Clerks
and Judges of election yet have lime 10
oOrraCf nnrH fhav bo