The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-04-15
The Franchise Bill-Yiews of Mr..
Macs If Williamson

Mr.. A. w. Moss, of Williamson, pre-
pared the following speech on the Fran
chise Bill, but was prevented from
making it by the Previous Question.
He prints it. that his constituents may
know his views on the subject:
Ma. sPEAKKR = It is q lamentable fact that
/ party spirit has gained the control Of the
/ Judgment aud patriotism Of many of the
| members Of this General Assembly.
! make this remark with regret and not
with desire 10 be reprOaehfui to 8 single
member; for, If l know myself, / have
| borne the highest regard for this Legisla-
| ture, through good and evil report, without
even thinking whether our sails were set to
| catch the rebel current or not.
] The members who were elected to this
House on the general ticket were originally
| selected by Convention OF Union men, be-
| cause they had withstoOd the fiery tests Of
the rebellion and had remained true to the
/ Union. Many of them had offered their
| bodies 10 be shot, and their blood to be
poured out as a libatiOn for our mother
/ country, rather than see her fair fame tar
nished and her estate divided and S9uoH-
| dered By her vicious children ana our
! brothers. Now, you say that many of these
same men are in sympathy with and pan
dering TO their former enemies, because, at
the request Of the rebels, they are in favor
OF tearing down the bloody a5aH that has
divided US during the dark and dreary hours
Of the rebellion.
On questions that have come before this
House, since have had the honor to be
member, except the question Of limiting
the elective franchise, have considered IL
nv duty TO act with tne radicals, because
thought they were disposed 10 act more ike
statesmen than the opposition party was;
and it would afford me pleasure TO go with
them now, if thought they were gong for
a republican form OF governments; or will
go with them in passing a law which shall
not only guard the ballot-box, but it shall
deny TO rebels the right Of way 10 it, SO long
as they continue 10 be rebels, and for six or
twelve moaths after they cease to be rebels,
in order to avoid the evils that might grow
out of their habits Of being rebels, if they
were permitted TO exercise the Privi-
| leges of the elective franchise. And
| Just here the radicals and myself
divide. They seem to want to ex-
clude them from the polls al iHfHitH0,
while I am in favor Of Teadmittlng them TO
society, and as members of the body polite
Of the State of Tennessee, so soon as it shall
be fafe 10 do it. You, | think, would close
| the doors Of the Union church against ia
migrants fOm the Southern COntederacy
deceased, while / would open wide the eter
nal doors, and Ifs up the everlasting gates,
and invite the last wandering prOdlgal 10
| clean himself and come IN.
| am not in favor Of extending to any reb-
| el the right to vote, nor am / ia favor Of
! extending 10 persons who have identified
| themselves with the cause of the rebellion
| the privilege OF scramblng into any Office
Of honor, trust, or profit. by reason OF honor
acquired, distinction gained, or services
rendered in the traitorous scheme of trying
| 10 break down our Government. No, sir,
| ! neither want to see nor hear OF letters Of
commentator from the Southern Conied-
eracy being used in the State Of tennessee.
/ as passports TO Office. The order OF my re
spect fsr rebels stands in inverse proportion
TO their rank and standing in tbs Southern
Confederacy. l think more of o deserter
from the rebel army, than / do Of JEFF. Da-
Wis, and so on throughout the entire line of
| Confederate celebrities. ] cannot afford TO
| honor men TOR being skillful nlqrderers Of
my Union friends. Really, do not think
/ that Confederate hopOrs should be worn in
| the United States, because these honors are
i types of the crimes committed against the
| United States; still, am willing 70 do what
| CAP to save them (the rebels) but want 10
see their l70rks burned up.
Yes, now that the storm Of war is over
| aud the rebellion, thank God, has lost its
/ magic wand, and the naughty rebels cut
down 10 the common level Of mankind, and
a. q penalty for their folly, been compelled TO
lay down at the biddlngot those they desPis-
ed, their divine institution Slavery 50 That
| the strife must cease for want of ats feeder.
Let Us do nothing that looks selfish or re-
| Yengeful.
Do you think that they would abuse the
! Elective Franchise as they did in 1861, and
| again plunge our State into rebelliOn2 II
you do, you are entirely iustitiable ip dis
| franchisiDg them. But ! do not believe
that there is a single member on this floor
who entertaIus any fear on that point Now,
/ apprehend that every argument that can
| be offered in favor Of disiranchislng late
| rebels, is traceable 70 but one single idea,
and that is this, that late rebels viii, in vi
olatiOn Of the solemn oath they have taken,
cologue together, On account Of the fellow
| feelings acquired while they were engaged
| in the crime OF rebellion, and by their ne
/ lnerical strength ip many localities in this
| State, elevate their rebel pompatrlots to
| mower 10 the exclusion of Union men. And
| upon this point am free TO admit now, as
/ have said previously, again and again,
| the rel bells are criminally at fault This
sort Of double dealing is nothing short OF
I periidy; nor is he who, understsndlngly
| Yields 10 such considerations, in casting mis-
vote, in my estimation a whit better than a
| periured villain. Ia morals such conduct
| IS parallel with the crime of AnRnisa and
Sapphira his wife, who in days OF miracp-
lous punishments, were stricken with death
BY the God Of Heaven for keeping back q
part OF their oblation. They not only keep
back part of the eonsiderat on for their
pardon, but they disgrace themselves and
mock US by Haunting their Perddious gains
IN our faces.
But We should bear in mind that the
standard Of political morality has been very
lew in America for a great whine, and that
the very free indulgence Of individual
opinion and party prejudice, which has
been tolerated by the Government itself,
has had much 10 DO in bringing about the
avis from which we have suffered 30
much.
The Democratic party has had the con-
troll OF our Government Tor many years, we
an know; and it seemssto me, that we all
ought 90 know, that party has been upheld
by pandering 90 the middle and lower pas
| sions OF the human heart; that the public
speakers Of that party pampered every in
dividual that would listen to them, with
| the idea that each and every individual
| voter in this country was sovereign; that
this psrnicious party teaching IVES con
| timed until the idea prevailed generally in
the South that each voter had an indiyidu-
al right - an ulumatum; and that this
fundamental heresy, interviewer with the
bell-born idea that slavery vas Divine in
! stitution, caused TIE rebellion. Thus you
see that The rebellion came ouf Of the Dcla0-
cratic party, and was sired by the Devil
himself
Entertaining these views of the origin Of
the rebellion, aud seeing that the Great
Ruler among the nations Of the earth has
permitted us 10 be sorely tormented and
party-ridden for many years, and that our
PARTY quarrel brought about a fierce and
bloody war, IN which brothers slew their
brothers; and that this bloody struggle
continued, aud we had no peace, nor signs
of peace until we blotted from our organic
law the only Rnti-republiean feature we
had in it slavery shall be very slow
IN sufFer myself FrovoKed to incorporate
another into the Constitution Of the State
Of Tennessee
lam willing to give my vote 10 disfran-
chise ali persons who are enemies 70 the
Constitution Of the State OF Tennessee as
, amended. or who are enemies 10 the Con-
, situtiou of the United States as amended,
aud 10 keen all such persons from the polls
until thew shall in word and deed become
friends. out will not vote 10 cxclnde re-
. peutaut rcbels from the privilege Of the
eleeiivc franchise any longer than Is neees-
ssry 70 satisfy reasonable minds that they
are sincere, and that they may be relied
, upon IS citizens in doing their part IN up
holding society.
Society in Tennessee needs every element
4 Of strength that We can give it. AID il Is
) idle TO make laws that society Will not en-
> farcr, unless We intend to enforce them by
military power. The laws Of society viii
only onforos such laws Of Slate as Il APP
proves, and by its per diCEa Ct per noe tern
20 frans will make nugatory all others uul less
thew are upheld BY military law. Hence
> the same law OF State IS enforced in some
localities and ret enforced in others.
What would you think Of tho wisdom Of
a Legislature that would enact law against
/ pelieamy in The Territory Ct UtahP Whal
uaala YOU think Of ihs sisdom Of ieris-
1, laior who wouli vote V disgFauehise a rebel
, boy that he would peFmit b marry hi,
deurhterq Think Of a. Do ro1 NJ,
Know that you would make excuses Cor hin
on account of youF daughter, until yog
- wouid uuconrciously sid in breaking d0wr
the lnE Yea neH seek 10 enact thinl
that you woEla, and thai Hine-tentha 81 al,
Q best Union men Ia tbs State would DO ID,