The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-05-19

! enacted at Annoy, where British pavar Is
/ known, has been felt and is respeeted and
! only word from a British c6nsaI would
have prevented them.
Charles s. CamerOn(Of Shelby COUNTY
| proposes to test the constitutionaiitv of tlo
odious franchise law recently packed On the
people by the so called Legislature Of this
State. He proposes to offer himself az a
candidate for the Office of Attorney General
for the district in which he resides, and calls
upon al free white citizens of the age of
twenty-one years, who have been residents
of their respective counties six months next
preceding the day of the election, to come
forward and vote, without regard to the re-
cent enactment known as the Franchise
Law. In his circular to the electors Of the
9TH, 18th, 18th and 18th civil districts Of
Shelby county, he says:
The Legislature of the State of Tennes-
see has passed an act disfranchising four
ifths of the legal voters Of our State For
the sole and isolated purpose of testing the
cOnstitutionality Of this act, before the
courts of tie coantry, l propose to offer my
self candidate for the office of Attorney
General for these Districts, on Thursday. the
24th day of the present month, the day set
apart by law to hold said election Article
4, Section 1, Of the Constitution of our
State reads: 'ElIat' every free white man, OF
the age Of twenty one years, being a citizen
of the United States, and a citizen Of tho
county wherein he may offer his vote six
months next preceding the day of election.
shall be entitled TO vote for members of the
General Assembly and civil Offices of the
county or district where he resides. Section
of the same article reads: Laws may be
passed excluding from the right of suffrage
persons who may be convicted Of infamous
crime
1t is needless for me to. state that che pre-
sent Franchise law IS IN direct conflict with
these plain provisions of the Constitution
1t is also clear that the Legislature can only
exclude those from the elective franchise
who have been duly convicted of infamous
crime.
The present Legislature has trampled
under foot these just and wholesome provis-
ions of our Constitution, for the purpose of
fastening their rGle upon this people, and of
placing it out of our power to remove them
from Office.
Section S23 of the Code provides that the
election Of Attorney General and Reporter
and District Attorneys General shall be hol-
den on the fourth Thursday of May every
six years, counting from the fourth Thurs
day of May, 1854. From this it VIII be OBJ
served that the election for Attorneys Gene>
raj for the entire State, takes place on
Thursday the 24th inst Section S43 of the
Code provides that If the Sheriff or other
officer whose duty it is to attend at partic-
ular place of voting under the foregoing
provisions (referred to IN sections $50, SAL
and 842,) fail to attend, any justice of the
peace present, or, if no justice Of the peace
be present, any three freeholders may per
form the duties prescribed by the proceeding
sections, or, in case of necessity, may act as
officers or inspectors. These provisions
place the elections absolutely within the
control of the people, and out of the power
of the Governor, sheriff, or other public of
ficer to prevent you from holding your elec@
tions.
therefore purpose to hold the election
under the CODE through the agency of three
freeholders, as provided therein"
We learn from Nashville that similar
steps are being taken in that city also to
test the legality of the same law