Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-03-22
FAYETTEVILLE, TENN.
Thursday MsrnIng, March q, 1866
A Full Exposition Of Diff
crllties in the Tennessee
Legislature.
A Truthful Statement.

we 10y OSAoAS OuA
morning full report Of Mr.. Pos
toms speech at Exchange Hall,
Memphis, Wednesday night. 1t
cannot fail to be read with inter-
est:
In order that those whom we
have immediatelyirepresented for
q brief period in the House OF
Representatives of the General
Assembly of the State of Tennes-
see, may understand precisely the
status of affairs in that body, and
the reasons that impelled us to the
action we have taken, l beg leave,
in addition to the matters set forth
in the ''address to the people OF
Tennessee" submitted by ourselves
in conjunction with other retiring
members, to say that, prior to the
18th day of February, 1866, vari-
Gus disfranchise bills had been In
troduced into the House OF Repre-
sentatives, of a character and ten
or widely diverse, some of exceed
ing strinsency, and some of provis-
ions more liberal and just.
One.:introduced by the venera-
BILE and highly esteemed senior
member from Davidson, the Hon.
William B. Lewis, the lifelong
friend and intimate privy counsel
lor of the "1ero of the Hermit
age 1.-THE tried and unflinchlng
friend of the Union in its darkest
hours, and a member of the pres
emit Legislature of Tennessee,
based upon the provisions of the
Amnesty Proclamation of Presl-
dent johnson; others introduced
bv extremists of the Radical fac
ton, ultra and exclusive to the
last degree. These various bills
had been referred to a special
committee, with instructions to re-
port upon them, or to report bill
in lieu. This special committee had
reported bill much more strin-
gent in its provisions than the
present franchise law, which had,
without discussion, been adopted
in lieu of all others, and was ly-
ing ON the table of the House a.
waiting action.
On the 18th of February the
Franchise bill reported by 1.-The
committee and adopted in lieu of
all others, was called up for action
in the House, and then, for. the
first time, the representative from
Bedford and Rutherford offered in
lieu the present most extraordi-
nary, unjust and Ubiquitous bill.
This bill is more stringent far in
its provisions than the franchise
law now force, annuls all the GER
tifcates of registration heretofore
issued, excluding from the rights
of registration and of suffrage
many persons entitled thereto un-
der the existing law, and in ad-
dition thereto, comforting upon the
Governor of the State the power
of appointing for each county In
the State, a commissioner OF reg
istration, who is made the exclu-
sive judge of the qualification OF |
the applicants and Of the weight
of testimony introduced to estab-
lish loyalty, and empowered to
call in rebutting testimony to dis
prove that loyalty. From the de-
cision of this commissioner there
can be no appeal.
This bill is the creation OF the
Secretary of State, A. j. Fletcher,
and was by him introduced into
the caucus of the majority; was
byhim argued and urged at length,
all amendments or alterations
thereto refused by him, and that
majority instructed finally, in sub
stance, that the bill must be passed
in its present form. 1t came to I
the House in the handwriting OF i
its author. Cotemporaneously t
with the action of the Secretary c
IF State, appeared in the columns
IF the Knoxville Wing, the organ S
md generally acknowledged prop
,rty of the Governor of the State, t
IN editorial from which we Gull {
he following extraordinary signif- S
cant paragraph: "
"If the people ever did plant q
themselves firmly on any plat
orm, it is on the platform now s.
coupled by the so-called Rad. "