The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-07-23
Admission Of Tennessee.

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The admission of Tennessee to repre-
sentation in Congress is measure of right
meted out for q wrong motive and to
those who are elected by gross wrong and
outrage of the people of Tennessee. The
Congress admits Tennessee because Co
vernon BRowNLow telcgraphs that his
Legislature had adopted the constitutional
amendment. In the short debate which,
by favor of the majority, was allowed in
the House before voting on the measure,
Mr.. Boutwell,, of Massachusetts,, ultra
Radical, who opposed it earnestly, asserted
that the action Of Tennessee was in some
respects informal but he said this 81 nfor-
"mality would be controlled by the GER
"titcate as to what the Legislature had
"done." What is this informality? Why,
simply that there was no quorum roting
upon the question: of the adoption Of The
constitutional amendment. And how is this
fact to be done away with by certiii-
cate? 1t is asserted that there were ftty-
sir members present in the Tennessee
House of Representatives, which is q
quorum but the Constitution requires that
the quorum must be shown by the roteS
No other quorum can be lawfully recog-
nizcd, and none other will suffice in a de-
cision in court of justice. And as only
.ffty- four voted, of course there was in
law no quorum present.
hot frn Of bn ,1,nrg
were present by force, and were so de-
tanned in custody but they would not
vote. Their conduct may be regarded as
refractory; but they were in the midst of
violence, and were then looking upon a
great outrage. Such was the character of
this outrage, that quorum Of the Legis-
lature could not be induced by appeal or
menace to take part in it; and yet that
Legislature was elected by minority of
the voters of the State-those few who
could take the hated test oath. Repre-
sentatives so elected, it may be naturally
supposed, would 60 long way with Radi-
calism in its tyranny towards rebels; but
even they could not help to perpetrate
that injustice which BRowNLow was in
such haste to infict, and would not come
at his bidding, nor in terror of his insolent
denunciations and threats.
This little informality "-as it is styled
by the Radicals--of no quorum voting, Sc
cures to the State Of Tennessee her repre-
sentatiyes in Congress. That cannot easily
be undone, and is very different matter
from the thing that is not done at all, viz :
The adoption Of the amendment by Ten
ncssee for that is really not done, and
may be repudiated at any moment. 1t
was in this view that Conservatives and
Democrats voted for the admission of
Tennessee. By-and-by we shall see a
change of affairs in that State, and it is
altogether probable that the will and OPT
Mons of the people of Tennessee, in their
majesty, may be made to speak through
this representation, conferred for bad
motive upon persons wrongly elected by q
minority Of the people Of the State! So that
it is likely, as is often the case, that out of
an intended outrage by those without scru-
pie aud without honor, good instead of
evil is made TO flow. THAD. STEVENS, we
suspect, feared something Of this sort. He
certainly was unwilling to give up his idea
that none but the northern States should
be called on to vote upon the amendment
TO the Constitution; and therefore he at
first opposed the motion to admit Tennes.
see simply because she bad adopted that
amendment. But THAp., with all his Bit
terness and imperiousncss, caved in and
voted for the admission Of the State on
Friday. THAD. is evidently under the
weather. lie would not have succumbed
thus at the beginning of the session.
Mr.. boutwell,, in his opposition to the
resolution Of admission, called attention to
the fact, that by the fraudulent BRowsLow
Constitution more than half Of the vb,te
male population of the State were disfrau.
chised. He added that eighty thousand
colorcd males were also excluded, and
while his sympathy with these last was the
main cause of his opposition to the admis-
sion Of Tennessee, under a momentsry
sympathy of fellow feeling for the poor
whites that were excluded, he let out the
fact and declared that Tennessee was with.
out republican form Of government A
truth which none can dispute. It ID the
annihilstion Of the voice Of the people In
their majesty Of which we now complain,