The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-28
Address.
NASHVILLE, March 27, 1865.

NASHVILLE, March 27, 1866.
Feliow-Cihzsns Il Davidson County:
speech delivered by my competitor
Judge ". NJ. Brien-whieh find put
lished, and distributed in the form 81 = ri,
GUAR, deserves q brief notice. 1t il renlel
: with errors and mis-satements in ragerd
my course, but presuming they are made +
ignorance, and with no wilful purpose /
~hisrePresent me, ! shall simply note an
correct them, trusting that gentleman an.
ELS friends VIII hereafter refrain from re
PeatiDg them.
SPeaKlng OF my resignation he says:
inns vacancy and unexpired term wa
oecasloned By the wilful, not TO say con
temptuous, withdrawal Of our venerabl,
representative Maj. Wm. B. Lewis"
IN reply | will say that NY withdraw
vas neither "wilful" or "contemptuous. :
On the contrary, it was as | stated in m,
note Of resignation, reluctant, and as re.
! spectful in its language as the occasion
would permit. Ny sense ofdutv as a legis-
lator and q guardian Of the public veal for.
babe my co operation, even BY nv pres.
ence as member, in the passage Of an act
so mischievous as the dis~franehising meas.
ure. stated this fact and quietly with.
drew
Referring to the Convention of January
1863, he says:
Gle III was the President Of the Radieol
Union Convention, which assembled In ON,
capital on the sth of January, 1866; | was
also q member. We passed what Is nov
known as the amended Constitution. with
the schedule, the ninth section of which
provides that this present session of tbe
Legislature shall have power to restrict and
limit the right Of suffrage. Ivoted for his
as did Major Lewis"
l was not the President of the Convention
nor aid sat as a member, or participate IN
us proceedings in any way. At hetime of il
session, was confined TO my bed BY illness.
~ Is strange that the Judge, who was q
member, and whose memory is SO accurate
IN regard to the action Of the bod Y. should
forget the name Of its leading officer. I
may say, however, that in the general pur-
poses Of that Convention ! concurred. hut
reserved to myself the right Of independent
judgment as to the merely advisory and per-
missory clauses Of its schedule.
says: ~
''Ihus be III was sent to the Legislature.
ne aldeo ana assisted in passing upon the
people the present franchise law. which Il
possible, Is or should be, at least, more obi
Gus 70 u errlng friends, if / may so call
them, instead Of rebels. | ventura 10 say
OF tins law, If 1t was faithfully executed
and the oath therein prescribed, and re.
CURED 70 De taken as 1t is, and probably
tes4 o. mat tour out Of every five would de-
cine 70 vote, rather than take that oath
know hundreds who obtained certificates
VINO could not and would not pretend 10
vote, II required to take this oath. Examine
1t for yourself.
This is the Majors franchise bill"
N reply, slate that l opposed the pres
ent franchise law from the moment Of its
~roducti Pending its passage in Nav
OF last year, l prepared a speech taking
sIOuuu against It's principle and its policy.
This speech would have been delivsIad ~,
Tor Illness which prevented my attendance
upon the session Of the House until After
the patsage Of the bill. Further, the Iegis-
IaLure re assembled on the first MondsVy in
october, and the 9th Of that month | intro
duced a bill repeating the present law, and
placlhg the voting basis on the plan of the
as applied to other States imnlica.
ted IN the rebellion. The effect of his hin
was 10 give the franchise privilege To every
man involved in the rebellion, who had
taken or should take the oath Of amnesty.
De subject to the Presidential pardon
This IS my record on the subject Of the |
i~rarehlse, and my PRESENT position.
IN regard to the two per cent. tax on
PAANAANEEs Ne HaNHs |
NOW, gentlemen, | promise to do all I can
for you. | feel confident l can relieve Won
tins enormous tax. Will the Major do |
III Mark my prediction. If he is elected
the tax will remain, if not Increased. Look
10 your own interest"
ms two per cent. tax was an item in the
revenue bill presented to the House. When
The Dill vas put upon its passage, attention
not called to this feature. yeted for
The bill as a whole. AS soon as | learned Of
The oppression which it wrought upon The
interests Of the mercantile class of the
community, l favored its reduction 10 a fair
standard, and am now in favor of such a
measure. II political objects had not en-
lToIy engrossed the attention Of the msior-
~, subjects OF tins kind would have re-
'eIVed me attention due to them. 1t is not
ny fault that this burden has not been va
moved, and Judge Brien speaks yitbont
authority when he says that my recollection
YlIl cause the tax TO be maintained. if moi
l SHALL as l have beretofora
one, attempt to bring the majority Of the
louise OF Representatives. to the c~nneidero-
loh OF business of this character. and di-
-ertlt from the pernicious work of p~artizan
prescription. II this can be done the tax
will be modified.
The speech dwells with much JUNCTION
Ipon the evils Of disorgsnization, which is
harged to myself and my retiring col
This is q matter referred to the
The evil of the legislation contem-
dated by the majority, in my judgment,
.vershadOwed everything else. My course
vas taken to prevent that, and my CON
ciencs is clear that no man can truthfully
to me the spirit or the conduct Of q
Any insinuations touching my loyalty 10
he Union Of the States under the Cons,itu-
ion; my attachment to the welfare and
prosperity of the Government; my devotion
the true interests OF the State and all OF
Is people; or my zeal for the preservation
f free institutions, ] cannot condescend to
eply to, come they from what source they
nay. Respectfully,
". B. LEwIs.