Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-04


we propose to give brief history of the
whole matter, not that we feel at all soli-
cited to defend our own action in the trans
action, but simply 20 relieve, of some en-
barrassment our friends, who do not under
stand the full history Of the measure. And
what we shall say, we defy any man to
deny as to ourself we challenge a rigid
scrutiny through all our acts in the Lee
gislature, and feel conscious that we labored
faithfully to do our whole duty. We re-
manned there for nearly two years, in
hopeless minority-entirely powerless for
good, and indeed the whole Conservative
party there, constituted a mere balance
wheel for the Radicals to run the State
machinery TO the dishonor and mean OPP
preston Of the people. We state positive
fact when we say, the entire rank and file Of
Conservatives lost all hope of being able to
arrest the sweeping tide of tyranny,
fanaticism and disgrace that continu-
ally increased in proportion, and
madness, and acting for ourself we
determined to lose no chance to render the
party as odious and fragrant as was in our
power And ia consultation with Senators
Frazier, Mcfarland, Thompson and Smith
we told them that if the Radicals would
permit us to work in the lead for while
it was no less a duty than our right to
drive the whole concern into the land
where Wards ducks are said to be-"
The Conservatives were not running the
State goVernment-the Radicals had il in
| their power to defeat this very measure as
/ well as all Others and when they permitted
us to get in and drive, we were determined
to drive over the first frightful precipice
that we could find, and this gold measure
| being freely discussed among the members
/ at that time, we introduced a resolution
No. 40, raising the per diem of members
from four 10 six dollars per day, assuming
g gold basis for the apology. Now the
23d section of the % article of the consti-
tuition says that four dollars per day shall
be the compensation Of members, and that
their per diem shall not be increased
| during the term Of their office. We 50
| framed and amended our resolution as to
make the conflict plain and palpable, and
! with no other motive in view than to rem
der the ruling and governing faction OBJ
noXious and intoierable to the great body
of the people we voted for it as did every
Conservative Senator but two.
Again, members of the Legislature can
not appropriate money out of the treasury
! by a resolution but it must be done by
law, which must be read in each house on
three different days, and signed by each
Speaker; and the fact of the passage Of
the resolution is no evidence that those who
voted for its passage would vote for the
passage Of a law, in obedience to the con
stitution, on the same subject; and on the
Sth day Of March, 1867, when the law was
passed on the same subject, we find that
it was passed by the following vote, every
one Of whom are Radicals except Major
Thompson:
House bill No. 632 was put upon its
final passage, and the vote taken ayes and
noes-ayes, Is; noes, 5. Those voting in
the Affirmative were: Aldridge, Bosom,
Cate, Hall, Keith, Mckinney, McElwee,
Powell, Patterson, Smith, Spence, Trimble,
Thompson, Robinson, and the Speaker of
the senate.-Sen1te Journal, page 43S.
Here We see that every single one who
voted for the bill appropriating this gold
money to themselves were Radicals but
Major Thompson. Now every man of
sense in the State knows that the money
was appropriated by the bill and not the
resolution bill which we did not vote
for, nor any Conservative in the Senate but
one, and he to carry out the original de-
sign of the whole movement these are
facts upon which we defantly challenge
any Radical in the State
The committee that reported the resolI-
ton was composed Of Radicals, save our
self and they instructed us to report in
favor of the resolution that was adopted,
which was drafted by John Trimble, and
reported to the committee by him, and
offered in lieu of our resolution-and he
voted for the bill appropriating the money
referred to by the resolution.
Again, if the bill No. 632, had not
passed, no money could ever have been
drawn out Of the treasury by or under the
resolution-hence the money was appro-
priated by the bill and not by the resolu-
ton. This Is another fact that no man of
sense will deny.
Hence all the efforts of the Radicals to
make it appear that this was a Conserva-
tive measure totally fail when we go to the
proof and the record. The Radicals were
out generated in this matter, and were
trapped into the scheme before they were
conscious Of it, This is a true history of
the entire measure, and we feel well salts
uSu AAlAL no ollE Will ldull US lOE VITAL we
did; if they do, we have no apology to
make to them, and no favors to ask of
them. We feel thankful to the people of
this Senatorial district for the honor con-
ierred on rs, yet we are too independent to
sue for peace" Our record will show
that we assiduously labored to defeat the
Wild and extravagant measures and vile |
purposes of the Radical party openly for
two years, and in this last measure we did
nothing but what we would do again with
out hesitation, under the same circum-
stances.
Again we say, and appeal to the law,
that this gold money, over which there is
so much fuss, was passed by vote Of four
teen Radicals ia the Senate and all the
Radicals IN the House
And VIC further say, that if it had been
in our power TO have rendered this infa-
nous and rotten State government intoler-
able to the people we would have done SO,
for we do believe that it will be by this
means alone that the overthrow Of the
present State government will be accom-
plished in the end. 1t is true that the
remedy is a bad one, but not so bad as the
disease.