Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-03

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= excludes the negro from voting. He die
not see how much farther the Iegislatur,
: could act on the subject. The speaker
. came to Mr.. Smith He said that he haC
read often the beautiful language of the
gentleman from HardemaE. Bayard Tay.
lor had written elOquently on the same
subject. He was afraid that Mr.. S. would
prove that the Virgin Mary and all the
, saints were African. Mr.. s. had said that
: he was friend Of the negroes the next
= year would show who their friends were.
/. The negroes were already equal save i'm
some features. They could not set on iu-
ries; they could not vote, and they could
!. not marry and intermarry with the whites.
The speaker said that il he did not know
to the contrary he would think the gentle
man had some aspirations for Congress
and was working for the cOlored vote. He
could not accOuBt for the sudden charge Of
the gentleman from Hardeman, and read
rom the journal as q part of the amended
constitution OF the State, passed Jan
uary, 1865, where Mr. Smith, of Harde-
man, voted for the provision prevent
ing the negroes from voting. He
would infer that Mr.. Smith was and
had always been a friend to the negro.
Why did he vote against the clause offered
as amendatory ofthe constitution, allowing
the negro to Vote2 He did right that time
lie referred 10 outside pressure brought
to bear. Mr.. Arnell, member of Congress,
hliing the seat Of Mr.. Thomas, from the
sixth district, of course was in his seat at
Washington. He was getting $1,000
year to promote the interests of his State
and certainly he was there attending to his
Representative duties. He asked the gen
tleman to look at this thing seriously. He
had no object in view but the interests
OF bus State. He wanted every man, black
ana 4hite, to have equal and exact right.
The speaker referred TO the remarks of Mr..
Rogers, of Campbell, who had said that all
men were born free and equal. Did Mr.. r.
know that he was not otshowing the rights Of
three-tourths Of the citizens, constitutional
citizens, equal to those opposed to the
negro? No man but God had right 10
ask repentance. "Great God lin reply to
remark of Mr.. Gamers, from Lawrence),
on what slender threads do human affairs
hang" He should be ashamed to go to
any such powers and ask forgiveness. What
would they have these ditizen do? Should
they bathe three days in the pool of
Saloam, should they bathe in the Cumber-
land Shohld they come 70 this Legis-
lature and ask forgiveness? A colloquy
ensued between the speaker and Mr.. Hnd-
son, in which Mr.. B. said that if any mem
bers got in by other than the legal process,
It was their fault and not his. He quoted
the maxim of DR.. Franklin, that of all men
who deserved sympathy, those who brought
misfortune upon themselves deserved it
most.
The citizens of Tennessee. three-fonr:hs |
OF them surrendered after a gallant fight, |
came home again and asked to be citizens. |
Instead OF being received as such, it was |
proposed TO enfranchise the negro, and hold |
the citizens by the throat until the advo- |
Gates OF negro suffrage should exact from
them such acknowledgements as would |
satisfy them. The tendency of all such |
legislation was to array in deadly hos
hllty the white citizens of the State
against the enfranchised negro. We can
not do anything by limiting the franchise |
against :he whites, and they know it. Pub |
llc opinion is so strong, so powerful against |
IT. that nine men out of every ten will 90 |
against you. You cannot disfranchise the |
white citizens who are to the manor born. |
You at once arouse opposition. You NAV |
raise an army to intimidate, but it will not |
do. This Legislature will not sit always, |
neither will you live always Ii ia not |
worth while TO mince it--not worth while |
TO hide it-curses and detestation will fol- |
low your action, and posterity will hold |
you mp to execration for yonr usnrpatiOnal /
course. 1T you want to alter the cOnstitu- |
ton, call a convention and alter it, accord |
ing to the provisions prescribed by the sa-
cred instrument itself But don't. for lit |
tie ephemeral, evanescent notorietv, resort |
to the usurpations of a legislative majority /
with unconstitutional views. He said that |
there was not State in the North. except |
Kansas, which proposed giving the right |
to vote to the negroes. Why did they not |
enfranchise them there. We are required /
to do everything for the negro, but those |
States most blatant In urging itupOn us did |
nothing themselves. Let us meet the /
question square up. The speaker was will |
ing. Let him who has not done wrong
cast the first stone. You seem TO |
want exact justice See if you
are. Here are thousands of intelligent /
educated foreigners who cannot vote till |
they remain here FIVE years, and are re- |
quired to take the oath of allegiance. IF |
you have the right to legislate as to who |
shall vote and who shall not why not en- |
brace these foreignersas well asthe negroes? |
They are surely as well qualified and as /
equal in the rights of citizenship. How is
1t that you can say that certain persons can
vote and certain persons cannot Then who
are voters and what is the franchise9 This
IS the same Legislature. You adjourned |
SINE die as a Legislature. If YOU are not
the same Legislature, then the Governor
had no right 10 convene yon together. If |
you are not the same Legislature. then Won
have no right 10 be convened. and as a se-
quence your acts are null and void. Bnt you
are the same.
lhe constitution requires that every
member Of the Legislature takes an oath
to support the constitution of the United
States and Of the State of Tennessee. We
have all taken that oath. As conscien-
tious man, he felt that TO vote for the fran
chise bill would be violating his sacred oath.
and going against the constitution. What
ever be the fate of that bill it was TO be
the fate Of you me. If lbs passage would (
rebound to the benefit Of the State he should
feel gratifed. II would always be source
OF pain to him to think that so many good
citizens had been swept from the State by
the war. He would not degrade these citi-
zens by placing their former servants over
them. These were TO be his last remarks |
on the subject, and they we're made in can
dor and sincerity.
Mr.. Underwood demarded the previous
question, which was sustained, and the bill
passed its second reading, ayes &c, noes 28,
as iollows:
Ayes, -Messrs. Anderson, of Hamil.
ton, Baker Blackman, Clements Donald
son, Doughty, Dowdy, Elhott Enson, Gar
ner, Gilmer, Hudson Kerchival. Maxwell. |
McNair, Morris, Mulloy, Murphy, Norman,
Patton, Porter, Pickett, Raulston, Rich
ards, Rogers, shepherd Smith, of Harie.
man, Smith, Of 0bion, Taylor Underwood.
Waters, Walker, Welsh, Wines, Woodcock,
Woods,-36.
Noes Messrs Anderson OF White, Brown.
BiRgs, Brewer. Brien. Cleveland, Clinean.
Coleman, Colvilie, Coward, Duggan, Grove.
Grimmett, Hale, Inman, Jarvis, Jones. Of
Claiborne, Jones Green, Lasaier I.edbetter.
Lellyett, Loughmiller, Mason, Melton,
Mullins, Moore, Nupn. Diversified. Parks.
Pearson, Schmiitoe, Simmerly sinclair
Shultz, SEodderly, Stegald, Street, Tharpe'
Thompson Thornbnrgh, Warren, Wright
IS.
The House then adjourned until Monday
morning al ten O'Clock