Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-13
rrrrcmrn ann LIS rsT-nPATIoNs.

The Press aud Times of May 10, $50,
makes the following statement;
"The Secretary of State, learning That
there were grounds Of suspicion against
the fidelity of a number OF Magistra..eS
elect. has RETAINED from issuing coInhis-
sions TO many in Giles, Williamson Law
renee and Coffee counties"
1t is not questioned that these men
were elected according to the laws which
were in force long before the war, but
upon the suspicion of a mere Secretary
that they were not loyal" according to
his standard, this Secretary Of State
withholds their commissions in utter de-
fance Of law.
Again, in the Press and Times of July
!, 1865, this statement is made
"An election for Magistrates was held in
Sumner county on the 23d inst, June
without the least regard being paid to the
franchise law. There wa, tolerably full
vote polled The Secretary Of State was
applied to Yesterday for commissions for
the Magistrates elect, but declined recOg-
nizing the validity and legality of the
election. He offered TO commission as Mag
istrates pro ten. such of them as could be
vouched for on satisfactory authority as
loyal persons" q a 81
1t is broadly assumed that no regard
was paid to the franchise law, and the
Secretary of State assumes the preroga-
tive of court to sit in judgment upon
the matter, and without the semblance Of
authority to do so, withholds the COM
missions of the men the people elected
And then he turns round and offers to
commission as Magistrates pro tena such
of them as could establish to his satisfac-
ton that they were BrOwnlow Fletcher
men. Where is the law which gives the
Secretary of State the power to appoint
Magistrates in any contingency But
the boldest assumption yet on his part
was the peddling out at second hand
the Office Of Magistrate Here is the
proof:
OFFICE SECRETARY OF STATE, NASH
VILE, July z, 1865. c. Mercer, ESQ.
Dear Sir: In answer 10 your note Of to-
day, | have to say, that on the 10th of June
i filled out a full set of commissions for
county officers for Hickman county, except
| the names of portion of the Justices were
left blank, but were signed with the seal OF
the State, with power to Hon. J.. n. Puck
EFT to FL them up.
Respectfully, A. J. FLETCHER,
Secretary of State.
Here is confession that blanks were
signed and sealed with the great seal Of
the State, and given to third party to
hunt up men of the fright stripe and
give them these commissions 1t was sub
sequently charged in the House Of Rep
resentatives that this had been practiced
in other cases Here was the Secretary
Of State absolutely peddling out through
agents the county Offices, where elections
were not held to suit him, and the proof
of this is to be found in letter from the
Secretary himself The people would elect
their Magistrates according to the laws in
force, but if the men elected did not suit
the Secretary of State, he would not con-
mission them In other instances he
deputised men to take blank commits
sions already signed and sealed, ard
hunt up parties to accept them And
for every commission he issued he
charged the recipient one dollar. A
large number Of Magistrates were APP
pointed by the Governor and Secretary
of State, and each one had to pay dol
lar for his commission La few weeks
elections were ordered and new batch
were 10 be commissioned for the same
counties and in this way the Secretary
put moneyin his purse in large amounts.
And yet his predecessors made no charge
for commissions for magistrates because
they found no law for it 1t was a fat
operation, a rich mine, and the Secretary
made the most out of it. Rumor says
that his office, with a salary of $1,000, has
yielded from $4,000 to $4,000 year
The Secretary of State has left the
duties Of his office to canvass the State in
behalf Of the Observation-Disclosures admin
istratiOn He has personal interest in
the election of Brownlow and hence he
does what no other Secretary of State
ever did, neglect his Office to stump the
State Indeed, he seems to think and to
act as though the main work Of defend
ing this administration devolved upon
him. He we'll knows that if Mr.. Ethe-
ridge should be elected he would subside
into the mere Secretary, and be shorn Of
the power he now assumes to annoy and
punish the people of Tennessee who have
The manliness to oppose and denounce his
fragrant usurpatiOns and violations Of law.
ln his hands the nominal Governor is a
mere antomaton, to move when he touches
the spring and to act when and how he
suggests In the event Of the election of
Mr. Etheridge this would all be changed,
for he would be the Governor, and the
Secretary OF State would sink into the
insignifcance i.am whence he was spewed
up by adventurous circumstances. Herein
is the explanation of his efforts to perpet-
uate the lease Of power he holds through
q nominal Governor
Gov FLETCHER and Mr. Brownlow are
getting scared They have unregistered
Blount county The reason not assigned,