Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-03-20

he shortly be passed by congress, directing q
military commanders OF the several distriC
to have all the voters OF their respective di
tricts registered by the first day OF Septemb
next, and as soon as such registration Is col
- pleted to order an election for delegates TO
convention to frame a state constitution.
This election Will be held, this conventiC
will meet, and this constitution will be frame
whether the true men O. the south vote
he there are one thousand or OF
Il ing tkat we can DO which viii defeat 1t. The
e. Is one question, and one only, upon which Y
have any choice OF any liberty Of action wha
ar ever-that Is, whether all the true men OF u
south who are permitted to vote under q
IT prOvi- ions OF the bill. shall do so or not ShG
ir we go actively into the election, and attend
TO control the state conventions, aud frame u
e constitutions Ks IsvOrsbly Tor ourselves an
cur friends as our conquerors will permit?
part in Them, and suffer them 70 be %contTolie
exclusively by negroes, ankee aud renegac
n southerners2 tn state Of ahairs in Tennesse
and Missouri speaks trumpet-tongued again
the latter course.
II we adept the former, ] believe that we ca
practically control the several convention
and save our states from the worse than bIutl
barbarism that marks the legislation and tn
u politics Of your unhappy tate. am strength
d ened in this Opi~ion by the knowledge that
is shared by 81 eh men ia this state as Co. L
d c. Glenn, Gov. A. G.. Brown, Hon. z Barks
dale, Judge William NeTger, Hou. Amos i
{ Johnston, and others. whose devotion 10 tn
south is as uuquestiOnsble as their talent l
can be urged against it, / would be pleased T.
hear them. l would be especially pleased u
u have the advice OF the Aempulh AFFEAL upOi
this question: the only real practical question
y as IL seems 10 me- now before the southern
e people. Respectfully, yours,
MISSISSIPPI"
To the foregoing communication, upoI
[, which we have pondered carefully anC
calmly, we have this briefly to answer
1t is certain that new Constitution
will be made for our psralyzed States by
the LOyalists and negroes and that
with or without oar consent and co-ope,
ration, they WiH adopt and must adopt
the Constitutional Amendment, or Arti.
Gle "A: because it is a peremptory condi-
ton of admission into the Union that
the particular State TO be admitted shall
have adopted it, and that, also, it shall
have been adopted by so many others,
as to have become q part of the Consti-
tuition.
1t is certain that the new Constitu-
tons 50 made, will, with or without our
consent, confer the right of suffrage upon
every African male adult and ackuowl-
edge these as already citizens of the
United States and of the particular State.
It is certain that, with or without our
consent, these Constitutions will perpet-
ually ~disfranchise all men who took any
part, on the Southern side, in the late
civil war for if we could succeed in
excluding such a clause, the Congress of
the Northern States would refuse to ap-
prove each Constitution, thus in their
opinion fatally defective.
1t is certain that, with or without our
consent, it will be settled that every man
who cannot take the present unconstitu-
tionai t~est-oath, is forever disqualified
to sit in Congress, or to hold any office
under the United States or of his State.
1t is certain, that with or without our
consent, the Constitutions so to be made
will acknowledge and recognize all the
obnoxious legislation Of Congress as valid
and constitutional.
Itseems TO US that the question put to
US is this: Shall al these things be iaco--
POrated IN the Fundamental tar Of our
States as our act and deed and we be
%precluded in honour and good faith from
repudiating them hereafter; or shall we
merely submit to their impositions upon
US against our viii?
1t is, whether we shall gratuitously
assist in doing that which will be done
whether We concur or not, and when it
is utterly impossible for us to prevent or
modify auy Of these atrocities; whether
we shall passively permit Congress to
work its will or make what would 9TH
erwise be is act ours, by an unnecessary
concurrence .
II the letters are certainly to be fas-
tened upon US, whatpurpose will it serve,
FOR us TO volunteer to lock them upon
ourselves? Shallw become slaves against
will, or by our own consent, with
reservation of the right of future
protest and Reputation
What good can we effect by informed
Hing, to compensate for the selfimposed
There is the rescript-" Do :
nothing, or do this and that - We can {
nothing, prevent nothing, mod
nothing. We sre haughtily told (
What are the terms of re-admission into Q
he Union. 1t would dishonor as to ac- :
ept those terms; but they OU be ac- :
epted by LOyalists and negroes, if we
ave no lot or part in the matter. :
For our own part, land We speak only :
Or ourselG We would rather see our State
emain a province for a hundred years, :
nder a Military Despot, than consent :
nd actively assist in carrying into effect =
be imperious mandate Of Congress. We 7
hould infinitely prefer military rule to .
egro rule and if the former is to give !"
lace to the latter, We decline to assist in :
the change. Let Congress and :
lie negroes disfranchise our leaders. "
We will not let it be said hereafter that ;,
was M act. The negroes may vote, :
Power so orders; but it shall not be .
i'd that We consented to it, and that :,
ieir right to vote was based on our con- :.
The Congress may by force ami "a
late our State Governments. We =
bmit because we are powerless to
sist but it shall never be said that we
knowiedged the legitimacy Of their
ton, or recognized it as constitutional, Sc
consented to the terms Of re-admission Oh
etated. Let the constitutional amend Fl
ent become part OF the Constitution, fr'
it can. 1t never shall become so by an
r votei-sO help US God We have w
en- Kings, as all Freemen are. Let Lc
EN- dethrone US, If they viii. We wW lis
{ Gbdicate. One is a misfortune. The an
her is dishonour. II others think pc
lerwise, it is their right. So be It! J