Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-06-30

MULTIPLICATION or THE LAW.
The Press and Times Of yesterday says
THE UNION AND DISPATCH admits that
we gave the true and correct exposition
Of the intent Of the franchise law with re-
spect TO the judges and clerks Of elections"
The UNIoN AND DIsPATcH admits no
such thing, and the Press and Tines
knows it We maintained the very re-
verse, and the Press and Times knows
that, too. We do not doubt that it was
the intention Of the trainers Of the act to
confer upon the Commissioners of Regis
tration the power to appoint judges and
clerks Of elections, but they so worded the
law as to defeat that intention, and we so
stated as the Press ana Times we'll knows.
The trainers of the lawi1tended to clothe
the Commissioners Of Registration with
the power claimed for them, but through
ignorance or stupidity, they have given
them only the power previously exercised
by the Sherifs with regard to these APP
pcintments, and no fair, honest interpre-
tation of the law will give any more.
There can be no mistake about the word
ing, the scope of the law; it is plain and
explicit, and the intention Of the trainers,
the partisans who got up the act, cannot
bear the weight of a feather in constituting
the meaning of English words about
which a school boy could not entertain
doubt And the Governor cannot go out
side of this plain and indisputable mean
ing without disregarding his oath of Office.
Yet here is the organ of the Radical
party openly, shamelessly counseling a
violation of the franchise law, because its
plain and obvious meaning does not give
the partisans Of Brownlow the entire
control of the elections The Radicals
endeavored to fix up the law so as to give
them this control in the most complete
manner, but through stupidity failed to
do so, and now the Press and Times ad-
vises the Commissioners of Registration
and the Governor to nullify the law by
paying no regard to what it plenty pro-
vides. Here is sedition of the boldest,
most INSCRIPTIONS character. 1t is thus
that this organ Of Radicalism proposes to
perpetuate the existence of It's party, by
disregard Of law so shameless that we'll
meaning men in the Republican party
must stand abashed
TIE clustering bravado of the Press
and Times will scarcely deter the County
Courts from performing the duty Of ap
pointing Judges and Clerks, as required
by the Code Its threat that such action
on the part of the courts will be disre-
garded and the election 'held under
the authority of officers appointed by the
Commissioners Of Registration, is lit
tie game of bluff to which that paper
has resorted in order to secure a legal
reason for the appointment Of these Off
GERS by the Commissioners of Registra-
ton We hope that not County Court
in the State, where the failure of the law
to make the contemplated change
shall be known, will fail to ap-
point Judges and Clerks to hold the
August election, and if Governor
BrownlOw and his cohorts dare to
nullify the law, let the full responsibility
of such an outrage rest upon them. The
franchise law fails to repeal or supersede
the authority in the Code authorizing
County Courts to appoint judges and
if the dominant party have determined to
nullify the authority of the Code, which
stands unrepealed and untouched, in or
der to carry out their scheme, they should
be left no excuse for not doing so. If
they have determined to carry the cleo
ton by an utter disregard of the law, the
County Courts should not be deferred
from executing the law. If anarchy is to
be inaugurated in this State, let the re-
sponsibility rest where Improperly belongs
VI on Radical law-breakers.