Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-09-20

nazlHs
didate for an Office at the pending muni-
cipal election in this city There can be
no question as to the intent and meaning
Of this section, but Gov. Brownlow, who
lays so much stress upon "the duties inn
posed upon him by law" does not fulmi-
nate a bull against the 1colOred man
He would most likely answer, if pressed
upon this point, that there was grave
doubt whether the Legislature, having
made voter Of the 'colored man, had
the authority to impose this "odious re-
striction upon him, and the courts should
decide the matter That is precisely the
position occupied by those against whom
bis late proclamation is directed There
is grave conflict between the charter Of
Nashville and the franchise law as to
who shall appoint Judges and Clerks to
hold the municipal election, and it is a
gross outrange upon the rights of the
pcolAc iOE bOhtEuOI i1IOMhl0N W dSSuAlS
to decide that question and to force ODE,
dienee to his exposition Of the law. IL
those who profess to believe that the
franchise law is the paramount law upon
the points here inEoled, are sincere in
the profession, they know that the courts
are open to them and that they have
remedy for their rights there. 1t is to
the courts the other party propose to
leave the question, if their interpre
tation that the city charter must govern
upon this question is contested. And
wien Gov. Brownlow assumes that the
men who appointed the Judges and Clerks
to hold the pending municipal election
were actuated by any other motive than
"the discharge of the duties imposed
upon them by Law" he assumes that
which has no more foundation in truth
than his assumption to expound the law
has in law If these usurpations of the
Governor be not met and resisted before
the proper tribunals of the State, he will
make abject slaves of those who oppose
his imperious will Emboldened by his |
success in the matter of the appointment
Of the Judges and Clerks to hold the
August electiCn--a matter in which there
was a point of delicacy involved that
would have caused almost any other man
to have acted, if at all, with the greatest
circumspection, even if he held the view
the Governor professed to hold-he now
seeks to interfere in an election with
which he has no more right to NEEDLE
than has the Tycoon of Japan His in
reference is not confined alone to the
matter of Judges and Clerks to hold the
election, but he proclaims that the quail
fled voters in all municipal elections, are
those only who have certificates OF regis-
tration, and who are qualified to vote for
members Of the General Assembly
while the charter of Nashville, a corpo-
ration erected under laws of the Legisla-
ture enacted before the present Governor
had risen to the surface, radically differs
from the franchise law upon this point
While we do not suppose that any man
qualified to vote for members of the
General Assembly" having the other
necessary qualification of residence,
would be disfranehised in the pending
municipal election, this Radical differ~
ence between the franchise law and the |
charter is not to be settled by an edict
from Gov Brownlow 1t is for the courts |
to settle this conflict, and there it should |
be adjudicated, if Gov. Brownlow and |
his friends are not satisfied with the city |
charter Give way to him in these in
stances, and his next usurpation will be /
still more yiolative of the rights of peo~
pie he seems to take a malignant delight
in expressing
In discussing Gov Brownlow's usurpa-
ton in this matter, we have done so IN
the interest of no party or candidate, for
we have none. 1t is a question that rises
above every thing like success in a mere
municipal election, involving as it does
the rights of men and communities We
are only solicitous that the right shall
prevail, let whom will be elected