Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1868-07-03
WHOLE NO. ass.

lrancn1se 10 every white man who
voted in this State at the presidential
election in November, 1894, or voted
on the 2Sd of FEBRUARY, 1855, or who
voted on the 4th of March; 1866, In
this State"
This means simply that all who
submitted TO the bayonet election of
those dates, and gave their approval
to them by their votes, had purchased
thereby. the privilege of coming to
the polls without the risk of being
impaled ON the end of musket.-
After getting ready for the next elec-
ton by the passage Of this act, II was
thought netcssafy TO make success.
more certain that Governor Brown
low sf1otfld issue his "addrcss,' TO tho
people, and the power of the bayonet
was again brought into requisition as
Will be seen by reference to said tad
dress" and the dispatch of President
Johnson sent to Governor Brownlow
from Washington city under date of
July 70, 1865, from which / quote:
hope, and have no doubt you will wee,
that the recent amendments to the consti-
tuition OF the State, az adopted by the peo-
ture in pursuance thereof arc faithfully
and fairly executed and that all illegal votes
In the approaching election be excluded
bers of Congress be legally and fairly con-
Quoted. When and wherever IL becomes
necessary toemploy force fct the execution
Of the laws and the protection OF the bal
lot-box from violence and fraud, you are an-
thOrized to callupon Major General Thomas
for sufficient force 10 sustain the civil au-
The law must be executed and the civil
authority sustained. In your EFFORTS to do
this, II necessary, General Thomas win af-
ford sufhcieut military force.
With this promise of national aid
by national soldiers to sustain their
form of government and the franchise
actj the farce of an election was again
gone through with, and members of
Congress were chosen, but q small
portion of the citizens being permit
ted to votei This form of government
continued its operation; and the franz
chise act was amended by the so-call-
ed Legislature in May, 1865, provid-
ing, among other things, that its res
trictions and disqualifications should
not apply
| To those who have been appointed to any
civil or military Office by Andrew Johnson,
military governor, or William y. Brown
are hereby declared to be qualified voters
upon their complying with the require
ments OF this act.-iStt6dipisio 3, section l.
Now appears a new element for the
perpetuation of power and u new piece
of party machinery to aid in securing
the party power and enable minority
of the citizens of Tennessee to govern
the majority as powerfully and as alb
jectly rs the serfs of the feudal ages or
the slaves of the South were ever
governedI Section two of this
amended franchise act provides
That the Governor of the state shall
within sixty days after the passage of this
act, appoint acommissioner OF registration
shall without delay enter upon the dis
charge Of his dutiesj and who shall have
full power to administer the necessary
A thought viii convince aiiy ofie Of
the workings of this section when he
reflects that each commissioners ofreg-
istration was an appointee of Cover
nor BrOwnlOw, and that his positiOnj
rs well as that of tho Governor, de-
pended on the exclusion of q sufficient
number of voters to enable the adj
herents of the new government tO
carry and control every election
Men of the most bigoted and partisan
views were chosen, often of the most
reckless and ignorant character, who
sat in solemn Judgement on the
acts and opinions of men whose every
thought, even if mistaken i'm their
views, had been for the good of Ten
nesse. Notwithstanding this engin-
cry of oppression and outrage, 1t Is
known that in sundry instances,
when the results did not meet the ex-
pectatiohs Of Governor Brownlow
ana friends, he very deliberately
wiped them entirely out by rejecting
them entirely, or beginning again, as
he was authorized by law passed by
this despotic Legislature on February
20. 1868.
This act was followed by the pas
sage of another on the 18th of May
following which disqualified certain
persons therein specified from hold
Ing any office, civil or military, and
excluded them from all offices, state,
county, or municipal. An effort was
| first made to secure representation for
this government in this House in a
formal way when Mr.. Bingham, on
5th of March, 1866, made his report
TO that effect from the select Joint
Committee ON Reconstruction to
which the matter had been referred.
In tracing the history of this matter
have clearly shown that this govern
ment, thus established over the State
of Tennessee, was the offspring of
military power, and could not have
existed without constant appeals to
Its aid even for q day; that 1t was
framed by small minority of the
people without regard to wishes of
the large majority. They were denied
any expression of their opinions.-
This extraordinary and anomalous
condition was alono Sustained by the
aid and comfort afforded by Federal
authority claimed 10 I've founded on
Mr.. Lincoln's policy and upon the
theory that the State was obliterated,
her constitution destroyed, her form
of government at an end, and that
the few loyal people of the State,
backed by the whole military power
of the nation, had the right to make
this despotic oligarchy by wiping
out all old republican forms of gov
ernment.
The rebellion either succeeded or II
did not. / take IL that all of the acts
attending Its conduct, except the ac-
tual material changes from life to
death, and the destruction Of perish
able property, and change Of It's ten
ure by military force, were null and
void. If 80, what becomes of the
constitution of Tennessee as Is existed
when the rebellion broke out? The
rebels most certainly failed to destroy,
10, or to make new one; and l sub
nit 10 every thinking man on this
floor III during the progress OF this