Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-08-06

stRnty threaten the people with brown-
lows miliiia. 0r .iId ihk lli VI
The FRANCHISE law everywbereis is in the
hands Of men who are by IL simply man
ufacturing party votes. Monstrous as II
Is, nobody with an ounce OF fairness
could, for moment, say the law was
executed anywhere. Certificates are
given according TO politics, and not &C.
cording to the law. Vouchers are Sc
lected who know nobody unless it Is con-
venient. and young man coming OF age,
or the most loyal man in America, can
not get his certificate unless the named
vouchers know them One provision OF
the law gives the Governor the right at
any time to set aside the registration in
any county. This he may do at any
time; so that the question as to who shall
vote, or may vote, Is in the hands OF the
Governor. The day before an election
the Governor may strike down every
voter in the county, and pardon the con-
victs out OF the penitentiary and have
them hold an election and elect mem
Der to the Legislature. ~ aIe1A H't'1
The bill itself is manifestly unconsti-
tutional. It'll both bill Of attainder
and an ex post facto. A bill Of attain.
der, says the Supreme Court Of the
United States, is Legislative act which
inflcts punishment without judicial
trial. II was argued in the Cummings
case, that punishment could only be in
flicted by taking away life, liberty, or
property; the Supreme Court said no /;
that in legal contemplation anything was
punishment which deprived man of q
civil or political right which he previous.
ly enjoyed, that to deprive Q man OF the
right to be o guardian, administrator,
trustee, or from holding an Office, or from
teaching or being employed to teach. A
provision in the Constitution, or an act
of the Legislature, which denied or took
away those rights, was void, because it
was punishment, and, therefore, bill Of
attainder 'nsneltist faFpdrg /
In that case the Supreme Court de-
clared q provision of the new Missouri
Constitution, which required certain
oath about being in the rebellion to be
taken before man could preach, nul.
lity Ifthat was q bill of attainder, and
void, is not the amendment cutting off
the right to vote also bill of attainder.
Again, 1t ia an er post tacto law. An
er post fdcto law is a law inflicting q
punishment for an offense which had not
been provided at the time the offense
was committed, or law which Furnishes
in different manner from that provided
at the time the offense was committed.
Now, after the treason was committed
against the United States, you under
take to take away our right to vote.
The Supreme Court settled both these
questions-settled them beyond cavil.
[Applause. $50 GIY. sdi A
But you ask me If / am going to disre-
gard the decision of the Supreme Court
of the State answer, are you going to
disregard the decision of the Supreme
Court of the United States I? You say
you are not bound by that decision until
it is made on our Constitution; but say
the question is identical, and if you stand
upon that technicality, tell you that the
decision here bound nobody but Judge
Ridley, aud not him after the appeal.
But / tell you frankly that while the de-
cision is ridiculous and the statute null
lity, according to the decision OF the court
of last resort upon such questions, yet !
do not propose to set it aside by force.
Under this neonsttutionalla law and the
revenue bill which is equally uucsnstitu.
tional in some OF its provisions, and
which has the remarkable feature in il
of attempting to impose heavy penalties
for applying for or obtaining an iDjunc.
| ton against its enforcement, in the face
Of the Constitution that the courts shall
always be open. i say under these two
laws, the theory of the State government
is for strangers to hold Offices and get all
the money which can be collected, deny
ing all remedy for stopping the unlawful
collection, the negroes to do the voting,
and the white disfranchised dead men to
do the tax-paying. Thisi is emphatieally
the practice in Tennessee under these
laws, and is certainly new system of
checks and balances. Oar people literally
taxed to death no voice in electing the
men who tax us, no channel through
which we can reach them. If we COM
plain of our burdens we are told we are
rebels, we have no rights, that we may be
satisfied to get of with our necks. These
multiplied wrongs for three years have
been accumulating with snch an sccel-
Grated ratio that they come like troubles
in adversely. -s.-3 y. .,,rr.lr
Gentlemen, you do not want war Of
races, do you2 Which side are you going
to fight on, Which side do you think
the army will fight on ac'Id sassase
Gentleman, how long is this going to
continue? Do you expect the people to
be quiet2 Are you surprised at Ku Klux
or anything else ? Are you not aston
ished at the forbearance of our people ?
If you put down Ku- -Klux is that going
to procure quiet2 ,-.tr -.-.- ~.
But said at the outset, we must ex-
haust the remedies for peace. We are
now free, every man of us, so far as the
Government Of the United States is con-
cerned. This cemency brings US under
new obligations to the United States
Government, and we must keep faith
with the Government, but i want us now,
at once, to make an issue with those who
are for keeping the shackles upon us
still. lGreat applause. .,f.-5-sg-
Iwantto know who is for our further
degradation. Let the question be put by
presenting q petition to every Radical in
the State, so that We can have record
for our children. II an Office is so sweet
to Radical that be is willing to degrade
us still to keep it, to degrade q whole
State, and bring financial ruin and war
Of races, let us know the man. We can
do much by presenting this petition.
~ ur..-l,at nou nrsxx~Ioa,v