Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-07-28
WHO ARE VOTERS IN THE PREsH-

0H~Si ~ ASS~AN W tAC PSCS y |
legislature oUer, the Presidential elec~
Jon in this State. | should regret to have
zen understood by any one, as i can
lardly suppose that have been, as
the opinion, in my recent
etfer 70 Governor Brownlow, urging the
,alling Of a convention, that the Legis>
ature could not without doing SO, open |
he way to the disfranchised voters Of
the State to participate in the coming
election Indeed, in the
which | held about ten days
since with Col. Brownlow, as that gen.
tlemen will doubtless recollect, ! urged
very respectfully and earnestly, that if
his father should, for any reason salts"
factory to himself, decline recommends
ing 10 the General Assembly, at their
present session, the convocation of
Constitutional Convention, he would at
least do tl0o things, which together, l
thought would give great qualification to
the disfranchised citizens; the first of
which was, TO make known in his message
of tomorrow, his intention TO recon-
mend the calling Of Constitut ional Com
vention in his message next November
and second, that he would urge on the Gen.
eral Assembly, at their presentsessiOn, the
adoption Of such measures as nigh
facilitate the universal exercise by our
citizens of the elective franchise in the
Presidential election. 1t is but doing
justice to Col Brownlow to say, that
understood him as heartily concurring in
the propriety Of this course of action. |
did not heretofore deem it expedient to
mention this because | had strong
hope that aeonvention would be called,
which would at once put an end to all
our troubles on the subject of distfan-
chiSement, and because | was little APP
prehensive that if the views SO strikingly
presented by Colonel Jones were pressed
too earnestly, the General Assembly
might limit its action for the present, to
opening of the door to our disfranchised
citizens for voting in the Presidential
election; whereas, / am still hoping that
they will see the manifest propriety, for
reasons heretofore given, Of going still
farther ....... ....
While upon this point, may as web
say, what is to my mind an exceedingly
clear proposition, that inasmuch, as by
the clause of the Federal Constitution
cited by Col Jones, it is provided that
zach State shall appoint, IN such man
neY as the Legislature thereof may direct
a number Of electors eqUaI to the IOhole
number Of Senator'S and Representatives.
WHICH THE STATES MAY BE entitled TO IN
CONGRESS; not only has the Lee
gislature of Tennessee at this time
full control over every thing relating
to the manner Of appointing electors, but
that the power vested in the Legislature
in regard to this important matter by the
Federal Constitution, is of such nature
that no State of the Union could cOnstiu
tutionally, either by amendment of she
State Constitutions otherwise, renOuRce
il, or do ought 10 impair its Uolidity
since this portion Of the Federal Consti-
tuition, like all other portions OF it, is
part Of the supreme law Of the land,
anything in the Constitution or laws of
the State to the contrary notwithstandS
ing Ineed scarcely add that the spirit of
the constitutional clause first above cited
imperatively demands of the General Ass
sembly that, in regulating the manner OF
appointing Presidential electors, they
should take care to see that oil noIO pos
sesscd Of rights aud franchises as CHI
Gems of the United States should be al"
lowed their proper influence in the
choice Of electors, which am sure is the
condition of all our citizens under the
Presidents amnesty proclamation.
As this is probably the last occasion on
which shall address the public on this
subject, | shall beg leave to remove cer-
tain mjscOnstuctions to which / under
stand our memorial to the Governor and
General Assembly has been subjected,
1t is not true that the author Of that
memorial doubts now, or ever did doubt,
thatthe sovereign people ofTennesseeh have
a clear, iHdefeaSibLe and iHalicHdJle right
to after, amend or abolish their existing
State Constitution whenever they shall
choose to do 50, and in any manner they
please The customary mode has been
the conventional one, and it has been
likewise customary to call such convenS
ton by the State Legislature | have
therefore thought this this the best mode
now, (if attainable,) though the Constitn-
ton itselfbe silent on the subject, neither
directing this mode, nor prohibiting 1t
If this be not attainable, why, of course,
some other peaceful and not unconstitu-
tionnl mode would have to be resorted to.
TO deny the power above stated to be
in the people of Tennessee, and to the
full extent asserted in the Bill of Rights,
Is to dispute that sacred instrument it,
sell, every part of which is excepted Oas
Of the body Of the Constitution and
made perpetual
| have been profoundly astoRished of
late at finding some gentlemen reputed
to be learned in the law, and bound to
know something Of the Constitution
which they have more than once officially
sworn to support, questioning the power
thus excepted out of the body of the
State Constitution aud made perpetual,
on the ground, that the trainers Of the
Constitution, in view Of the incomes
nicHceS and expenses necessarily conse-
quent to the calling OF a convention, have
provided specially for any ordinary case
Of constitutional emendatiOn which might