Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-05-23
THE RADICAL PLATFORM.

Inc chicago correspondent OF the
Cincinnati Gazette furnishes some in
teresting items in regard to the prelimi-
nary steps to the construction of a plat
form. The committee held a lengthy
sessiOn.on the Doth, which did not ad-
journ until after midnight The work was
begun by receiving from every member
whatever he had to offer in the shape of
resolutions; then there was brief ins
formal statements of the positions of
several Of the State delegations on the
leading topics the subject of finance,
impeachment and suffrage attracted the
most attention. The GdzeHe's CORES
pendent says: e. aiss.HG.s
"On finance the Northwestern States took
pains to speak in the most emphatic terms,
and as a member Of the convention ex-
expressed il, "the eyes of the Eastern MEM
bers fairly bulged out with surprise and
qualification at the unexpectedly healthy
tone of sentiment adopted" The temper
of the convention was Enthusiastically in
favor of paying the debt honestly and to
the uttermOst farthing al it was contracted
opposed TO any further expansion of the
currency, and in favor of return to
specie basis as rapidly as the business wants
Of the country will permit. In response to
the gratified expression of one of the Eastern
members at this, Western committeeman
replied that up in the Northwest the people
didn't know there was anybody in the
country in favor Of Reputation excepting
Pendleton and Butler. As the language of
the financial resolutions, the general dis
position seemed to be TO conform to that of
the Illinois State platform. On impeach-
ment the tendency of the committee
was to sustain Congress, but not to
make support of the Impeachment
movement test of Republican or
thodoxy. There seemed no probability
that any resolution undertaking to read
FesSenden, Trumbull, and the rest ont of
the party, could have a showing but many
were anxious to indorse the action of the
House in preferring articles of impeach-
ment, and some wanted to go further and
indorse the thirty-liye Senators who voted
for conviction. 1t seemed very doubtful
if this last could carry majority. Some
Southern members of the convention were
anxious for resolution declaring for uni
versal suffrage by national enactment,
North and South. They are agreed that
90 long as this question was left to the
Northern States, each Would shrink from
giving the ballot to the negro, because of
the danger that it would stand alone in this
action, and would thus become sort of
Botany Bay. To this cause rather than
to equal opposition to giving the negroes
their rights, they declared the recent de-
feats OF negro suffrage were to be attributed
There was little or no discussion on the
subject, however, in the committee, and
one Southern delegate even put in reso-
luton in favor of leaving the matter to the
several States to be decided themselves"
1t seems that General Grant was
snubbed in the matter of platform.
The Commercials correspondents says
"The Commercials Washington CORES.
pondence stated, a week ago. that plat
form had been drawn up at Washington by
a friend of General Grant, and had re-
ceived the approval of the General. That
platform is now here, in the hands of the
gentleman referred To in the Commercials
letter, Mr.. Isaac N. Morris, of Quincy,
Illinois, formerly a Democratic member of
Congress He has submitted ii to several
leading members of the convention, but
finds that it meets with a cold reception, as
too vague in its terms and too general in
its definitions. An attempt was made TO
get it adopted by the Soldiers and Sailors
Convention, yesterdy, but il was sent TO a
premature grave in the Committee on Res
olntions, and was NOT resurrected. .t|
Under the rule adopted in the convention !
to-day, it was referred to the Committee on |
Resolutions, without reading or debate,
and will probably not be heard from again, |
although Gen. Grant authorized Mr.. Nor |
ris TO say that it meets his approval. Mr.. |
Morris has been busily circulating among |
he delegates to-day, assuring them that /
Grant will not accept the nomination on a /
negro suffrage platform but others who |
'laIm equally with Morris the right TO /
peak for the General, say he will accept a
trsight party platform. ssar-le