Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-08-14

On the same day this committee ISSUED
call requesting "ihe loyal men of all tn,
counties in East Tennessee" Ito meet il
convention at Knoxville, the first Monday
in December, 9th to appoint delegates
to Preliminary State Convention"
On the Dist Of November, 1864, tn,
Nashville Times (edited by s C. Mercer
said:
In the object of this call the Executiv,
Committee for this divisiOn of the Stat
heartily concurred at 4 meeting held or
last Saturday, as we are informed Tn
only point of difference between the two
committees was as to the time of holding
The preliminary meeting, the committee 70
Middle Tennessee having already invited
the committees of East and West Tennes
see, and as many other true and loyal citi
zens as could be present, to hold a meeting
in this place on the 9TH of December
when the electors meet to cast their votes
The Executive Committee for Middl,
Tennessee was composed Of Lewis Till.
man, VIM. Spence, NJ. NJ Brien, A. V. S
Lindsey and Joseph S Fowler. Subse.
quently this committee acquiesced in the
recommendation of that of East Tcnnes-
see, and issued cal, which waspublished
on the 2Sth of November, requesting the
Union men Of the middle division of the
State to appoint delegates to the conven,
ton at Nashville on the 10Th of Decem.
Der"
The presence of the Confederate army
around Nashville prevented the conven-
ton from assembling at the time desig,
mated, and the Executive Committee Of
Middle Tennessee selected the 9th OF
January, 1865, (the Sth occurring on
Sunday for the meeting of that body.
Upon the assembling of the convention
Col Samuel r. Rodgers was chosen
President, and on taking the chair, he
declared that "the first work of this body
was to nominate suitable persons to be
elected for tho work of reforming and
modifying the State Constitution, and
he further declared that ''the condition
OF things was such that we cannot make
the wheels of government move without
referring the State organization TO the
sovereign people, who are the source of
| government"
The convention was composed mainly
Of scli-appointod delegates, meetings hay
ing been held in very few counties, and
IN not one county was the proposition
broached that this convention should
take upon itself the work of amending
the Constitution. On the third day of
the session, Judge Sam. Milligan, from
tho Committee on Business, reported the
proposed alterations and amendments to
the Constitution and the schedule Jas.
X. Hood, who was the BrOwnlOw candi-
date for Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives at the meeting of the Legisla,
ture in April, 1865, submitted a minority
report, opposing the proposed action of
the convention, for the following, among
other reasons;
lst. The call under which this body is
assembled does MOI athorize any such ac-
tion. In fact, the specific object is there
stated, being only advisory in its character.
and looking to the assembling hereafter of
a duly elected and qualified body of dele
gates, elected with full power to make all
amendments
I'd. Many of the delegates now present
inform us that no meetings were held in
their counties authorizing them TO act in
a representative character, and that they
are here only as individual members of
the Union organization Of the State.
Sd. We feel the danger Of treading in
the footsteps, even by implication, of the
leaders of the rebellion in the State of
Tennessee, under Isham e. Harris, who
and set on foot the ordinance
of secession by the Legislative body then
assembled, and its ratification by the peo-
pie on the 9th of June, 1861, and whOse,
action was openly and publicly condemned
by us, because of its revolutionary, rebel
lious, and unauthorized character.
1t thus became apparent that the con-
vention, gotten together as it had been,
and composed Of men who knew moth
ing of the sentiments of the people they
assumed to representa- large number of |
these so-ealled delegates not having been
in the counties in which they claimed
FOR many mOnths-was about
to resolve itself into a constitutional
body and proceed to the work of pros
posing amendments 10 the Constitution.
It was then that Mr.. r. r. Butler, the
present Representative in Congress from
.he first district, offered series Of reso-
utious in lieu Of the report of the ma,
osity Of the business committee, de-
,laring that the convention was simply
primary meeting called together 10 nomi-
late delegates to be voted for, and who,
when clocted, should constitute "a con-
Tention clothed with legal power to DO
N things necessary for the restoration
f civil government, and proposing that
delegates he elected, under the procla-
nation Of the Military Governor, 20 a
Constitutional Convention to meet in
Nashville on the 22d Of February, 1865.
his proposition called forth an animated
iscussion, which was continued through |
he third and fourth days sessions On
ie fifth day Mr. Butlers substitute was
elected by ayes Il3, noes l6l, showing
lat there was a majority Of only Fifty.
irht in favor of constituting this crude
a Constitutional Convention.
The convention then went to work and
Ionted the amendments to the Consti-
ltion which were voted for on the I'd
{ February, 1865. In only forty-one of
,s eighty-fye counties in the State were