Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-15

~PAkoNAeeSstESo Va w.
5 the people themselves, TO declare
be fundamental law of the realm.
.eaging out Of view theIrgde TACT
( an assembly i'd arms, character.
slie.af that day, it only nssdszt TO
xchange the name Of eur State
apitol for the plain of Ruunymede,
o make the coming convention OF
his people in tho rsi ,ops Of their
elected delegates, 70 be 10 oil re-
poets the same immediate presence
# a peoples inherentsoyereignty
g was the assembly of the barons
It Rnnnymede, When. therefore
t is denied that the sovereign
people of this State have the right
TO assemble in convention, it is not
pretended that there isnno prcce-
dent for such action. On the con-
trary, from the Time OF earliest
history down 10 the period
of the counterfeit presentment OF
convention which
poisoned the libeI Vi of this people
in the spliug Of 1865, end under
which baneful minisiration the State
has since langu'shed, it has never
been questioned by the descendants
Of Englishmen that the sovereign
wiIrofa State is most fifty expressed
in convention. Strange to say,
however, the position is now begin
ming TO be taken by some of the
more factious of the defeated
Radical party (of whom de-
scended, however, is generally
uuknown) that the mode of
suggesting amendments to the
constitution by the Legislature,
pointed out and made permissible
by the convention OF 1884, and
which was Incorporated with the
instrument, has, by implication
merely, the singular effect to strike
from the sovereign people the right
to assemble in convention. -g.a /.
The aspect presented by a party
who have been recently ground to
dust by a popular majority against
Thorn of seventy thousand, claiming
to have been betrayed by the unau-
thorized admission of the intelli>
gence and wealth of the State to
participation in a State election
would in ordinary times fail to be
amusing only by reason OF
their insignifcance. But these
are not ordinary times. And
however much we may be dis
| posed to treat with silent contempt
| the views of those whom we simply
desire to forget, it behooves us
nevertheless, to remember that that
party has heretofore had, and
through one of its branches, name
ly, the judiciary, still has contro
of the State; and therefore so long
as theirs is still to some extent thu
government de .fdctO, any position
they may be disposed to assume a
| law, however REPUTABLE, is entitle'
at least to a calm and passionles
RECITATION. But that we propose t6
discuss their proposition in tina
split, we might be tempted pleas
autIy to remind them of some O
the exquisite absurdities they nov
present and illustrate. For instance
the inconsistency of their presen
position with the fact that their oWI
hold upon the government rest
upon the action of a pretended cor
stitutional convention; an inconsls'
ency which they attempt to save b
claiming that the convention {
| 1865 was a military necessity. Ihi
it was a civil outrage, backed by q
insolent military, we were very we
aware: but how a self-called col
vention of trickster5 and dupes, WI
were innocent of any personal pa
| ticipation in the war, can justify o
act of theirs upon the plea of millt'
nv necessity, is beyond our surmis
| The phrase military necessity, is i
; | deed for their argument PECULIAR
, unfor.Jnate, seeing that it has a IKE
meaning relating only to a perlo
of active hos, litics and indicates
stress which IS necessarily at an en-
, with the c sation of arms. Pas
ing that by, however, along viii
all the other manifest self-stultItic!
ton growing out of such a pie
. and coDsigning to oblivion, as mu'
. as nature VIII petmit, the fact tn
= upon that perpiciOus plea for yea
= tho viltue and Intelligence of {
State have been DISTINGUISHED, VIII
j the party in power have trdst
, tho right of Suffrage only with
:, class capable of being herded in
- leagues and driven like cattle to t
polls; and pas sing by even t
4 temptation to retort that, ifmillta
% necessity is justification for co
N stitutional convention, we are JUS
n fed in calling ono in order to re
q der impossible ever again the pre-
9 ence of loyrl militia in time
"a peace-we proceed with all pc
" sible courtesy to an exposure of
70 untenable basis of their positl
70 viewed as a legal proposition.
al 1t isnot often the very words
N an inst :ument will repel an atten
No ted perversion of it. But - $
ID swer that purpose in the prese
q. instance, it is not considered n
essary to do more than cite the fl