Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-17
THE CONVENTION QUESTION
THE MINORITY REPORT---AN
IMPORTANT OMISSION.

THE CONVENTION QUESTION
THE MINORITY IeEPORT---AN
IMPORTANT OMISSION.
In the city papers Of Nov. 4, the legis-
lative proceedings of the Sd were pub
Ished In the senatorial proceedings OF
that date it was published among other
things that Senator Cooper, of Bedford,
tread the minority report of the Judiciary
Committee in regard to the calling of a
convention, signed by himself and Mr.
Nelson, recommending bin in lea :
At subsequent stage of the proceedings
the Convention bill was taken up, and
slIr. Nelson moved that the bib
reported by the minority OF the
Judiciary Committee be adopted
IN lieu" Then followed the preamble,
taoo proposed amendments, and the reso-
luton submitting them to the people for
ratification or rejection. In our issue of
Saturday last, we again published those
two amendments, which are as follows:
ARTICLE L
Section /. That every male person, not
indicted and rendered Infamous for crime,
of the age of 81 years, being citizen OF
the United States, and of the county
where he may offer his vote six months
next preceding the day of election, shall
be entitled to vote for members OF the
General Assembly and other civil officers
for the county or district in which he re-
sides.
ARTICLE II.
Sec. 4. The General Assembly of the
State of Tennessee shall have power to
grant reprieves and pardons in all cases OF
conviction under impeachment, two
thirds of both Houses concurring therein.
We then proceeded to say: '9t win be
seen from these proposed amendments OF
Senators Cooper of Bedford, and Nelson,
sustained by Senator Cooper of Davidson,
there was no proposal to change that pro
vision of the Constitution which exempts
the negro from the payment of the poll
tax and from the performance of military
duty in time of peace" On Monday we
received note from Senator Cooper of
Bedford, in which he says: 81 state TO
YOU, as fact, that the amendment pro-
posed by the minority, at the time acheI'
proposed, contained an amendment
authorizing the Legislature to lay poll tax
on negroes. The original is before me,
and the fact is as stated" Weagain looked
to the legislative reports as published il
the city papers and found our quotations
correct. We then examined thu
Legislative. proceedings for seyera
subsequent days to ascertain whethe
there had been any complaint of the in
correctness of the report of the proceed
ings. We found none. Senator Coope
having gone to Shelbyyille, we could no
get to see the original, of whichhe spoke
to ascertain exactly where the mistak
was. Yesterday we examined the jour
nal of the Senate, and found that tn
legislative reporter in copying from tn
original of Senator Cooper had oyerlooke
what was written on the back of one O
the pages, and had thus omitted, in his re
port of the Minority Bill in lieu, the 70
/ lowing additional amendment to the COZ
stitution of the State, which was propose
by that Bill of the Minority:
TAxABLEs AND TAXES.
Section 2S, article II, strike out and il
sert:
Section %. All lands liable to ia,
alton made by decd, grant or el
try, town lots, bank stock and SUE
other property as the Legislature ms
from time to time deem expedient, shall
taxable. All property shall be taxed a
cOrding TO its value, that value to be asce
tanned in such manner as the Legislatul
shall direct, so that the same shall be equ
and uniform throughout the State. No OF
species of property from which a tax may
collected shall be taxed higher than any 9th
| species of property of equal value. But Il
| Legislature shall have power to tax me
chants, pedlars and privileges, in SUI
manner as they may from time TO time
rect.
, A tax On polls shall he levied in su,
manner and of such amount as may
prescribed by law.
4 Strike out section 81.
Il win be seen from this that our stri
e lures upon the Bill of the Minority as
1 the negro poll tax, were unjust. We ]
I gret to do injustice to any one, but '
treated the bin, as it was published in t
e papers of the day, and as it was receiv
=. mcomplainingly 10y Senators. The fa1
!, was not ours.