Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-09
TENNESSEE LEGISLATURE.
SenAERa

Senates
MONDAY, Oct. S.-The Senate met at 10
A. NJ, Speaker Thomas in the chair, and q
quorum present.
ASKING RELIEF.
Mr.. Clementson presented apetition ask
ing for the relief of Elisha Talent from the
payment of $500 as security for Bull
Bell, of Monroe county. Referred to the
Judiciary Committee.
COMMITTEE OF CONFERENCE.
Mr. Nelson, Chairman Of the Committee
of Conference, on the part OF the Senate,
stated that the Joint committed had met and
considered the House amendmentto Senate
resolution providing for the appointment
of legal counsel to attend to the interest Of
the State in the litigation commenced
against certain East Tennessee railroads,
and the House should recede from its
amendment, and that the original resolu-
ton pass. Report concurred IN
CALLING FOR REPORTS.
Mr.. Hall stated that, owing to the negli-
gence of the State officers In not sending
in their reports, the committee appointed
to investigate the official conduct of j. Z.
Rust, State Treasurer, had not been able
to do any work.
NEW BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS.
By Mr.. Palmer-A bill to limit the ses.
sions of the General Assembly Of the State
of Tennessee. The bill provides that the
regular sessions shall not exceed one hund.
red days, and called sessions not more than
forty days. Passed first reading and re.
ferred to the Judiciary COMMITTEES.
By Mr.. Cooper, of Dayldson-Resolu.
ton authorizing the Comptroller to issue
his warrant to P. L. Nichol, clerk of the
county court, for the amount Of the costs
| adjudged against him in the suit in the
Supreme Court of the United States of Fur
man, Green & Co., against said Nichol, al
clerk, and for the cost in the Circuit Cour
of Davidson county, in the cases in saiC
court against him, involving the question
of the liability of the collectors Of revenue
to receive the notes of the Bank of Ten
nessee in payment of State taxes and mon
| eys due the State. Laid over under thu
| rules.
STATE LIBRARIAN.
The House amendment to the Senate
amendment striking out cloth and in
sorting "17th' inst. as the day to cleo
| the State Librarian, was concurred in.
CONQUERED IN
The House amendment to the Senate bill
! to repeal the law establishing a Crimina
| Court in the first Judicial district of thu
| State, was concurred in.
SENATE BILLS ON SECOND READING.
To protect the citizens of the State o
| Tennessee from being compelled by law tt
again pay debts heretofore due and owinl
| to the Bank of Tennessee. Passed.
To amend the charter of the Carolini
Life Insurance Company of Memphis
| Passed
To change the line between the countie
of Rutherford and Bedford Passed.
To change the line between Hawkins anC
Hancock. Passed
STATE AND COUNTY FAIRS.
Mr.. Cooper, of Davidson, offered a bill
for the benefit of State and county fairs
The bill exempts persons renting booths a
the fair grounds from taking out licens
during the days of the exhibition. Passet
first reading, and referred to the Committee
on Finance and Ways and Means
RECESS.
The Senate then took a short recess be
fore taking up the Convention bill, whicl
was made the special order for 1870 to
day.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
The time having arrived,
| ATr. Nelson moved to take up the motion
| to reconsider the rejection of the substi
| tute offered by the minority of the Judici
| airy Committee for the House bill providin
| for calling a convention of the people o
| the State TO revise and amend the consti
| tuition.
Mr.. Nelson-Mr. Speaker: A great dee
has already been said in reference to calm
| State Convention, both by the Geners
Assembly and the public journals of tn
day. The most absorbing question in
volved in the convention proposition ap
| pears to be, can the General Assembly re
strict the Convention as to how far tn
Convention in amending the State consti
tuition will change it. I maintain that tn
General Assembly can fix the boundar
| line or limits to the work of the Cor
vention. Mr.. Nelson then referre
to the decision in the House, bU
was called to order BY the Speaker
have the House bfnto that bill and l hav
reading the House bill, NOTWITHSTANDING
this house may have made some indication
| in opposition to travelling the ConTentio
| or placing any restrictions upon it, SOM
|
| ANYTHING this house can do. They hay
said in the bill how many delegates Il
| Convention shall contain, fixing the nun
Der at 100. That is not the only restriction
| They have said what per diem each del
gate shall have. Is this not restriction
think it is a very wise and important on
They have further fixed and determine
| the qualification OF the delegates to tn
, | Convention both as to age and citizenshl
| If we can limit the amount of per diem al
, | number Of delegates, we can by the sa1
! power of reasoning limit and restrict {
| amount of work and the kind of work th
they may or shall do.
[ The minority of the Judiciary Comm
tee have submitted a substitute for
| House Bill. that disposes with the calling
a State Convention. We propose to lncC
| porate in our substitute, as we conceive,
the changes now necessary to the organ
e | law of the State, and we have gwen
g l public the benefit of our reasons for p
q | senting this, our substitute, in lieu OF
8 House Bill. We have cited many valual
!. authorities in support of this mode
: amending our constitution; we have a
d considered the grave question of the
pleted condition of our State finances,
of which we believe will meet with
hearty support of the taxpayers OF t
State. hope it will be the pleasure
the Senate to adopt this substitute.
Mr.. Hall-Mr Speaker: The vari
le questions connected with the calling O.
s. convention for the purpose of altering
OF present form OF government, or IN dong
l. same without the aid of a convention,
a somewhat new. We are in a transit
Il state; that state of all others most crit
ne in the history of political communities
lie condition in which right, in its progress
retarded by the fear and timidity OF tn
who adhere to old ideas, and wrong
vanced by the folly and innpetuosity OF
:, experience.
n What we need now is that eonservat
% which belongs, alone, TO vigorous manic
a.. - "a will to plan, with hands to execu
,I9 The present emergency is one for wi
" the timid counsels of age, aud the RASH
IT, of youth are alike unsuited.
~. Mr.. Speaker, by these remarks, do
~, wish to be understood, as casting any
7'e putation upon the gray hairs of any
ON insisting that there is no wisdom
youth, but simply that forms oil gov
ment become endeared to the aged,
| would, DV reason Iu6iSOl IL iA"HJ Ah''NAH
ten be retained, when the reason for their
wa tention had long since ceased to opel
md while on the other hand, the young moi
fall frequently demand a change without
10 corresponding benefits.
OF The suffering our people have end
since 1860 is well calculated to enge
fear of any change, while the wrongs
ave der which we have groaned might crei
on desire for a change, simply as such.
cen | tween those two extremes there is /
er medium, based upon the enduring
cinles of a wise conservatism; that '
,in- there may be danger, as there is, in
ter- transition governments may undergo,
" KNOWING what the interest of our col
demands. we will dare do our duty
Law risk the consequences involved to tn
n;s / known future. Though our limbs
i vet be sore from having worn the C
mis- of political disfranchisement, and on
= -, oftaD rekindled by the rel