Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-15
CORRESPONDENCE.

New MIDDLETON, Tenn, July -
Col j. W PoramOre-Desr Sir: Ia COM
pliance with your request, will give you
briefly my views on the political ques
tons of the present canvass:
l. All other questions sink into insig-
nifcance in comparison with the question
of calling convention to amend the con-
stitution, 60 as TO give every taxpayer the
right to vote, and the colored voters the
right to pay taxes. In my judgment this
is the question of the canvass; for, place the
power in the hands of the people, and re-
trenchment and reform in regard to our
finances will be imperatively demanded
by the tax payers of the Legislature and
all those disgraceful laws, viz: martial law
as Get forth in the militia law of last win
ter, the Ku.Klux law, the legal advertise
ment law, in fact, the aChole batch, that was
enacted for the sake of perpeIusting
proscriptive party, will be wiped out, at
the stern demand of an honest and indig-
naut people.
As you remarked, my record on the
above questions is well known to the peo-
pie Of Tennessee. As early as the con-
vention that assembled January 9, 1865,
in a speech made in that convention, ad-
vanced the policy of meeting the returned
Confederate soldier with the olive branch
Of peace and forgiveness in one hand, and
the ballot and all the other rights Of citi-
zen in the other. Such was the prevail
ing feeling in that convention, snd the
strife and bitterness that subsequent events
have developed, was due, not 10 the SOL
diers of either side, but 10 the bomb-proof
citizens of both sides, assisted by guerril-
las and deserters. And TO the hasty, bit.
ter and IN wise language and actions of
the aforesaid classes do | attribute the pas =
sage of the franchise act for the protec,
ton of the Union people and the safety Of
the government.
But in my Judgment the time has
passed when we need the franchise law as
a protective measure; and, so believing,
drafted bill proposing to amend the con-
stitution, 80 as to give the ballot TO the
taxpayers, and the poll-tsx to the colored
voters, which bill was introduced in the
House of Representatives December 5,
1867, by Hon. F. Cason, of Wilson
county, a gallant Tennessee federal SOL
der, and an honest man. Other bills
quickly followed, but their fate is a matter
Of record, and l will not recapitulste
Hence, fought bitterly the martial law
section of the militia bill, and all Omnibus
bills looking to an increase of the public
debt, and all that class of bills which were
designed to rivet more securely the chains
| Of the disfranchised. And with me, there
was a Spartan band of true Republicans
who fsarlessly endured prosecutions ant
the party lash for the sake of the people
of Tennessee,
But the cause Of universal manhood suf
frsge looked gloomy at the close o
the session Of the last Legislature. Ye
our land was not without hope, fo
some of us heard the mutterings of tn
distant storm that burst with Ruch fur
upon the Radical party Of Tennessee, il
the late disgraceful mob which assem-
bled as a convention for the purpose o.
nominating Governor. Nearly all tn
liberal Republicans Of the State wer
on hand for the purpose Of Eeapins
what advantages We could for on
cause. All the members of the Legis
lature that we're Tor universal sutfIag
rallied around Stokes, because he ha
promised us a liberal platform, and be
cause We sooG ascertained that he an
: Senter would run before the people, 2n
in that case we believed the advantage
patronage aud power that Senter tpO;