Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-08-12
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At the election held In Tennessee on
Wednesday last. D.. W. C. senter, the
present incumbent, was elected Govern
or by nearly 10000 msjerity.I He ran as
a Conservative Republican candidate
against Stokes, the radical Republican
candidate, and was supported by both
Republicans and Democrats. Having
secured h division of Republicans on
Governor, and the nomination of two
Republican Legislative tickets in each
county or district, with their usual du-
plicity and in violation of their special
agreements, at the very close of the cam
paign the Democrats nominated .candi-
dates of their own for the Legislature,
and through the division of the Repub-
licans secured a majority in the Legis-
lature. Senter is an avowed Republican,
but in his anxiety to secure his election
over Stokes he allowed the registration
of all the disfranchised rebels within the
State. If the Legislature shall refuse to
ratify the XVth Amendment, they will
fail to secure his support in their effort
TO amend their own Constitution, and
until this is done these rebels are voters
in violation of its provisions. In order
to show just how far the Democracy of
Tennessee have advanced, in their sup
port of Senter, We give his address, is
sued on the eve of the campaign:
ADDRESS BY GOV. sENTER. lIsi-
T-rr r L
the action of many members of the
the State-whe represented, as L be-
lieve, a large majority of the Republican
party in the State-a candidate for Gov
ernor, at the next August election. In
asking the suffrage of my fellow-citizens
deem it proper that I should frankly
state to them the principles which +
entertain as an individual, on which 1
stand as a candidate, and which shall
govern me. IL elected.
FRANCHISE.
The question which most interests the
people of Tennessee at the present time,
and which, In itself, is, perhaps, more
pressing and important than any other,
is the elective franchise. On this sub
ject am free to say that, in my judg-
ment, the time has come, and is now,
when the Limitations and disabilities
which have found their way into our
statute books as the result of the war
should be abolished and removed, and
the privilege of the elective franchise
restored and extended so as TO embrace
the mass of the adult population of the
State. In other wordse I am in favor of
SO amending the constitution and laws.
of the State that the present disfran-
chising clauses and provisions shall be
madesto disappear from the same, and
the privilege of the elective franchise
made to rest upon the facts and condi-
tons offhe present instead of the past,
and upon principles of impartiality,
equality, and justice. Is =. -
Disfranchisement was adopted as only
a temporary necessity growing out OF
the needs and situation of the time, and
with no expectation that it would be
long continued; and there can be. no
reason for its further continuance now
except In selfish partisan ambition to-
gain Office, or O selfish partisan fear of
losing it. Disfranchisement necessarily
produces restleesness and discomfort.
and, as we have all seen, engenders
snirnosities, discord, and strife. i
Enfranchisementw will, in my opinion,
heal the animosities, which have So
long divided our people, and bring con-
cord, peace, and prosperity TO the State,
while at the same time it is most conso-
nant with the theory and principles of
our republican form of government, and
with the declared policy and purpose of
the party now Empower. Js3si1 ~
THE FIFTEENTH ANESDsiENT.
Another matter in reference to which
/ deem it proper that / should declare
my position at the proper time, is the
proposed Fifteenth Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States, which
provides for extending and securing to