Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-05-08
THE SUPREME JUDGEsHIP.
Judge shackeIrord's Circular,
To the Citizens of Tennessee:

4" o'o OHtzefa5 OF tennessee:
, The Legislature having fixed TIL,
2Ith day of May next for the election
OF judicial officers, you will have, a
tnat Tune, to select three persons t.
NIL The Offices of Judges of the Su
preme Court. They may be selected
from any part of the State. The con.
> stltution requires one of the Judges
snail reside in each of the grand di
visions of the State. At the request
OF the bar, in the different sections OF
the state, hadannounced myself as
"a candidate, and l was much surprised
at the call for u convention to select
judicial officers. 1t was proceeding
heretofore unknown to our history.
Men occupying the high position
which they are called to fill, in which
the rights, liberty and property of the
citizens are involved, should rise
above party, and be untrammeled i'm
tEeir actions. But the edict had gone
forth from Washington politicians,
for purposes of their own, directing
the Central Committee to call Jul
dlcial Convention. In pursuance of
that call, primary meetings were
holden in many of the counties of the
state. The people, as expressed in
the primary meetings, were in favor
OF the present bench, of which have
the honor of being member, and
had SO instructed their delegates in a
number of counties. On the Goth of
April, 1859, the convention met in
the city of Nashville. The storm the
night previous had Frustrated the
trestle work on the western lines of
railroad, the delegates from the Wes-
tern Division were on the train, and
were thus, consequently, prevented
from being present. Some of nv
friends, as am informed, desired to
postpone the convention until next
day, so as to have all present; but this
was refused, and the convention pro-
ceeded to the nomination of candi-
dates. On the first ballot 1 received
80 votes, 132 being a majority. On
the fourth ballot Judge McClain
received q majority, and was duly
nominated, the Western Division,
with the exception of two or three
counties, not being represented. The
Memphis delegates, numbering 49,
votes, and other counties numbering
"A votes, arrived during the night or
early next morning, all of whom
were instructed to support me. The
instructions of the Memphis delega-
ton were as follows.
RESOLVED, That we regard the
present Judges of the Supreme Court
of Tennessee as able jurists and men
of the highest worth in every relation
of life, and that we are i'm favor of
their denomination to the offices they
have filled so wOrthily and acceptably,
and we so instruct our delegates"
The instructions of other counties |
to their delegates, as / am informed, |
are similar in substance. Judge
Hawkins beat Judge Smith in con.
vention one vote. Thus Hawkins
and McLain have been declared the
of the party. l am willing
to submit the facts to the people of
Tennessee, and see if they are willing
t0 sGaSt.aie. thu aGtio0Jof a,convantion
was the choice of the people as ex-
pressed in their primary meetings
Not McClain; for 1 have shown, and
the facts can not be controverted, that
a majority of the delegates We're in.
structed to vote for me; and under
such circumstances / am unwilling
to withdraw from the contest. pre- |
sented the facts to the chairman of
the Central Committee, and request
ed him to call a meeting and lay them |
before it, but he has failed to reply; |
therefore present my claims to those
whose fiat is conclusive.
am informed an agreement was
entered into between the friends of
McClain and Hawkins for mutual |
support in the convention. This was
not the act of either of the honorable |
for do not believe, from
my knowledge of their character,
that they would sanctioned it, but
the act of political parties, who had
certain ends to accomplish; and the
thus made, and they are now before
the country as the candidates of the
Republican party undera nomination
thus made. Believing as l conscien-
tiously do, that the will of the people,
asdeclarcd in their primary meetings,
has not been expressed by the con-
vention, | am unwilling to abide its
action, and appeal to the people to
see ii they are willing to ratify the
acts of politicians in reference to the
highest judicial Office of the State.
have been on the bench four years,
i'm the most trying period of the his
tory of our State. My judicial rec
ord is before the country. Ihave been
intimately connected with the State
government since its organization up
to the present time, and L take this
occasion to state, as part of the his
tory of the organization of our pres
ent State government, my action,
with few Others, in producing the
result. In the summer of 1854 the
courts were all closed-anarchy reign
ed supreme-roving bands Of banditti
Travelled over the land-the hearts of
the people stood appalled, with fear
myself and other gentlemen of the
State, met in Cincinnati, and we de-
termined to re-organize the State
government, If possible, and throw
the protecting influence of the law
around the citizens. We proceeded
to Nashville a few days thereafter
we called public meeting-the ven
cradle John Caldwell, of East Ten
nessee, presiding-the Hon. Alvin
Hawkins, Horace III. Harrison, and
few other tried friends, were pres
ent--resolutions were passed, declar-
ing our purpose-a convention was
called for September, at which con,
vention | was nominated and acted
as electOr for Lincoln and Johnson
We met at the capitol, after the re-
suits were known, and cast the ballot
for Lincoln and johnson, while
Hoods cannon were laundering Mt
the gates of the city. This conven-
ton recommended and called the
convention of the 9th Of January,
1865, which submitted the amend
ments of the constitution TO the peo-
pie. | took an active part, and was
opposed to stringent franchise meas
tires; 1t was finally compromised by
delegating the power TO the Legisla-
ture. was active In procuring the