Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-08-18
rr,r srArE CONyENTION.

THE STATE CONVENTION.
The convention to revise our State
con stitution will be called beyond perad'
venture, although to contemplate such Is
now disagreeable to the Liberal party
1t ia hard to kick against the pricks,
and worse when it is known that they are
bsiog applied by ones own hands. Some
Of the new partisan sheets we're open
mouthed and loud In calling for q con-
yention of the people previous to the
late election, but since that tune
something like disappointment has
come over the spirit Of their dreams
They have discovered . cat ia the meal
tuba very large Thomas cst-that
will prove before he is gotten ont dis
agreeable customer for the latter day
saint, Of the party now called Liberal"
but better known as Black Republican
Things aftsr the election were as pleasant
and placid as May morning, but all OF
a sudden il vas discovered By few
veak.minded ana wesk-knsed political
deserters that If the convention yss
called, that, perhaps, some s'nive'ss.
Suffrage man might be tnrnsd out o.
Office with the rest of the Republican
party in the State. Then was thought Of
the chewed-up and discarded old guilds OF
the LEDGER that were thrown out to the
ubIic long before the election, which
the people remember very we'll We
refer to the franchise law as being . part
of the Constitution, and the views then
held, as well as now, that the Legislature
Of the State had the power of repeating
every enactment on that subject without
calling q convention of the people to do
90. That the supposed amendments BY
the Legislature were no part OF our
organic law, but the dietam of body
unauthorized to pass such ensctments,
we farther. held, and defy now success
ful contradiction of the fact that the
negro was ever legal voter in the State,
because the Legislature had no power to
confer the franchise upon him. The
only way in which this body assumed the
right of doing so was by the assumed
powers of convention, which was
claimed as being conferred BY Q
regular convention Of the people. The
Supreme Court in the case Of the State
vs.. Staten, declared some Of these
boosted amendments as not being q part
Of the Constitution. which caused ths en-
tire fabric Of legislative enactnsnts To
fall to the ground. TIE Legislature OF a
State has no poser to create new class
Of citizens, unless aatkorized to do so by
the organic law. Then We challenge the
entire Universal Suffrage Liberal Black
Republican party to point to one single
provision in our State Constitution
wherein the negro is Recognized as citi-
zen. It cant be done. and can only be
seen in the laws passed by the Radical
Legislature. liiL aehiu tltt0
1t is then highly important that these
men who favor the enfranchisement ofthe
blacks should have a constitutional con-
vention called, and let the thing be doRe
in legal and indisputable way. Bat
they are hopelessly in the mire, and
cannot go backward OF forward. If ne
gro suffrage is submitted to the people,
it is known full we'll that il will be voted
down, and as the question now stands on
the statute book their title TO citi-
zenship is one. of the most precariouF.
But the negro Banner, mp at Nashville,
would have the Legislature repeal ell the
enfranchising laws except so far as they
relate to the negro aud submit the repea
to tie people Of the State for rejection OF
ratification, and all this to be done IL
order to secure, as said, a full vote Of thu
people for members TO the Convention
This is in keeping with the contemptibl'
daplieiiy and stupidity Of this sheet
which, like Fslstaff, imagines itself to b.
9 great leader, q warrior bold, intended
By nature to do nothing but cleave skulls
esit boasts of doing sometimes, which vi
can safely say is altogether in the imag
ination. Let us hold this proposition a
to the light Of reason, aLd at once il
opsqueness is visible. If suficieu
number of NE people are in favor c
indorsing the action of the Legislator
repeating the franchise law, then thi
same minority would be in favor c
calling convention for doing the yer
same thing. The thing is as long as it
broad. The only difference is that il
hoped the people will not have, BY th
action Of the Legislature, an opportunit
of voting on negro Suffrage. But th
dodge, as proposed, won't be permit
ted-for every obiectional feature Of on