Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-03
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVEN.
TON.
Work for that Body The Suffrage
Question ana how 10 should be Re- =
mlafad-

Work for that Body The Safrag
Question ana how 10 Should be Re-
uIated.
From the GAINESVILLE Tobacco Leaf.
1t has become q maxim of politica
science that in all conditions of societ
absolute political power must resid
somewhere. In q condition of anarch,
it resides with each individual In
government, despotic in character, it i
found in the chief or chiefs of that gov
ernment and it may be affirmed as {
cOrollary, that in a government not des'
potic, absolute power resides neither in
the government nor in the instrument
which defines the limit of government
but in the people governed. 1t is self,
| evident that no constitutional govern.
ment can be absolute, for that which il
limited can in no sense be absolute, and
if limited, the power which limits must
be greater. Upon this theory all demos
cratic governments have their founda-
ton. Our immortal Declaration Of
Rights in its very front afirms shat all
power is inherent in the people, and that
all free governments are founded on
heir authority"
From this it follows, as expressed in
the same instrument, that "They (the
people, have at all times an unalienable
and indefeasable right to reform or abols
ish the government, in such manner as
they may think proper" In exercise of
this prerogative, the people of Tennessee
will doubtless meet in convention to alter
and reform the present State government
IN such manner as to them shall seem
proper Such an assembly will necessa-
rily be the body in whom will temporari-
lY reside, absolute political power; how
important then that they should fully
know the limits and bounds which the
people whom they act for shall choose to
set to the alteration and reformation of
the present State constitution Impress
ed with.the dignity ola body whose high
prerogatiVe it is to frame the organic law
of the State, and with the responsible
ties which will rest upon them and upon
us the peoples this crisis in our history,
we shall endeayor, considerably and
temporarily, to suggest few of the
reformations and alterations, which
seem to us necessary and proper.
The great question of suffrage under
liessin importance all other matters that
may attract the attention of the conyen.
ton and will doubtless be the first ats
tended to.
The convention being the embodiment
of absolute political power may without
doubt extend or restrict suffrage as to
them shall seem expedient We thus af-
firm the power of the convention, not
that we would have it in any manner re-
strict suffrage, for we are convinced that
it is the judgment of nine-tenths of the
people that good faith must and Will be
observed toward the colored voter. We
hold that good faith, the faith of whole
people will require that body to protect
the negro in his newly acquired right of
suffrage 1t may be asserted that the
trainers of organic law are bound by no
pledges, that the only question ought to
be as to the merit or demerit of propo>
silion. To this we can not assent For
more than two years the press and the
active leaders of public sentiment have
been asserting that we would protect the
negro in the right of suffrage, that we
only desired Its extension to the disfran-
chised masses. To their pledges the
people as a man gave either active or
silent assent Thus we are bound as
people to hold good faith with that race.
The convention is but the people; if We
are pledged they must recognize its bind
ing obligations. We may not, and many
of US do not, think the right of ballot
either best for him or for the State, but
for all that our faith is pledged, and come
veal or we, we cannot retrlct. Again
the prospective adoption of the odious
18th amendment renders the question of
but little practical Importance
And while we are net Of those who
whisper with bated breath, or trembling
ask, "Is Philip sick, is Philip dead?' yet
we do not hesitate to say that we con-
scientiOusly believe that prudence should
dictate our conduct 10 this respect Our
victory has been great and complete; we
can afford to be generous without the
suspicion Of fear attaching to our mo-
tive.
With this view Of the subject we pro-
pose that section !, of article ", Of our
constitution be so amended as to read
thus avery freeman twenty-On years
of age, being a citizen Of the United
States, and q citizen of the county six
months, and Of the civil precinct wherein
he offers bis vote sixty days next preced>
ing the day Of election, shall be entitled
to vote for members of the General As
9Th ,11 Il.
county or district in which he resides:
Provided that nothing herein shall be
construed to permit any person of colCr
to sit upon juries or hold Office" Sec
tions two and three of the same article
permit laws to be passed excluding
from the right Of suffrage persons cons
victed of infamous crime and protect
from arrest or summons electors in
attendance at elections. These secs
tions need no alteration and may stand
as they now read Such an amendment
will, in our humble opinion, cover the
whole matter The requirement of sixty
days residence in the precinct in which
the voter offers his vote, will compel
voters to cast their ballots in their own
voting precincts, and check the danger
GUS crowding of country towns upon
election day. Experience teaches that
this evil which in the past has so serious
IL endangered the safety of life and prop
erty should be obviated. Such pro-
vision will effectually check the evil, and
at the same time conduce to the free and
untrammeled exercise of the right of
| ballot. This we know will seriously in
| teriere with the party tactics of our late
opponents, who by crowding their voters
in masses, and infaming their passions
by a parade of strength exercised o ter>
rOrism over the colored voter amounting
| often to duress. The late riots Of Memphis
Mobile and Washington sprang from the
evil thus remedied. The provision II
regard to the construction OF the section
is placed there to meet the argument
that the right to vote carries with it al
the other rights of the citizen-amOn;
others the right to sit upon jury and t,
hold Office. The wisdom Of this we thinl
is apparent and its policy UNSUITABLE
The public mind is willing to 90 the ex
tent of protecting the negro in the RICH
of suffrage already his, but is not pre-
pared to assent to any further politica
privileges. The time may come whei
we shall be willing to go further but tn
colOred man must by patient disciplin
and education prepare himself for thes
higher privileges ere he will be prepare
or the people willing to trust him
higher places. JURIs.
DOOrkeeper of the Senate.
To the Editors of the Union and American:
Permit me to call the attention Of Il
Senators elect to the name of Humphre
N. c. Davis, of Marshall county, as sui
able person for Doorkeeper of the Senat
as he will probably be candidate for thi