Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-20
THE CONVENTION.
Letter from Col. John Nj.
Fleming, Representa-
tive from knOX.

The Why of the Dead Lock
in the Legislature ON the
Convention Question.
| Editorial Correspondence of the Knoxville Press
and Herald
! NASHVILLE, Nov. 10, 1S69.-The Leg
islature is unlocked and the conyen-
! ton bill has become a law. Under the
instructions of both Houses the Confer
ence Committee, this morning, agreed
upon and reported back the bill virtually
as it originally went from the House, the
only material alteration being the substi-
tuition of seventy-five for one hundred
| members. These are to be chosen upon
the basis of the House of Representatives,
and according to the appointment of
| 1S5l-2 that is to say, there viii be a
delegate for each Representative and
| Floater, leaving out of the count, of
course, the " supernumerary nine" The
| election win take place on the Sd Satur-
| day in December, and the convention viii
sit ON the I'd Monday in January. The
law, as passed, is the result of COM
| promise, though it is a real triumph of
the friends of popular representation.
Ii is, no doubt, a matter of astonish-
ment to the people that matter of so
trihing importance as the difference be-
tween seventy five and one hundred dele
gates should have for so long time en-
gagged the time of that body and i'm
peded the work of general legislation, for
l can hardly doubt that more money has
been unnecessarily spent in wrangling
over this matter than would have been
sufficient to pay the expenses of the extra
twenty five, had the bill Immediately be-
come law as it went from. the House.
But there are wheels within wheels, and
if we are to believe what everybody
says" about Nashville, there are intrigues
within intrigues.
In endeavoring, for moment or two,
to trace the philosophy of the convention
imbroglio, l shall do so rather according
to what "they say" than by giving my
own personal impressions; for while in
dividual observations generally command
but little consideration, we all listen read
lily to the outgivings of the many -tOngued
multitude l cannot fOrbear remarking
| just here, however, that the House was
right in insisting upon a free and full
representation of the convention. 1t was
not willing to assume the attitude of die
tating terms to the people of the State or
of restricting them to such limits as the
| Senate, for time, seemed disposed to
prescribe for them. The plan of the
House was liberal and republican that of
| the Senate was contracted and exclusive
| According to the one plan the representa-
ton must necessarily have been partial
according to the other, full and satisfac-
tory So much for this.
One cannot, even now that the struggle
| is over, saunter about the halls of our
hotels, without learning much from the
| gossipping crowds that throng them
| Here he will learn, to his amaZement, if
| he be fresh from the country, that Sena-
tor Cooper (the United States Senator
| elect, was the prime cause of the diff
Guilty. He will learn further in explana-
ton that he (Mr. Cooper does not yet
rest easily under his newly-imposed
| hOnOrs- he yet sees many difficulties
| between the Senate chamber of Nashville
and that at Washington, and that he sees
| in the convention to assemble, the chief
| danger to his senatorial security. Pre-
| cisely in what respect that convention is
| to become dangerous, does not yet quite
clearly appear to him, but, at any rate, it
will be learned that Mr.. Cooper wouldmuch
| prefer that the Convention should not as
semble at all, and hence it is charged that
he was really opposed tOthe bill altogether,
no matter what the people demanded.
| On the other side of the hall newly
| arrived East Tennessean could learn with
'horest Indignation" that Emerson
Etheridge had taken it into his head that
| Andrew johnson desires to be a member
| of the Convention, and that to thwart his
''UnhOly ambition had cOncOcted the
| scheme of choosing all the delegates by
| senatorial districts, throwing Andy upon
| the tender mereies of BlOunt, Sewer,
Cooke and Greene, and securing his Ger
| tain defeat. Again, at another hotel, the
ardent West Tennessean would he RECALLED
with a glowing account OF Andrew
| JOhnsOn's new plot, surprising all
! others in atrOcity. He would
be told that Andy contemplates fOisting
| himself from Greene county into the con-
vention and becoming its ruling genius.
That he designs a general work of over
throw and ruin; that he purposes wiping
out all the officers in the State, from Gov
ernor down; that he intends to abolish
the present Legislature and call a new
| one; that the election of Cooper is to be
held for nothing and the new Legislature
| is to elect Andrew johnson to the Sen
ate, and that the new Legislature being
the last one held next preceding the ex-
| piratiOn of FOwler's term, Andy's claim
would be good for the seat and Cooper
would become but pretender.
say all this is what one can now hear,
and could have heard at any time during
the last week or ten days. Men evil
IDENTIFY believe these things from the
earnestness with which they utter them.
| simply retail the gossip as It's heard and
do not assume to underwrite for the truth
of any of it. People sometimes are
curious things, and when the course of
any extraordinary affair is not apparent
upon the surface, they are apt to seek be-
low for reasons Of their own. One thing
is certain, this prOtracted disagreement has
resulted in a most wantOn expenditure of
public time and money, for which some
bOdy must and will be held accountable
|