Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-05-31
THE RADICAL DIVISION.
THE SENTER COMMITTEE STATE THEIR
GRIEVANCES.
The Stokes Section Charged with the De-
feat Of Majority Of the Party.
There Is Bat OHe Line Of Duty Left---Oppo-
Siti0n TO Stokes
Scatter IS Presented as the Candidate Oithe
Republican Party u
On the Knoxvlne Viz. ~


( nary in their character, demand this
the representatives of the principles
the National Republican party of Ter
nessee, should appeal directly to IN
masses in order to secure the futur
success Of the true policy OF tn
party which has proclaimed " tl6ert
| fhrOU0hOut the l0Hd.' In the spirit {
patriOtism we trust il is our duty, n
less than the interest of Repuh
licanism in Tennessee, not to sa.
throughout the nation, 10 present 70
vour consideration the causes Whicl
! impel us to appeal to the people. Il
! obedience to the call of the EXecutiv
Committee of the Republican party Q
/ the State, the delegates from 4 larg
number Of the counties assembled il
! Nashville on the Goth of May, 1869, {,
hold Republican State Convention
! 10 nominate a candidate for Governor
II had been the wish Of those whom
we represent that the Convention
| should be honestly, fairly and harmO
niouslv conducted, and the claims O
/ Gen. Stokes and Gov. Senter should
be properly adjusted in the spirit o
| patriotism, and with reference to tha
! triumph which has nestled upon Ou
/ cause in all the past struggles Of recon
/ structiOn in Tennessee.
| However, in this the friends Of GOV
( SenteF were mistaken, if not deceived
At the appointed hour A. VI. Cate
Chairman of the State Executive
Committee of the Republican party
( called the Convention to order, which
we c0ncede was his duty. Having
done 50, and read the call under whicf
/ they assembled, Judge HOuk, friend
/ Of Gov. Senter, moved that DR., IhOS
1 II. Pearne be made temporary Chair
man, which motion Mr.. Cate refused
to entertain, and by virtue of his posi-
ton as Chairman of the State EXecu-
tile Committee, assumed the right tC
pbsside for the time being.
fhis unheard of assumption upon
the part Of a single member of the
delegation there assembled was re-
garded rs mOnstrous, more especially
as Mr.. Cate was nOtOTiOusly known tC
be the personal enemy of Gov. Senter,
whose claims for the nomination were
to be presented before the body over
which he Gate assumed to exercise
this unprecedented prcrOgative.
The gentleman who made the mo-
ton seeking to maintain his own CO.
equal rights with Mr.. Cate, rs mem
bers Of the Convention, as well as To
protect the in6Arests Of his friends, ap-
pealed TO the House, which the same
Instrument, assuming to still occupy
the Chair, also declared out of order,
and denied the privilege of an appeal
from his despOtic cOndIct.
Parliamentary law, the custom OF
ages and the dictates Of common sense
being thus outraged, Judge HOuk,
who had been thus ignored his privi-
leges, had either TO submit tOa SYSTEM
of tyranny devised in midnight con-
cIaye. or assume his equal prerOgative
with al other delegates there in con-
ventiOn, and test the sense Of the
House whether Cate could thus wreak
personal vengeance, and at the same
time promote the cause Of his favoritc
aspirant for gubernatorial hOnOrs.
{ Accordingly, Judge Houk put his
own motion to the Convention, it
having been almost unanimously sec
Onded all over the house. and the re-
suit was that DIR. Pearne was elected
temporary Chairman by nearly
unanimous vote, the ayes being spOn-
tane0us and but few noes. But the
programme which had been cut and
dried in secret, did not admit of
Stokes friends Submitting 10 n major
ity giving expression 10 the popular
voice, and the instrument who had
been selected to carry out the machi-
nations Of personal malice, disregard
. 1.n -f 4 al
truded himself upon the House, con-
tending that he was ChSiTp}an, er-
O6iciO for all purposes, until the COn=
Vention had effected a temporary or
ganization, and declared that gen
tlemap from Hamilton county, who,
we arc advised and believe, had not
spoken a word up to this time, or even
attempted to get the floor, was the
first to address the Chair. The Ham
iltOn county gentleman then arose and
nominated r r. Butler temporary
Chairman, but the friends Of Gov.
Senter, seeing an attempt, On the part
Of these enemies, to execute q pre-
arranged organization, palpably and
maliciously inimical to their favOrite
candidate, and knowing the voice of
the Convention had already placed
DR.. PeaFne in the Chair, refused to be
thus robbed and sWindled out Of their
rights, and demanded that he should
take the Chair and preside.
Here the disorganiZing spirit Of the
Stokes party was developed, and a de-
termination was discovered on their
part to adopt a rule or ruin policy,
and efforts were made to prevent the
duly elected temporary Chairman
from reaching the Chairman's desk.
He, however, succeeded i'm taking
his seat, and q temporary Secretary
was appointed by a vote of the Con-
ventiOn, when the Stokes party, seeing
themselves defeated, commenced a
tumultuOus proceeding, which, for
outrage and violence, has no parallel
i'm civilized history. The Senter men,
uGgi!ling to be driven from what
they beforehand now confirmed in
their yiews-to be right, eontended
for the temporary Chairmsg's right to
proceed.
The Stokes men refused To cOneede
to the voice of the Convention, and
claimed Gate as their temporary
Chairman still. This brought all
further proceedings to a dead lock,
and general and confused wrangle
ensued during the balance Of the day.
No person Of either side was heard
or permitted to make an approach to
3 reconciliation until late in the after
noon, when Judge Houk, who had
made, and, under the circumstances
already detailed, put and carried the
motion for a temporary Chairman,
succeeded in getting the attention of
the convention, and while fully main
tanning the justice of his course and
the right of his friends, for the purpose
Of harmony, proposed to refer the
whole subject back to the convention,
which the Stokes party utterly repu-
dated, except upon the condition Of
the bogus delegations being permitted
to vote their respective counties. Such
were the efforts of the men who had
combined 10 manipulate the organiza-
ton, progress and issues of the con-
vention. Thus was the whole process
of even temporary organization de-
feated.
At one time, while DR.. Peane was
holding the chair, J.. NJ. Mynatt, n
delegate from Knox county, moved
the nomination of ID. w. G. Senter by
aeclamation, which motion was sec
on0pl mt ~ fha Houcn and adontp1