Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-08

classes, ought not to be adopted.
Touching the qualification of those
who should vote for delegates to the
convention, the Stokes organ said !:
-@'4ndeciding for convention, the pso.
pie clearly have a right to say who shall
be their delegates By The people we
mean all male citizens of twentysone
yerrs Of age, who have not been disdualr
lied from voting ny due process of law.
and all those pronounced infamous by a
judgment of his peers in q court of iusa
tiee' sni3 Aa.s saHrbSsI.l I. So /
We inquired ofthe State Journal
what it meant by the phrase, eds
qualified voting by due process
of law, and an those pronounced
infamous by q Judgment of peers in
a court of justice" We desired to
know whether the Stokes organ
held that every man twenty-one
years OF age, a citizen of the county
wherein he may offer to vote for
SIX months before the election, and
not resting under sentence of "a court
Tor a crime made infamous by the
penal code, is eligible to vote for
delegates to convention to revise
the constitution, but it has SO far
refused to answer our question. We
infer that it favors, or did few days
ago, convention without the in
terposition Of the Governor or the
Legislature, and that only those who
are voters under the franchise law
are competent to vote for delegates
to the convention. We have seen
that the organ does not reflect the
sentiments of its candidate, for he is
opposed to convention to imme-
dlately enfranchise "the excluded
classes"
~ The Senter organ has been ehary
ofthe convention question, butt has
at last come up to the mark, and we
will give it the benefit of its article
in full, as follows:
eve earnestly entreat the friends of
Gen. Stokes, who, in their dismay at the
rapid growth Of public sentiment in favor
of an early settlement Of the franchise
question, upon the basis Of impartial iust
tice to every citizen of the State, are sug~
costing movement under art |, section
l, of the Bill of Rights, to pause before
they take position fully in favor of the
movement. If such an intention is really
entertained by either the Stokes party
or those who are, for the present, de-
prived of the ballot, the attempt to carry
1t out might endanger the peace of the
State and prevent the success of the
movement now inaugurated to bring
about prompt settlement of the suf-
frage question.
1.-The objections to an uprising or
movement of the people under the ina
lienable and indefeasible right which
they have at all times to alter, reform or
abolish their government in such manner
as they may think proper, which might
be in opposition to the existing govern
ment, can not be urged against the plan
of calling convention by the General
Assembly to provide for impartial or
manhood suffrage to every citizen of law
full age.
For the present, we will only say that
a convention called by the General As
senbly, (although that body has strictly
no right as such to call a convention of |
the people, and although there is no ex-
press provision in the constitution for
calling convention will be called by |
coordinate department of the State
government. In fact, the movement will |
be inaugurated by the representatives of |
the people on that particular question,
and will have the sanction of the other |
political department Of the State governs
ment.
/" The question of convention or no
convention, if submitted, will of course
be submitted to the qualified voters in
the State, and their action thereon, with /
the acquiescence of the government will |
cure all irregularities, and make the ac-
ton Of the convention an accomplished |
fact, and valid in law.
1t must be apparent to all that the
Republican party Of there is a Republi- |
can majority in the next General Assem-
bly,, of which there can be scarcely a
doubtD will be able to control the mat
ter of the submission of the question of
a convention, and the action Of that con-
vention will be confined to the
question Of suffrage, because the
preliminary proceedings in the
Legislature will be framed with that
view and understanding; the major
lty of the members pledged to the re-
moval of political disabilities, and the
calling Of convention for that purpose
will have been elected upon that theory;
and because the members of conven-
ton, If convention assemblies, will have
been elected by those entitled to vote
under existing laws, and it cannot be
supposed that majority of the qualified
voters in the State Of Tennessee will
place the power in the hands of any body
OF men who will assemble in Tennessee
within the next twelve months to settle
questions (outside of the suffrage ques-
tom involving or seriously affecting the
integrity Of the State government reor-
ganized under the convention OF 1863"
We confess to some surprise at
the positions assumed by the Press
and Times. 1t cautions the friends
IF Stokes, and especially "those
VINO are, for the present, deprived
If the ballot" to be careful how
hey act and how they go about the
work of getting up a conven-
ion, as the peace of the State
night be endangered. Here is an
'utcropping Of the Brownlow spirit.
t will be remembered that Brown
low repeatedly declared that if the
Oeople of the State attempted to
odd a convention under the bill of
lights, to revise, alter or amend the
institution so as to restore to the
White citizens ofthe State the rights
nd privileges Of which they had !
cen deprived to subserve political
nds, he would disperse such con- r
ention at the point of the bayonet.
Joro - g y-orx- l,rOo Az, ;o+;,,o4oJ.