Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-05

L
fetal oath, and to register only on proof {
/ qualification shown. In case Of misconduC
| the commissioners were liable to be removed b
! the Goyernor, in addition to being punishe
1 Judlclaily upon conviction.
These several laws had been declared consti
tutlonal and valid by our highest legal tribunal
IN eaees presenting the questions. They remaii
70 this day upon the statute book, unrepeale'
ana IN full force, The present Governor o
the State. Dewitt c. Senter. as q member o
the State Senate. assisted. actively and efficient
ly IN their enactment. and In various way
stood pledged to their support, besides bis off
clal oath to support the constitution and to Sc
that all laws are faithfully executed.
BY the constitution Of the State, the biennia
election for Governor and members of the Leg
lslature occurred on the first Thursday. the 5tl
Gay OF August, the present year.
On the 10Th of May previous, a convention
vas called at the Capitol. by the Executive
COMMITTEES Of the Republican party. to nomi-
nate candidate for Governor. Gov. Sentel
and Hon. VIM. B. Stokes were rival aspirants
for this nomination. 1t is asserted in behalf Of
the latter, and not seriously denied by the for
mer. that had the convention organized and
proceeded to act. their choice would have fall
en- upon Mr.. Stokes. But by riotous and turbu-
lent conduct, rejecting the highest discredit
upon the parties responsible for it. the convex
tlon was brsked up, and dispersed without
making nomination. Ii Is not proposed to hx
the responsibility for these EcandalOus proceed
lngs, nor to decide which Of the aspirants had
the superior claims upon the support of the
Republican party Both had heen greatly hon
Ored and trusted by their party, and both self
impelled. and stimulated by their respective
adherents, became candidates without nOmi-
nation and appealed to the party for support.
At this time there was apparently no issue be-
tween them except mere personal merits and
htness for the responsible othcS 10 which they
aspired.
Early in the canvass Governor Senter de-
clared for universal suffrage. which meant. in
this case. the admission Of the Rebel popula-
- IN ha hall he had
right TO do, and no complaint Is made. Upon
his issue he was likely to receive the emit e
Democratic vote of the State. and not few Re
publicsns who thought the time had at length
arrived when their personal safely no longer
required the restrictions W hich prudent re-
gard to it alone had imposed. All this was ie-
Ultimate and fair. and could he have been elect
ed. all would have aeluiesesd in the
be regretted they might have deemed it.
But as the canvass proceeded 1t became evil
deut that the popular decision would be ad-
verse to Gov. Senter. unless some new element
now began one of the grossest yiolatlons OF law
that ever was suffered By free people, reach
ing degree of enormity that suggests the trai-
torOus movements of 1861.
IN has been shown that under the law the
Governor has power, in cases Of misconduct, 70
remove Commissioners Of registration, the
officers enrolling the voters and certifying TO
their qualifications and appointed to hold cleo
last, perhaps half dozen times, and IN each
instance upon a case made out. Gov Seoter.
in disregard of what ne vel knew was the true
infant of the law, proceeded, without preteXt,
to remove the whole body of commissioner and
TO substitute others in their place. The officers
so removed were mostly men OF character and
admitted qualification. If the object was 10
supply their places with others, who. secretly
instructed or otherwise. would disregard the law
and set all its provisions at naught, the object
was skilfully accomplished in the appointment
of their successors. They issued certificates to
all who would apply, or on whose behalf appll-
cation was made, with no regard to age, resi-
eeuce or other qualifications; and when no
Application was made. certificates were sent by
them to persons VIGOROUSLY not entitled under
the law to receive them. Instances are not
wanted in which their laWlessness was rebuked
by men of seif-respect and regard Tor the law
returning their grat0itous mlsslVes ana refusing
to exercise privilege 70 when they knew theJ
were not legally entitled Certificates, N
blank under the name of the commissioner
were issued without number. to be filled mp ano
used by any one into whose hands they NIGH
chance TO fall. In violation OF law, they deie'
0ated 10 Others the functions appertalning bJ
virtue of their Office to themselves alone, ano
their subordinates were, If possible, more reck-
less then the principals. In nearly every IN
stance the new appOlnteeS were democrats
sometines Rebel cOnscript officers, and men
whose names appear in the criminal practice Of
the courts. Not few of them who never as
sumed the obligations OF the test OATH In
many cases no registration was made and ne
record pretended to be kept Of the persons TO
whom certificates of registration had been
granted. In sh ort, the registration laws OF the
State we're openly. universally, and ostenta-
tiously set aside by the appolntees OF GOV. sen
ter. AVID under circumstances which compel the
belief that it was done with his knowledge and
eonniyance, probably in obedience to his ex-
press instructions. As these things went en-,
and the canvass took shape, 1t became evident
10 the people that the Governor was in accord
with ,theD emOeraey Of the State-those who
had involved it in the rebellion /; and the con-
sequence was that the Democrats rallied TO q
man in his support. having no candidate oil
their own. and the Republicans were almost
as united in the support Of his opponent.
The legislative canvass. however, took a diff
ferent shape. A set Of candidates had taken
the field as "Senter Republicans =" "COnserVa-
tive Republicans" Suffrage Republicans, .
quasi, qualified gentlemen. who naturally ex'
pected the same support as their lesder-in-
deed, had a promise TO that effect. But the
Democrats, in every instance tit is believed
abandoned them for candidates distinctively
their own. The Senter Republican candidates
disappeared from the contest, carrying with
them votes enough sometimes to defeat the real
candidates Of the party
the same men who had superintendent the reg
istration, and with even more wantOn disre-
gard of the law. Their appointees and agents
the iudges and clerks in charge of the ballot
boxes. were in numberless instances persons
conspieuously disqualified under the law, WhC
could not and did not take the oath in such cast
prescribed. Men known as Democrats. espe
eiaIIy DISTINGUISHED Rebels, were allowed to vote
without question, or even the production o
REGISTRATION certificates. The known supporter
of Mr.. Stokes and other Republican candidates
were not only reqL red to procure certificates
hut they were rigidly sorutniZed for teehniea
defects, even when the holder was eonfessedlI
a qualified voter. Democrats voted many time
unduestioned; indeed, challenge was denied
This was done in some instances by the use o
h a, ffa- zzNL
ers without even this disguise. Minors voted
non-residents voted, Rebels-pard0ned and un
psrdOned-voted, soldiers and civilians
1t is not known or believed that any one wa
denied whose ballot would swell the apparen
vote for Governor Sentsr. These were not ex
ceptional cases, confined to particular localities
| they constituted the rule OF the election, AM
prevailed in all the divisions OF the State. Il
shol /, the Law was disre2arded and its provi
! sions openly violated, except as they might b
| used to exclude Republican votes. 1t was a
election without law and in eontravention Q
| law. , =,
| nary aceeptation Of the term, and many of then
| IS not denied, but admitted, by the Governor
| partisans Honest voters, especially the cOlOreC
| were kept from the polls ~ Intimidation, de
| numbers. Votes were openly bought by balC
| nndisVuised bribery. Not few entitled. seein
1 the utterly fictitious character of the eledtioI
1 abstained from taking part in it. But thes
Il
The polls might possibly be Durged. 1t is tn
i iIiegality of the whole affair that is urged upO
| the public attention-the violation not only
/ the Statute law, but of the constitution ITSELF
4 The returns Of toe election. as made by th
| officials who held it, demonstrate its tru
| character. For Governor tho vote stand
for Senter 1885, and for Stokes IS. l95. Th
| vote for Grant was 5o,757, only 1851 create
than the vote for Stokes. The whole vo
| polled in the exciting contest of 1867 WI
1902, and in the presidential election of 1868
was 1908. From this the number OF legal 70
ers in the State can readily be inferre
Whether the law restricting the suffrage of q
State to this number was right or not, wise
| unwise is not TO the purpose. 1t was the la
| as clearly as any law in the state and as obligi
tory. Least of all was the Governor of Il
| State, who had himself assisted to enact Il
| law and had assumed an oath to support ar
execute it. at liberty to trample it under TO
| strable that of the full number of the leg
| State, the number Mr., Stokes is admitted
| have received constitutes a clear majority.
| The same methods that it Is claimed elect
| Gov. Senter, in like manner elected the gre
! msjority of the Legislature-indeed, with Il
exceptions, the entire body. 1t has been asseI
ed, both in the State and out of 1t, that {
i IaRislature elect, though not Republicans, q
the sense of a word. If deep. bitter and pr
tracted hostility to the Republican party co
stitutes Democrat. then are these men Dem
Gratis. IL sympathy with and support of {
>
| Congress constitutes q Democrat. and in q
State at least it certainly does. then are 70
. | Democrats; If TO have supported MoClell
! | against Lincoln in 1884. and Seymour and BIZ
, | against Grant and COlfax in 1868, cOnstitu
: | Democracy, then are they Democrats If I
| ayowals and claim of the Democratic pr
throughout the State are to be taken as e
dance there is no room for cRvil. and they
stultify themselves who imagine or felgn. a
litical element in the State neither Republic
| OF Democratic.
The election, then, held without law--f0
will be borne in mind that no attempt
. made to observe the old Law in force prior
IS the rebeIliOn-and held 10 open, usdisgui
violation OF the law,iis, in legal contemplate
: simply null. invalid. obligatory upon nObO
l. ewing legal authority 20 nobody. IL would
1f have been more completely 50 had il been G
. ri, d by admitting TO the ballot box the won
and school children Of the State, OF the citiz
y Of the neighbOring States. Ii is a TevoIui
d | under the form OF popular election. Like