Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-07-03
the momsntary peace achieved will be
succeedsd by years Of fsaree political
wat. Thsp. letus have peace

succeeded by years Of fearce political
wat. Thep. let Us have peace
me Consention ana Imfiediase En'
franchisennent. M
Eprros LEDGtRs Yoar correspondent
asbiloh !" so utterly inisrepresents my
| past and present position, that ! am COM
PEELED to ask. as an act Of justice, . short
space for few words Of explanation and
defense: ~.
1. / have urged no plan of my own 10
regard to amending the franchise act.
There are two modes pointed out in the
Constitution: One is by legislative enact
meut which may take several years; the
other is for "the people" to act under
the first article of the Constitution--that
is, to submit an amendment to the peo-
pie, at the August election for instance,
and if they approve, it is then beyond
the Vaccinations oflegislative chicanery
and the, thousand and one expedients by
which it could be defeated. tits this last
mode that I have preferred, because
would avail Of the present favorable con-
dition Of the public mind, among all
parties, to place Acknowledgement beyond
all contingencies. Only few weeks ago
"A leading Democratic organ in this city
sugcested that the people should act as
now propose, only desiring that Senter
indorse it as an evidence of good faith on
his part. But it was all right to propose
the speediest plan Of embarrassment by
Democratic journal; 1t is all wrong IN
2. But "Shiloh" makes great bug
bear Of submitting an amendment, IN the
manner proposed, to the voters in
August, and intimates that ! am opposed
to letting all the people vote upon it
Now, he is entirely mistaken. 1 would
have all "ihe people" vote upon the
proposition, to enfranchise. They did so
In 1866, whentheir voice pronounced IN
favor of the amendments then submitted,
and / can see no reason why they should
not do so now. Besides, under the Con-
stitution, sovereignty resides alone with
"tbe people" and it is under the first
article that my mode of immediate en-
franchisement is proposed.
Nobody but those opposed to en-
reimbursement could object to all the
people voting upon il, but if it were
carried over their opposition, suppose
the vote would be counted, their objection
10 the contrary Notwithstanding. But
even if it were otherwise, and the ques-
ton were submitted alone to voters
under the present franchise act, should
have less fears for the result than that the
same voters" would elect the men who
would nut immediate enfrsnchisenent
through without needless delay. You
will thus see, that SO far from being an
willing that all "the people" shall vote
on this question, it is to them alone that
| would submit it.
3. But "Sbiloh" taunts me that the
Bulletin in 1868 advised Confederate
soldiers wives to desert their husbands
and marry Federal soldiers And by q
process Of logic that | do not understand,
be would convict me of turpitude on &C.
count of i'll Now, it is time that this
base SANDER were put TO rest. Does
/" Shiloh" not know-it has been pub
Iished in the newspapers of this city
often enough-that 1 not only never
wrote the article to which he refers, but
never saw it until three years after it was
published Does be not know that the
gentleman who was in charge of the Bul-
letin at the time-for / was thousand
miles away, in bad health-never saw it
until after it was published ? Does he
not know that that Infamous article was
written by Northern employe of the
Bulletin, who was never in its employ
after that article was brought to my at
tention in 1866? Finally, does he not
know that the author of that article in the
Bulletin, after it's authorship had been
made known, was employed upon the
local department of the Araldnchef and
without any condemnation on that &C
count, so far as / know, from either
"Shiloh" or any of the organs of public
sentiment which affected to be so Mortified
at il when il was supposed that it could
blacken me -.-e .-.--s- s
But "Shiloh" not only finds it al oc-
casion OF offense that assisted at inau-
eurating" the present State government,
q government which be characterizes ss
damnable swindle upon liberty
and decency"-but be would intimate
that no one is more interested in per
petuating" it than myself Now, it is
true, that 10 1865, when the people Of this
community were lorded over by corrupt
military commanders, great and small,
in company with Andrew johnson, Judge
j. C. Cant and the Union men then in
the State, did assist in "augursting ="
civil government ia Tennessee. Ny OBJ
| iect was TO prevent the spoilstion Of the
! people from military upstarts clothed in
a little brief authority, aud to restore
law and order. i reported from the Bus
mess Committee to the Convention q
second articleo or asendnent, which was
designed to regulate suffrage; an article
which deprived no one, even then, while
hostilities ragged and war was Of uncertain
duration, of the privileges Of suffrage that
we're not denied the benefits of amnesty,
and # il had been adopted, it would have
forever prevented The Legislature Of Ten
nessee from depriving freemen Of rights
as they did under the iniquitous fran
chise act But instead of that article,
the ninth section of the schedule was
adopted, which has been the fruitful
source of all the trouble in Tennessee
since. That section Of the schedule gave
the Legislature first assembling under
the amended constitution authority to
to legislate on the subject of franchise,
and instead Of acting in the liberal spirit
inaugurated by the Convention, while
war was still wsging, it took an entirely
| different course, and even after peace