Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-27
THE LEGISLATIVE CANVASS.
To fhe Voters and Taxpayers OF Da-
wilson County.

VluSOA OOuntys
NASHVILLE, July 26, 1S69.-The col
:, veRtion which is to convene in Nasi
Z vile next Thursday, composed of tv
citizens from each civil district in ii
county, and each ward in the city, is q
event of such magnitude, and so much d.
} pends upon it (as view it) that hay
concluded to take the risk of being crit
: cised as an unknown counsellor. / ca
offer one salvo at least in advance, to an
criticism. The writer of this communi
, cation is an humble citizen, is no aspi
rant for Office and will have none, an,
therefore hopes his communication vii
be estimated alone by the value of it
suggestions.
/. Shall this convention be a part,
convention. l trust not in the sens
and spirit of parties generally. Ifany
man supposes the object and purpos,
of this meeting are simply to overcom,
and defeat the extreme or Stokes wing
Of the radical party in this county, he is
greatly mistaken. This is a mere inci'
dent of the great purpose, at least, the
great purpose of some of the friends OI
the measure, and which the writer
hopes will be the purpose of all who
participate. The great purpose is to adopt
a plan by which the best men in the
county, who have the legal or statutory
qualifications, can be sent to the legis
lature.
To make a race merely to defeat o
party or the leaders of party would be
the work of prejudice and not the work
Of principle-wOuld be passion and not
enlightened purpose; it would be the
work of partizans, with nothing of the
statesman or even of the thoughtful
citizen in it. Surrounded as we are
with difficulties which threaten both
the State and general government with
bankruptcy, and the citizen with endless
and enormous taxation, to say nothing
Of our political disabilities not yet re-
meved, and we are not in a condition to
make a mere party race. Therefore our
purpose must not be merely the defeat
of the Stokes party.
2. Can those embraced in this call
unite and be harmonious This depends
alone upon the patriotism and good in
tentions of those who profess to be for
Senter and suffrage. The first thing to
make this move success is that it must
be fair. If any one attends a preliminary
meeting to be held on Tuesday, for the
purpose Of securing the nomination of
any particular man, and this purpose is
discovered, his voice should have but
little weight. Either packed or schem-
ing preliminary meetings will be q just
reason for any aspirant to refuse to sub
NIT his claims to the convention. 1t is
therefore matter of the utmost conse-
quence that these preliminary meetings
shall not only have the form and show of
sending delegates; but it must be fairly
done. 1t can only be fairly done by
sending representative men-men who
will truly and honestly represent the
district or ward; men who will attend
the convention with conviction that the
trust imposed is the good of the poo-
pie, and not for the advancement of
any mans claims. The writer OF
this article has long felt that just in this
lies the weakness and danger of our
government. Men do not regard the
exercise or performance of a public duty
as a trust. Men who are upright in their
dealings, faithful in their pledges, and
loyal if you please, in the ordinary accep-
tation of the term, to the government,
by force of education or habit, constantly |
when performing an assumed or accept
ed public trust, totally ignore honesty and
good faith, or abandon the trust, or use |
it to advance private ends or the claims
of some friends. Nothing is more com~
mon than for an aspirant to pack cons
vention with his friends, and even good
men often thoughtlessly suffer them~
selves to be used as such packing mates
rial. This has been done to such an /
an extent that convention is regarded
as a SOFT of wire working political jOcky |
club, or ,blackguard whisky shop cross
roads Chamber Of Commerce.
The evils of cur form of government
are coming to be known to thoughtful
men, and this Indifference, this political
in the performance of public
trusts, is the greatest.
No man has right to pack convention
with his friends every man has right
to become candidate, and advocate his
claims before the people; but conven~
ton should have in it only such men as /
will act as attorneys in fact for the |
people To go into convention to secure
the nomination of friends, is fraud upon |
the public. The ostensible purpose is |
to represent the people-the real pure
pose, however, is to benefit a friend. |
1t is not only fraud, but it is a breach
of trust. And yet these frauders and
preachers Of trust are Of daily occurrence
among respectable men.
As man, the principal part Of whose |
estate, is the form Of good government,
and which is indeed good govern
ment when properly administered,
wish to give notice to all whose eye
may fall upon this article, that any at>
TENT to convert either the preliminary
meetings of Tuesday or the convention of
Thursday into meetings for the advance
'ment of particular mems claims, will be a
fraud and breach of trust more seriously
affecting me than to steal my property.
l have right to demand that this con-
vention shall be what it purports to be
a body of men looking alone to the good
Of the people.
Ifany man in any ward or civil district,
has been asked by any candidate or
would be candidate, to attend those pres
liminary meetings to look after his in~
terest, | beg such person to at once
give such candidate, or would be
candidate, notice that such conduct will
be regarded as fraudulent and corrupt,
to inform him that notice has been given
that the object of the convention is to
secure after caucusing, the best material
the country has in the next Legislature,
and not the advancement or promotion of
any man-that coming into such cOnVen>
ton or preliminary meetings by himself
or by proxy to advance his own interests,
is fraud.
3. Objections have been raised to the
plan proposed, and, indeed, it has been
insisted that the whole matter should go
by default, and that the people should
do the best they could out of the mste-
rial which was presented.
The objections grow out Of misap>
prehensiOn of our status. The object of
this convention is not to run a Demo-
cratic ticket, though the ticket may all
be composed of men who have been act
ing with that party. We are not making
a stand for any party. When a division of
parties comes, as it probably will, we do
not all expect to stand together. We are
now trying to avoid party issues and unite
upon Senter and suffrage. This being
our status, are any of the objections ten,
able
lst. 1t is said by bringing out ticket
we will unite the Radical party-the
Senter and the Stokes wings in this
county-and that we may affect the
registration now going on.