Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-29
THE radical SPLIT.
A Committee OF Senter's Friends
State their Grievances.
St0kes' Friends Charged With Q
Deliberate Purpose TO De-
feat the Will Of 0 Ma
J0rlty Of the Rad
ieai Party.
The Knoxville Whig of the 9th inst.
publishes the following address

. publishes the following address
: TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF TENNESSEE
Fellowseitizens Times, extraordinaI
! IN their character, demand that the n
personalities Of the principles of th
:, National Republican party Of Tennessee
should appeal directly to the masses
order to secure the future success Of th
true policy of the party which has pro
claimed liberty throughout the land.
In the spirit of patriotism we trust it
our duty, no less than the interest 4
repnblicanism in Tennessee, not to sa,
throughout the nation, topresent for you
consideration the causes which impel u
to appeal to the people. 10 obedience t
the call OF the Executive Committee O
the Republican party of the State, tn,
delegates from large number of tn,
counties assembled in Nashville on the
10Th Of May, 1869, TO hold Republican
State Convention to nominate a candi'
GATE for Governor.
| 1t had been the wish of those whom
we represent, that the convention should
be honestly, fairly and tremendously con.
Quoted, and that the claims Of Gen
Stokes and Gov. Senter should be proper,
~ adjusted in the spirit of patriotism
and with reference to that triumph
which has nestle upon our cause in all
the past struggles of reconstruction in
| Tennessee.
| However, in this the friends of Gov.
Senter were mistaken, if not deceived.
at the appointed hour, A. NJ. Cate, chair
man Of the State Executive Committee
81 the Republican party, called the con-
We ton to order, which We concede was
his duty. Having done so, and read the
call under which they assembled, Judge
Houk, a friend Of Gov. Senter, moved
that DR.. Thomas Ii. Pearne be made
temporary chairman, which motion Mr..
Gate refused to entertain, and by virtue
Of his position as chairman Of the State
Executive Committee, assumed the right
to preside for the time being.
This unheard-of assumption upon the
part of single member of the delegation
there assembled, was regarded as mon
strous, more especially as Mr.. Cate was
VIGOROUSLY known to be the personal
enemy OF Gov. Senter, whose claims for
the nomination were to be presented be-
fore the body over which he (Cate) as
sumed to exercise this unprecedented
prerogative. . r...
The gentleman who made the motion
seeking to maintain his own Co equal
rights with Mr.. Cate, as members of the
convention, as well as to protect the in
terests of his friends, appealed to the
house which the same instrument, as
Stunning still to occupy the chair, also
declared out Of order, and denied the
privilege ofan appeal from his despotic
conduct. i.- g...
Parliamentary law, the custom of
ages and the dictates of common sense
being thus outraged, Judge Houk who
bad b ae4 Pa ffifrdingnr 66hcfHyT; Or Kssfrue
bis bis equal prerogative with all other dele>
gates there in the convention, and test
the sense Of the House whether Cate
could thus wreak personal vengeance,
and at the same time promote the cause
of his fayorite aspirant for gubernatorial
h0nOrS. 81" .
Accordingly, Judge Houk put his own
motion to the convention, it having been
almost unanimously seconded all over
the house, and the result was that Dr.
Pssrne was elected temporary chairman
by nearly unanimous vote, the ayes
being spontaneous and but few noes.
But the programme which had been cut
and dried in secret, did not admit OF
Stokes friends submitting to a majority
giving expression to the popular voice,
| and the instrument who had been selects
| ed to carry out the Vaccinations OF per-
sonal malice, disregarding the vote of the
convention, obtruded himself upon the
house, contending that he was chairman
| er,OHciO for all purposes, until the con
ysntion had effected temporary organi-
cation and declared that agentleman from
Hamilton county, who, We are advised
and believe, had not spoken word up to
this time, or even attempted to get the
floor was the first to address the chair
The Hamilton county gentleman ther
arose and nominated Z. K. Butler tempo
rary chairman, but the friends Of Gov
Senter, seeing an attempt, on the part o
these enemies, to execute a pre>arrangeC
organization, palpably and msllclously
inimicaI to their faYorite candidate, and
| knowing the voice of the convention hat
already placed DIR. Pearne in the chair
refused to be thus robbed and swindieC
| out of theirrights, and demanded thai
he should take the chair and preside.
| Here the disorganizing spirit Of tn
| Stokes marty was developed, and deter
| mination was discovered on their part t.
adopt rule or ruin policy, and effort
| were made TO prevent the duly elected
Temporary chairman from reaching tn
chairman's desk. as rr-.-s.5. ~.
/ He, however, succeeded in taking hi
seat and q temporary secretary was ap
pointed by vote of the convention
when the Stokes party, seeing them
selves defeated, commenced tumultu
Gus proceeding, which, for outrage an
violence. has no parallel in civilize
| history. The Senter men, unwilling I
he driven from what they beGeyed-an'
are now confirmed in their views-to b
. right, contended for the temporar,
} chairman's right to proceed.
The Stokes men refused to concede
the voice of the convention, and clalme
Cate as their temporary chairman still
This brought all further proceeding
TO a dead lock, and general and col
|. fused wrangle .ensued during the balanc
' of the day. -,
No person Of either side was heard
!. permitted to make an approach to q n
Cancellation until late in the aiternoo
when Judge Houk, who had made, an
4 upder the circumstances already d.
J, tailed, put and carried the motion Tor
= temporary chairman, succeeded IN gettn
q i the attention of the convention, an
i while fully maintaining the justice Of B
Q course and the rights Of his friends, !
u the purpose Of harmony, proposed to rel
| the whole subject back to the cOnVentio
a ! which the Stokes party utterly repnt
ated, except upon the condition Of I
= bogus delegations being permitted
p, vote their respective counties. Su
e. were the efforts Of the men who b
to combined to manipulate the Organizati(
IN progress and issues Of the conventI'
Thus was the whole process Of ever
temporary organization defeated.
,ou5 At one time, while DR.. Pearne v
~ ~ holding the chair, L. M . Mynatt, a de
- gate from Knox county, moved
"A nomination Of d. w. @. Senter, by acc
he nation, which motion was seconded,
on TO the house and adopted with but
dissenting voices. Yet the convent
had not been organized. There wa
dispute in regard to the whole proceed
LIST and all parties agreed TO an adjOurnm