Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-31

| SATURDAY, Jan. 30.-Ihe House wa
called to order at 10 A. NJ, Speaker Rich
ards in the chair and fifty>six member
present ~-eaI.fas ~ ~ -
AMENDMENT To THE CONSTITUTION.
/ House bill for amending the eonstitu,
ton SO as to compel negroes to pay pol
tax, which was the special order, was
taken up on third reading ss.li1'.ia.5'l
Mr.. Pickett offered the following
amendment ;0;t9 sss ID v7as t5sr,-s gsF
l BE it further enacted, That upon the
recommendation of three unconditional
loyal men in any county in the State
making oath before any Circuit Judge
presiding in the county wherein the ap-
plieation may be made, that there arc
any persons in said county who are now
disqualified from voting under. the fran
chise law, and who are known to be loyal
to the government Of the United States
and to the State of Tennessee, and fur
Their believe that such ,persons can be
safely intrusted with the elective fran
chise: then upon such person or persons
making application by petition to become
eniranchised, signed by such person and
-yerified by the affidaVits Of said three
loyal men, it shall be the duty Of said
Judge to issue to such person or persons
| certificates to vote at all elections in the
county, district and State the same as
Commissioners Of Registration are now
authorized to issue, and the same petition
and affidavits shall be made matter of
| record by being spread upon the minutes
of the court, including a copy Of the GER
tificate to vote, and for which services the
Clerk Of the Court shall be allowed a
reasonable fee, at the discretion of the
court, which fee shall be paid by the Pc
titioner.
Mr.. Agee said that he was in favor Of
giving the subject full investigation
that it was one Of vita. importance. He
would support the amendment offered by
the gentleman from Hickman, or some
other proposition having the same object
in view. He was not welded TO the pres
ent amendment, but he was for Justice
being done. Some fanatics might call
him weak in the knees if they choose,
but he occupied exactly the same posi-
ton which the Governor had taken in his
message to this adjourned session. lie
earnestly requested gentlemen who held
different view Of Che subject to exam
iRe page six OF the message. II that
portion of the message meant any
thing, it meant Acknowledgement to the
better class of Rebels. II 1T did not
mean that, it meant nothing at all.
4 He had never heard any body say that
the Governor was not Radical enough,
and the speaker did not propose to out>
Radical the Governor He did not want
to be taken for fanatic or to appeal to
blood and thunder passions, etc; but he
did want to do what was right and what
would be the best interest of the State.
He was opposed to enfanchisement Of
cutthroats and Ku-Klux as much as any
man on the floor, but, while he would never
vote to enfranehise such outlaws, he was
in favor of the means which Governor
Brownlow had recommended; that is, he
was for doing justice ia the safest and
most practicable way, SO as to reach that
that class which the Governor had refer
red to in his message. aag
:, Mr.. Agee was uninterrupted several times
by questions from different members of
the House, bnt he answered in such a
straightforward way that his position
could not possibly have been misunder>
stood. He contended earnestly that the
House ought not to oppose the policy of
Congress, of the government and of the
great Republican party. If so, they would
be considered only fsnatical faction. He
was for making difference between law 1
abiding men and those who were law
breakers. He hoped steps would be
taken to bring the matter at once and
directly before the people, Let the peo-
pie settle the question. The Governor
had recommended liberal policy, and he
was not afraid to risk the decision of the
people. -.-
Mr.. White said the loyal people of
East Tennessee would prefer to have the
disfranchisement of rebels perpetual
than TO change it now. They would
rather dlsfranchise a few more rebels
than now admit them to the ballot>box.
Mr.. Wines demonstrated against longer
applying the unjust and oppressive policy
of taxation without representation. The
right of suffrage was an inherent, not a
political right. What authority had they
to sit there and legislate away the rights
Of the people of Tennessee ? They knew
how the Franchise Law had been worked
in the interest of cliques and parties by
corrupt and infamous Commissioners Of |
Registration.
Mr.. Cason followed in an earnest and
feeling effort in favor OF the franchise ex-
tension. He characterized those would
be Republicans OF the House who were
opposed to this measure as no Republic
cans at all, for the grand fundamental
principle Of the Republican party is-suf-
frage to all. He, the speaker, belonged
to the great Republican party of the
North, that liberal and progressive party
which men in this House sneer at as old
Horace Greeley and his followers. He
sharply asSailed Mr.. White, of Greene,
for that gentleman's bigoted and intoler-
ant course, line Of policy which if pur,
sued would be sufficient to damn any
party. 1t didn't become such men as
this White, who never shoulderea NUS
ket or heard the whistle of bullet, TO
9 leer at and denounce as deserters me-.
who had through the whole war fought |
for the Union, and gave their best days
to building up the Republican party.
Mr.. Cason said he heartily favored the |
amendment, for as long as the great mass |
of the population were DISTINGUISHED, |
peace could not be established in Tennes-
see. The very existence, too, of the Re-
publican party in Tennessee, depends
upon extending suffrage to the disfran~
chised, for as sure as this measure is not
carried out, a Democrat will be the next
Governor OF Tennessee. The very re-
fusal Of this body to act in accordance
with the time honored principles of the
Republican party, will so disorgsnize the
party in this State that it will surely be
defeated in the next election for there is
nothing more certain than that the Re-
publicans of Middle and West Tennessee
are now in favor of rebel enfranchise-
ment lie hoped in the interest of
the great party he represented, and in