Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-02-14
COFFEE COUNTY.
Meeting in Favor of Peace and Law
and Order-The Civil Authorities 10

Meeting In Favor of Peace and Law
and Order-The Civil Authorities 10
be Sustained.
MANCHESTER, TENN, Feb. s, 1867
The whole county met IN convention at
the courthouse to-day.
The President called the convention TO
order, and the committee appointed at
the preliminary meeting on the 4th inst.
reported the following resolutions:
Whereas, The permanency of all gov
ernments, republican in form, rests upon
the intelligence and morality Of the citi-
zen, and whereas the citizens are bound by
the laws enacted by the legally ccnsti-
tuted authority until replaced or declared
unconstitutional by the proper judicial
tribunals and
Whereas, All good citizens cheerfuIly
give thsir aid in the enforcement Of all
the laws, and, believing the above propo-
sitions TO be true and selfevident, and
having sincerely acted upon them since
the close of the war, we therefore declare
and resolve as follows: -
/. That we are unalterably opposed 10
all secret political organizations, unalter.
ably opposed to all men who take or have
taken the law into their own hands, and to
all men who, under any pretense disturb
the peace, the quiet and good order Of the
community.
2. Mob law or violence furnishes no
remedy for either oppression or unconsti-
tutional law.
3, No citizen who desires the good,
the peace, or the prosperity of the COM
munityneeds mask or disguise over his
face or his actions.
4. That we are satisfied that the senii-
ments herein expressed are entertained by
ninety mine hundredths of. all of the citi-
of this county, of all political parties, and
as a consequence We have had less disturb
ance, less crime, and less bitterness since
| the war, than any other county known to
| us in the State, and much less than we ever
had for the same period before the war.
5. At no time has there been, nor is
there now, the least difficulty in any civil
officer of this county executing any pro.
cess upon any body.
6. Should citizens of this county, or
| of other counties, either masked or un-
masked, take the law into their own hands
within our county, and infiict violence upon
the person or property Of citizen, either
| white or black, we will use our best en-
deavors to bring them TO justice, and if
| they can be found and identified, we will
see that they are certainly punished there
| for.
Z. We demand that our civil aulhori.
ties promptly and faithfully execute all the
| law, and we will assist them therein.
s. Believing that We can and will ex-
ecute the laws, within our county, We would
deprecate, as great calamity, the presence
of any military force among US.
9. Meaning what We say, and saying
what We mean, we place the above reso-
lutions in this book, which is to be kept in
the Office Of the county court clerk of this
county, and we hereby request every citi-
zen of this county who approve them 10
sign the same TO the end that all whom it
may concern may know the friends of law
| and order.
The resolutions were read TO the conyen-
ton by Judge w. p. Hickerson, the chair
man of the committee, Who entertained the
convention with an able and eonciliatory
speech.
Pending the adoption of the resolutions,
interesting and effective speeches were
| made by Capt. c. A. Sheafe, Capt. S. L.
earns, Col. S. n. Burger and Col. A. s.
Marks, Of Winchester, when the resolu-
tons were passed by 4 unanimous and
| emphatic vote.
On motion and by the direction of The
whole Convention it was ordered that the
proceedings Of this meeting be published
in the UNION AND AMERICAN, Press and
Times, and the Republican Banner, and that
each one of the papers send to the sd-
dress of the President of this meeting
fifty copies of the issue containing their
proceedings.
When the convention adjourned sine
die. h. w. CASEY, Pres't.
p &. ISRELL. Sec'y.