Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-01-14

there should be time for delegates to ex
anime the proposed changes in the Bill O
Rights; and it seems to me that the NOR
| appropriate way would be to postpone it
consideration till-say Monday-in ordel
that it may be printed. Then gentlemen
having propositions to make, either tC
amend the report or enlarge it, car
have their papers prepared. The chair.
man, (Mr. Baxter tells US that some Of
the propositions submitted to-day have
received the attention of the committee.
Mr.. Thompson, of Davidson, suggested
that in the printed report, that part of the
Bill of Rights proposed to be left out
might be included in brackets, and that
part proposed in lieu could be printed in
italics.
Mr.. Jones, of Giles, proposed to amend
the motion so as to make it: To recon-
NIT the report with instructions to report
the amendments proposed to the Bill of
Rights. And he proceeded TO make some
criticism on the report.
Mr.. Stephens pointed out discrepancies
and inaccuracies in the report in relation
to the boundaries of thGState.
Messrs. Porter of Haywood, Jones of
Lincoln, Baxter, Custer and Henderson,
continued the debate involving questions
of order, etc
Mr.. Kennedy renewed the motion to
postpone the further consideration of the
report till Monday, and print 800 copies.
The motion was agreed to-
PRINTING
Mr. Garner, Chairman of the Commit
tee on Printing, made the following re-
port, which was concurred in:
The Committee on Printing have d.
rected me to report that they find that the
Public Printers for this State, Messrs.
Jones, Purvis & Co., proprietors of the
UNION AND AMERICAN and of the Repu6-
Lic0n Banner, are prepared to do such
printing as this body may order with
neatness and dispatch, and upon the terms
now prescribed by law. Your committee
request further time in which to make
report as to the printing of such number
of copies of the journal of the proceed
ings of the Convention as may be ordered,
and recommend the passage of the follow
ing resolution, viz:
Resolved, That the Secretary OF this
Convention procure to be printed by
Jones, Purvis s. Co., GA the terms pre-
scribed by law, of such job printing as
has or may be ordered by this body, and
that the Committee on Printing be allowed
time in which to make further report as
to the printing of the journal Of the pro-
ceedngs of this body. Respectfully sub
mitted. JOHN E. GARNER, Chairman
The rules were suspended and the reso-
luton was adopted.
On motion of Mr.. Jones, of Lincoln,
the Convention then adjourned.
NOTE.
The following is the letter submitted by
Mr.. Allen, the reading of which was OBJ
jected to by Mr.. Heiskell, referred to in
the foregoing proceedings:
GoRDoNsyLLE, Jan. 10, 1S7O.-Capt.
John Allen, Nashville, Tenn.-Dear Sir:
Having supported you by my vote inyOur
late canvass for a seat in the Convention
which this day assemblies, and being,
therefore, one of your immediate
constituents as a delegate from the county
of Smith, in that body, presume to write
you this communication. / do not do so
in any spirit of dictatiOn, or to press any
of my peculiar views on you. If should
offer any suggestions to your cOnsidera-
ton, it viii be in the spirit of candor and
liberality, only expecting you to give them
that weight which your judgment shall
approve. AS regards the honor, peace,
prosperity, and glory of our native State
of Tennessee, you and l can have no diff
ference of opinion. We may differ in the
means of attaining these, and be equally
honest and equally patriotic in that differ
ence.
It cannot be denied that upon the action
of the Convention now in session, hangs
in peculiar sense the destiny of Tennes-
see, for veal or Woe A fierce, malignant,
and despotic party, in possession of all the
power of the Federal Government, is
watching with evil eye, anxious to find in
some act of the Convention excuse to
place upon our people the crushing heel
of military power. Can we afford to give !
them the excuse they want? If we were
in condition to resist such an attempt, it |
would be another thing. But we are not,
and would, therefore, have to submit.
1t is not, therefore, wisdom to provoke,
or even give an excuse, for such interior
ence. Our situation is such that the ques-
ton is not what is right and proper in
themselves, but what is the best policy.
Things are not as we would have them,
but how shall we make use of them as
they are, so as to save ourselves from as
much harm as possible.
If it were new question to-day, you
and l would oppose a negTo's voting. But
he votes, and however wrongfully he may
have obtained that right, it is nevertheless
a fact. For nearly three years he has been
a voter in Tennessee. For nearly forty
years, once before, class of negroes were
voters. They were DISTINGUISHED by the
Convention of 1884. Legal minds have
questioned the power of that Convention,
under the Constitution of the United
States, to pass that act of disfranchise-
ment. But the number DISTINGUISHED were
so few, and the times so peculiar, that the
question was never raised. The times are
more peculiar now, and in q different
sense. The negro is now in possession of
the right to vote in Tennessee-not as
small class only, but as a race equally with
the white man. The question is not as
to how he came in possession of that
right. The fact exists, and to take it
away from him would be an act of dis
franchisement, and can any one doubt but
that the Supreme Court of the United
States, although it has hesitated when ap-
pealed to in the case of white men in
Tennessee, would hesitate to pronounce
such an act 3 violation of the Constitution
of the United States, and therefore null
and void And thus Congress would
have legal excuse for the expressions in
which, as at present composed, it de-
lights. There are many other considera-
tions which it seems to me should deter
us from this measure of DISTINGUISHING
the negro now. As have said, if it
were an original question | should GER
tainly oppose negro suffrage. But re-
peat, it is a fact, and as such we have to
deal with it. That it is an evil, am sure.
But then, can we remove that evil with
out bringing a greater one upon us ? 1t
must be only the unthinking who dream,
under present circumstances, that we
can.
As an additional reason why we should
refrain from any thing even apparently
proscriptive, the evidences are everywhere
that the patience and fOTtitude which have
characterised the people of Tennessee un- |
der these expressions, are silently working
in their behalf In this view, we can af-
ford to wait upon time, the great healer,
to bring deliyerance from the evils now
upon us. We can endure them better than
to do any thing which would certainly
bring upon us greater. Truth and justice