Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-01-30
THE CONVENTION.
EIGHTEENTH DAN.

| Brown IN the chair
Prayer by Rev. Mr.. Sample, delegate,
after which the journal was read and ap-
proved.
/ Mr. Allen, absent yesterday, being
granted leave, recorded his vote II the af-
tirmative on the suffrage proposition,
which was adopted yesterday. - - r,
Mr.. Waters having voted under mis-
apprehension against the minority report
on the suffrage, was granted leave to
change his vote.
Mr.. Thompson, of Maury, absent yes
terday, was granted leave to record his
vote on the franchise question. He voted
in the affirmative.
Mr.. Staley asked permission to enter
on the journal his reasons for voting
against the franchise proposition adopted
| yesterday.
Mr.. Jones, of Giles, said that while he
was willing to accord to every delegate
his right to enter his protest, he was not
willing that it should go upon the journal,
| or into the newspapers, that this Conven-
| ton had imposed property qualification
upon the voters, or thought of doing any
such thing. The Convention had only re-
quired of every citizen, as condition
precedent to the exercise of this great
right, the payment of his poll tax to the
Government which protects his life and
liberty Who is the citizen who is IN
willing to do this9 Tell me not that any
man, white or black, liable to the payment
| of poll tax, is not able to pay one or
| two dollars If he is not willing to
pay this small sum to maintain the Gov
eminent which protects him in the enjoy
ment of his liberty and protection of his
life, he has no interest in the Govern
ment, and should have no right to shape
or control its destiny. He denied that it
was oppression upon the poor man. The
honest, industrious poor, whether en-
gagged in agriculture of the mechanic arts
paid their poll tax, and were willing to do
so-in fact if they refused to do so you
could sell his last horse or COW to pay
his poll tax-while many who were en-
gagged in no business, and had no en-
ployment yet, with their pockets full of
money, failed to contribute one cent to
the support of their Government These
are the men whom this provision in the
Constitution would reach. He said his
only object being to place this subject
in its proper light, at the suggestion of his
friends he withdrew his objections to
the protest.
The Convention admitted the protest
to the journal.
Mr.. Gibson read protest against the
franchise amendment adopted yesterday
1t was signed by himself, by James w.
Branson, James C. Parker and W. II.
Finley, and was, without objection, Or
dered to be spread upon the journal.
Mr.. Mabry arose to personal explana-
ton. He said he had been misrepresented
both by the speech of W. B. Stokes, in
Congress, and the Louisville Courier
J@tTnGL, though no doubt Internationally
by the latter. By that paper he had been
represented as having been Union man
during the war. Although he did not hold |
it to have been dishonorable to have been |
q Union man, nevertheless he claimed no |
credit on that score On the contrary,
he had been "Rebel, " and a Jealous one, |
during the war. Since the surrender, how |
ever, he had found that the Republicans
were better to be trusted than many of |
the latter-day secessionists, who sought TO |
cloak their designs under the guise of |
Conservatism. He said he was no politi- |
clan. At the conclusion of the war he |
determined to adapt himself to the cir |
cumstanCes by which he was surrounded. |
The desire to preserve the peace of the |
community and of the State governed his |
conduct He saw many of his personal |
friends in jeopardy, and it was his high |
est qualification that by acting with the
Republican party he was enabled to
secure personal justice snd preserve |
the peace of the community in which he |
lived. He said he had been prosecuted |
and bounded and sued and indicted, but
he had lived to face his prosecutors, and
was ready to face them here or elsewhere. |
The same men who had pursued him
during the latter years of the war-who |
still pursued him in the halls of legisla- |
ton and in the cOurt-roOm-were still |
upon his track, but they had not the
courage to meet him outside the rooms |
which afforded them protection. They |
were destitute alike of manly courage and
of principle.
Some debate now arose as to allowing |
members to change their votes, after the |
result had been an nounced.
MI. UOlGSy VI LII Gull, WIS Ok'tO5Cu " L
any changes being allowed.
Mr.. Brown, of Davidson, was for the |
widest liberty; let every man change |
when he desired.
Mr.. Burton said he thought they would |
have to revise all their work before the |
Convention adjourned, and he did not
think that gentlemen should consider |
themselves bound by the rule of recOnsid- |
eratiOns.
Mr.. Warner said his position yesterday |
on the question of requiring sixty or
thirty days residence in the district before |
a person could vote seemed to have been
misunderstood. He did not favor either
proposition, and didn't think any time
should be specified.
SCHOOLS.
Mr.. Gordon offered the following Teso-
luton:
Resolved, That the Committee on Mis-
celianeous Subjects be instructed to in
qIire and report whether provision shall
not be inserted in the Constitution appro-
priating forever all revenue derived from
the poll taxes for the use of the State to
the purposes of education in common
schools throughout the State.
The Miscellaneous Committee having |
been discharged, amotion was passed, pro-
viding for a special committee to whom
should be referred this resolution and
others of kindred subjects:
Mr.. Fentress submitted the following
Resolved, That the Committee on Mis-
cellaneous Provisions be instructed to in
quire whether the Legislature should not
be prevented by constitutional provision
from making a common schOOllaw, which
forces the poor white man to send his
children to school with negro children or
lose entirely the benefits of the free com
mon schools.
LIMITATION.
4Ir. Heiskell offered the following
amendment:
Article X, section 7. The Legislature
shall have power to pass statute of
imitationapplicableto the lands only which
have been granted by this State on pay
ment of entry takers fees, different
from the general statute Of limitation in
regard to land.
bIr. Heiskell said that by the adoption |
of some such amendment as the above,
he thought that great many immigrants
might be induced to settle upon the cheap |
lands of Tennessee.
THE JUDICIARY.
Mr.. Nicholson submitted the following, |
which he proposed for the purpose of |
getting at the sense of the Convention, in |
regard to what system of judiciary it
would be best to adopt:
Resolved, That before taking up the
IL -,Gl