Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-05

Mr.. Wisener was member of the
Legislature that adopted the ordinance of
secession, and continued member until
finally adjourned, and we find him Sen
ator in the first Lsgisla ure that assembled
under the reconstructed State of Tennes
see. On the 9th of April, 1865, Senator
Bowen Offered the following resolution:
"Whereas, The extra session of the So
called Legislature of this State, which
met at the capitol in Nashville, Oh the
25th of April, 1861, although it had
right to assemble, yet, when assembled,
became an insurgcnt and reasonable as
sembly, violated law and the Constitution
of the State, and acted in bad faith TO
the people of the whole State, by which
the members of that body forfeited all
the Legislative RICH S conferred upon
them by their election in 1859. And
whereas, AL the acts and d0ings Of the
said extra session of the so called State
Legislature were reasonable and usurpa-
tive, unconstitutional, null and void, and
especially all pretended appropriations Of
money from the treasury of the State, by
| said insurgent and reasonable assembly,
were illegal and violent robberies of the
| treasury of the State: therefore,
''ResOlvcd, by the General Assembly
! of the State of Tennessee, That a Joint
select committee, composed of three mem
bers on the part of the Senate and-on
the part Of the House, be appointed to
examine and report to this General As
| scmbly what sums were thus pretendedly
| appropriated from the treasury of the
State by said insurgent and reasonable
body; to whom paid; whether TO the
members as mileage or per diem allow
anceS, TO the pretended clerks and other
officers of said body, or for arms and
ammunition, munitions of war, fortified,
tions, and other warlike equipments on
land or water, or as salaries to officers
and agents, civil or military or for any
msurrectiOnaTy or reasonable purposes
and all other pretended appropriations by
said body and also, report what, in theiI
Judgment, are the most proper and speedy
steps to be taken to recover and restore
back 10 the treasury of the State the
funds of which it has been robbed, either
from the persons who committed the rob-
berry, or those who received them, OF
both. And the committee shall have
power to send for papers.
This resolution was referred to the Ju,
dietary Committee, of which Mr.. WiseneI
was member. That looked like blister.
ing the old man for the pay he had taken
as member of the Legislature which
met on the 25th of April, 1861, but it did
not induce him to refund; not bit Of it.
On the 4th of May the Judiciary Commit.
tee submitted their report on this rcsOlu.
ton, which is as follows:
The Judiciary Committee have bad
under consideration Senate resolution No.
II, and have directed me to introduce q
bill in lieu thereof, on the same subject,
which is herewith presented.
JOHN TRMBLE, Chairman.
Mr. Wisener disappeared from the
Legislature three days before this report
was submitted, but 1t cannot be possible
that he was not consulted as to the mat
ter. There is every reason to believe
that he gave his sanction to the bill which
looked TO the forcible collection of the
monies paid TO members of the 'fnsur-
gent and reasonable body" which met in
the capitol on the 25th of April, 1861;
and it is equally certain that he never re-
funded TO the State what he received
($l48.16) for salary and per diem as a
member of that Legislature
But this is not all. The '9oyal'' Legis-
lature assembled on the Sd of April, 1866,
and Mr. Wisencr was promptly in his
seat as Senator of that body. He ap-
pears to have been a moderately regular
attendant of the sessions of the Senate
until the 1st of May, on which day he in
uOduccd a bill Chartering an association
Of some kind, and from that until the end
of the session, June u, 1865, he does not
appear 20 have participated in the pro-
| cccdings of the Senate. Yet strange TO
! say, the appropriation shows that he drew
pay for the full term of seventy -onc days
that the Legislature was in session. lie
appears to have been moderately regular
in his attendance for twenty-ninc days,
and then for forty-twO days he does not
appear to have participated in the deliber-
atoms of the Senate, but he was very
careful 10 draw pay for the full term of
seventy one days.