Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-09-25
THE CONGRESSIONAL RACE
~ EAeEE" sumner.

To the Voters Of Davidson County;
~ You are called upon by your county
| Democratic Committee 10 meet at the
voting places fsyour varieuss wards and
| districts. on the 26th of September, to
select delegates to meet IN Nashville,
September ,28, - TO nominate candi-
| dates for The Legislature, b and to
select delegates to Congressional Conven-
tom aAs-the list of appointments of the
candidates for Congress is already made,
and as weIwil not reach your county till
the Convention is over, / am forced to
take this method of addressing you,
though would much rather have dis
cussed in person the great questions at
issue. l am in favor of calling Conven
ton at once to nominate a candidate, as
the Democratic masses of this district
should select their member of Congress
and not leave the same in, the hands of
the Radical party, who, of course, would
unite either on Mr.. Prosser or some one
of the candidates who is least objectiona-
BILE to them.
find that many are industriously circu-
lating report that said at Franklin that
no man who could take the ''Sron clad
oath, or was not in the Southern army,
was fit to represent US. IneVer said or
assumed any such position. There
were many good and true men who were
not in our army. Yet l did say that a
man who lived in Tennessee from 1860
to 1866, and could take the sfron clad
oath, was not, and could not be a true
representative of this district for the
reason that nine-tentbs of our people
were in full sympathy and accord with
the South during the late unfortunate war.
argued, that it was contest involving
the very life of the nation and the liber-
ties and rights of the South, and that you
should elect representative men, and not
those who with folded arms, looked on
during the entire war, and took sides with
neither party, either by words or acts;
and now propose TO be the only men
qualified to hold or accept the Office; /
always supported those who honestly and
.fdithfttlIy maintained or fought for their
side, either Federal or Confederate,
and have no prejudice against them; but,
must confess that l cannot see the pc
Culisr merits of those who sided with
neither side during the war, who never
raised either their UOtceS or arms in de
fence of the South or the Union, and
who base their claims just now, on the
fact, that they can take the test oath
During the entire struggle for Southern
independence / was IN full accord with
her, and never sought for sn excuse TO
desert her nag, or gallant sons, or falt-
cred in the discharge of my duties. Yet
when her flag went down in disaster and
defeat, in May, 1865, and had been pa
rolled, I felt it my bounden duty, as a
good citizen, to return to the allegiance
that due, the General and State Govern
ments, and strictly obey my parole, and
the constitution and laws.
Iaccepted the situation, and have kept
in good faith, all my obligations, and have
exhorted all others to do So, and while l
have ever opposed the policy of the Rad
ical party, ! have been the uncompromis-
ing friend of peace, good order and the
submission to law.
l have labored faithfully to free our
selves from the tyranny that has been ex-
creased over US in Tennessee since the
war, and as a member of the late Consti-
tutiOnal Convention, felt that contrib
uted my full share in relieving you from
your political bondage, and securing Won
in the future from the eorruptions and |
usurpatiOns of your rulers. | labored to
free the white people of Tennessee and
restore them to their lost rights, and at
the same time not to come in conflict with
the settled policy of the General Govern
ment, however 1 might differ from it.
As at least two of my opponents and
some of their friends are raising the ques-
ton that if elected, | cannot take my
seat, beg leave to reply that such is not
the case, and all arguments, assertions or
suggestions TO the contrary are not author.
lied by the facts or law, as | can demon
strate. The following facts meet the en-
tire charge of those who are interested in
giving currency to such report:
In 1865 l took the amnesty oath, and
was thereupon relieved of the matter
pending against me in the Federal Court
on account of my participation in the re-
bellion. In January last l regularly pc
titioned Congress to be relieved of my
political disabilities under the Fourteenth |
Amendment, and on the 7th of March |
last was relieved of the same by two
thirds vote of both Houses, and conse-
quently l am not under disabilities of any
character. But, some one suggests that,
if you are elected, they may require you
to take the test-Oath of July 2, 1852, and
you cannot do so.
My reply to this is, that there is no au-
4hnrytr- for a,rph ocoortin,, Gov
gress by the acts of July II, '6S, and of |
Dec. IA, '69, both of which acts are in
full force at this time, has positively and |
unequivOcally relieved all from taking the |
test-Oath who have had their disabilities |
relieved, and no instance can be found |
where a man has been required to take |
the 'test-oath" whose disabilities have |
been removed by Congress. Congress,
after pardoning man, will not stultify |
itself-even if it had the right to do So
by requiring an impOssibility. An cleo
ton under the present law is a vested |
right, which cannot be effected by any
change of the law, as decided by the Su- |
preme Court of the United States in the |
case of A. H. Garland, CT porte, who
was permitted to practice law in that |
court without taking the test oath, as re- |
quired by act of Congress. But some one
suggests that the present clerk of the |
House Of Representatives would not en-
rOl your name at the beginning of the |
session. But his refusal to do so would |
be gross and fragrant violation of the |
acts of July II, 1868, and December IA, |
1869, of my pardon of March, 1870, and |
of his letter to Gen. Smith but few
days since. l might say, with the same
propriety, and with as much show of
reason, that he would not enrol the names
of Messrs. Perkins and Peyton because
they voted against the adoption of the
fifteenth amendment and for the repeal of
various, laws passed by the last Radical
Legislature.
A number of members of Congress
have been admitted to take their seats,
who occupied the same position that l do,
including Gen. Lewis, of Kentucky, who
took his seat last July, and hundreds of
men are to-day holding Office under the
general government who were not re-
quired to take the test oath, and the en-
tire practice of the government since
1865, has been directly contrary to the