Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-02-18
THE CONVENTION.
TIEuRTY-FOURTH DAY.

4 II OO ~ IN
THURSDAY, Feb. II, 1870.-The Con
vention met at $50 o'clock A. NJ, Presl
dent Brown in the chair. Prayer by Rev.
NJ. Inman, after which the journal was
read and approved.
THE SCRIPTURES.
Mr.. Sample offered resolution, which
lies over under the rule, providing that the
Old Testament Scriptures shall never be
excluded from the common schools.
ADJOURNMENT.
Mr. Blackburn offered q resolution pro-
viding that the Convention adjourn sine
die on tomorrow. Laid over under the
rules.
WHEN LAWS SHALL TAKE EFFECT
The Committee on Legislative Depart
ment reported the following as an amend
ment to the Constitution:
Article /, section 80. ono law of a
general nature shall go into effect until
the fOrtieth day after its passage,
unless such law or its preamble shall de-
clare that the public welfare requires that
it should take effect sooner" 1t was
adopted.
COUNTS OF RECORD.
Mr.. Porter, of Haywood, offered the
following:
Sec. =. ''The General Assembly shall
hereafter have no power to establish
courts of record to be held elsewhere than
at the county seat of the county for which
| such court is to be heidi Referred to
the Judiciary Committee.
| MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS
The Convention now proceeded 10 the
consideration of the report of the Com
| mittee on Miscellaneous Matters. The
following was read:
At the end of Section 3, article Xl add
as follows:
''The Legislature shall have the right,
at any time, by law, to submit to the
! people the question of calling COnVen-
ton to alter, reform or abolish this Con-
stitution, and when, upon such submits
| sion, a majority of all the votes cast shall
be in favor of said proposition, then dele
gates shall be chosen and the Convention
shall assemble in such mode and manner
as shall be prescribed.
Mr.. Jones, of Giles, proposed to insert
between the words "cast" and ''shall" the
words:
SIN the election for Governor preceding
the vote"
The amendment was rejected, after
which the proposition of the committee
was adopted.
After section 5, article XI, add a sec
ton as follows:
Sec. - "The Legislature shall have
no power to change the names of persons,
or to pass acts adopting or legitimating
persons, but shall, by general laws. con-
fer this power on the courts.
Mr.. Gibson Offered a proposition in
lieu, which was rejected, after which the
the section, as reported by the commit
tee, was adopted,
The following was adopted:
After Section II, insert section as
follows:
Sec. -. ''No member of the Leg
islature, nor executive or judicial officer
of this State, shall receive, while in office,
either directly or indirectly, any gift,
gratuity, fee or reward from any person
or corporation, otherwise than by the
general law of the land. D."
After several amendments had been
Offered and rejected, the original PROPOSE
ton was laid on the table by vote Of 40
to 28.
The following was next read:
After the last section insert the follow
ing section:
Sec. =. IA homestead in the hands of
each head of q family in this State, OCcu-
pied as a residence, together with all the
improvements on the same, TO the value
of one thousand dollars, shall be exempt
from forced sale under any process of law
during the lifetime of such head of fam
ily, and the minority of his or her chill
dren. and shall not be alenated without
the Joint consent of husband and wife,
when that relation exists; but no prop
ertv shall be exempt from sale for taxes
or for the payment of obligations con-
tracted for the purchase of said premises,
or for the erection of improvements there
on. The Legislature may increase the
| amount of this exemption"
Mr.. Gibbs proposed TO amend by strik-
| inr out 'tO the value of not less than one
thousand dollars, and insert ''to the eX-
tent of 80 acres of land outside OF incor-
porated towns, or one town lot not eX-
| ceeding one acre"
The amendment was laid on the table
| by a vote of 81 to 8.
Mr.. Turner Offered the following in
| lieu:
A homestead in the possession of each
head of family and the improvements
| thereon to the value, in all, of one thou
sand dollars, shall be exempt from sale
under legal process during the life of such
| head of a family, and shall be exempt
| during the minority of their children Oc-
| cupying the same, nor shall said property
be alienated, without the joint consent of
husband and wife when that relation ex-
| lists. This exemption shall not affect
| debts contracted before the adoption of
this Constitution, nor debts contracted for
| the purchase or improvement of said lot,
nor public taxes.
Mr.. Hill, of Gibson, proposed to amend
by giving the Legislature power to in
crease the amount exempted. His amend
ment was laid on the table, by vote of
A to 81.
Mr.. Thompson, of Davidson, proposed
to amend by inserting after the word
/
widow" The amendment was accepted,
and the proposition inlieu was adopted.
The following reported by the commit
tee was read:
Sec. - "The intermarriage of white
persons with negroes, mulattoes, or per-
sons of mixed blood, descended from q
negro to the third generation, inclusive, is
prohibited.
"The Legislature shall enforce this sec
ton by appropriate legislation. ="
Mr.. Fentress proposed to amend by in
serting after the word prohibited" thu
following: No negro, mulatto or musteC
shall be allowed to sit on juries or hold
office in this State.
This amendment was rejected by thu
following vote:
Ayes-Messrs. Allen, Bate, Bro oks
Burton, Brown, of Henry, Carroll, Glib
son and Madison, Campbell, Carter
Chowning, Cummings, Dromgoole, Fen
tress, Fielder, Gardner, Heiskell, Hill, o.
Gibson, House, of Davidson, Robertson
and Montgomery, Ivie, Kennedy, Meeks
Porter, of Henry, Seay, Shepard, Shelton
Stephens, Turner, Wright, Williamson
Taylor-2S.
Noes-Messrs. Baxter, Blizzard, Bran
don, Branson, Britton, Burkett, Byrne
, Coffin, Cypert, Deaderick, Dibrell, DOher
l ty, Finley, Garner, Gaut, Gibbs, Gibson
2 Gordon, Henderson, Hill of Warren
I | uo,,eo IF Williamson Kew. Kirkpatrick