Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-09-29
w. HI. Wisener al the CAPITOL

Hon W II Wisener, Radical candidate
for Governor, spoke in the Hall of the
House of Representatives last night to
quite large and mixed crowd, over half of
which were negroes, a number of whom
went to sleep before he closed. The meet
| ing was called to order by Hon NJ NJ Brien.
We can only make allusion to some of the
points of his speech this morning, owing
to the lateness of the hour when he closed
and the crowded condition of our columns.
He assumed that the position of the
Democrats was at variance with the best
interests of the country. He said that the
Democrats of the State repealed the school
law of the State; he wanted it restored
He did not wish the County Courts to pre-
scribe laws for the schools. He charged
that the Democrats had repealed the i'm
migration laws. He alluded to the fran
chise law, and said that it had been so
changed as to require residence of five
years before foreigner could vote, instead
of one year.
He claimed that his ancestors were
Dutch, and he wanted Prussia to whip
France, and to whip her good. She was a
disturber of the national peace and good
threshing would do her good.
The speaker took up the Democratic
platform of the State. He said that the
Southern Democrats mistook the Northern
Democracy if they believed them allied
with them at all in sentiment.
He declared that the recent platform
offered to the Democracy of the State was
not in accord with the one they had offered
to the Northern Democracy. He referred
to the assumption of sovereign State" by
the Democratic Convention. This, he
said, wss absolutely funny. They declared
the States sovereign" They went out as
sovereign" fought as sovereign" and
now they wanted to come back as ''sov-
ereign." Sovereignty means the right to
coin money, levy taxes, declare war, etc.
There is not such a thing as sovereign
State" in this broad Union. The platform.
he said, while it did not openly avow re-
pudiation, suggested no provision for pay
ing the national debt.
He referred to the resolution in the plat
form demanding the repeal of the fifteenth
amendment. He said the Democrats wanted
that repealed because it prohibited the in
huencing of colored and ignorant votes
by brides, and threats and intimidation.
He didn't blame them. All that was ne
cessary to secure his (the speakers) cleo
ton was to fully enforce that amendment.
he opposed the taxing of the bonds, and
didn't think that as q matter of economy
or policy any sane man would urge it. He
held that it would be a national disgrace
for Congress to tax the bonds. He said
that the idea of whipping the Government
was not yet gone, and the Democrats
wanted the bonds taxed to iniure her
credit in the future. He eulogized Grants
administration, as having diminished the
national debt one hundred and seventy
millions without dollar increase of taxa
ton. The new Constitution of the State
hs said contained many erroneous prom
ises. 1t revived the secession ordinances
of 1861, though they were void because
the Constitution of the United States was
paramount. In pretense of enfranchising
everybody, it disfranchised all who could
not pay for the privilege Of voting by a
poll tax qualification.
The franchise should have no restric-
tons. This poll tax restriction was wrong
and was placing upon suffrage price. II
he were elected Governor he would urge
the Legislature to repeal it. They have
just as much right to require the payment
of property tax as poll tax. He was
opposed to the lswsrequiring every man to
vote In his civil district. They should be
allowed to vote anywhere in the county.
We have only alluded to some of the main
points OF the speech which was long, de-
sultory but moderate in tone, manner and
expression,