The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1870-03-26
THE FRANCHISE QUESTION.
Part Of the Speech Of James FentresS, Of
Hardeman, in The Constitutional Cons
tioys, on Tie Franchise Question.

Mr.. President: 1t is with great defereAee
to the ase, experience and ability of many
members of this Convention that ! propose
briefly to discuss this question of the elective
franchise, and | assure you thas RothinS bat
q sense Of duty to nay conssItHeAta, AMI
conscientious desire for the real psacs of
the people Of tbis State could induce nae 20
do So
There is. however, this consolation, that
having neither the venerable age, which
brings with it the checks ami balances Of
caution and pFadeHcs, nor the distingaished
ability of manv members Of this body, run
no risk in assuming my premissS, tor the
wisdom of this body will readily discoyeF
aRy faW theFein-ner of carrying yOH away
to false and impFsctibls conclusion, for
your age and experience will refuse 90 fol
low in doubtful paths to dangerous results.
So that unlike those aged and experienced
aen upon this floor Whoas feArs should be
excited lest the weight of sheiE character and
personal influence upon questions before
this body, should outweigh the truth, when,
without proper reflection, they take decided
stand am conscious, in expressing, my d.
cided convictions; their influence wilt depend
altogether On the power of the truth that
may be spoken.
1t IL question of the gravest importance
in every Government, whatever be its foFm.
| as to who shall exercise, and 70 what extent.
political rights But especially IL this the
case ia Ours; for We hold and our fathers
| before us held, a. q fuudamental truth, shat
power is inherent in the people and ell
governments rightfully dependent on their
will Necessarily, therefore, in cur aystem
| Of government, just in proportion - you
| lower the scale of intelligence aud virtue,
| just in that proportion you increase the dan
ger of its Ieace and prosperity. appeal ~
you if this is not true; and if true, does it
not become this body 30 pause and consider
| whether the pretended peace which those
who advocate the enfranchissment OF the
negro claim 1t will briug, is not the peace
which pFecedeG the c0nyulsive sbFOss OF pO
litic&l death | desire as earnestly as anJ
delegate can, the real peace OF my leOple
We have lad enough of war, suf DISC ri, 0
commotion. But l ask you what is there ID
the negro race which will make hin ala sle
ment of strength in our body polite, OF
Justify US in making this experiment Tia
he virtue Has he intelligencef No, sir
our long experience with ham assures u
with no uncertain voice that he is strange
an utter stranger to both Has he capaci
for we'll ordered governmentH 1t so, We
might indulge the hops that some day n
would prove worthy OF the great right whic!
1t Is proposed to bestoW upon him. Look +
are the evidences of his capacity to main tai
a good government Where is an Instanc
when left 10 himself he has ever attsmpte'
to establish government of law, or beel
able to maintain one which was gwen him
Where has he ever risen above absOlut
barbaric anarchy? | assert sir, that tn
highest state OF civilization which any pal
? OF the negro race ever attained, WAS thei
cOnd ton of slaves in the Southern Statei
and he never would have attained that, bU
f the fact that he was forced by his maste
out of his natural, habitual stupOr of lazines
and Incidence to healthy exertion, and wit
= all the care, the teachIng, the example {
his master, he initiated (aped) in some poo
- measure, and waP forced up to his preseI
status. Leave hIm now to himself and n
retrogTession would be more rapid than h
. rise; and in an exceedingly short tiRe yO
would find no CLEAN, even of the light
civilization, in the thick darkness of h
r dwelling-placs
Well, if he has neither intelligence
virtue; if he has in himself no capacity fC
e self government, can we not, by incorpor
ting the forty Thousand negro voters In o
body pul'ssc, and making him equal poll
/ cally with our one hundred and TWEEN
- thousand white voters, cOunteract or cOntr
the injury, which we, a peoP.e, Won
naturally experience from the intrOducti
n OF this ignorant, uhYirtuUus race as pOll6lc
d equals of the white maR2 This is a seriO
question, bu unhaPpily for those who faV
1t, the lessons of history, experience a
reason alike declare that such results
impossible.
Mr.. President, let those who have gOtt
their consent to recommend t. the people
q Tennessee the political equality of the neg
with the white man remember the origin
this terrible aheminatiun Nho are {
enunciators of it? Has the Conservative
2S DemueI atic people OF the North enbFac
it No, sir; they are, and have been str,
glng a aIHst it with an energy which
serves emulation 1t had it's origin a
!, , finds It's defenders ;lene in the ex:re
Rai iieal party Has any Demos ratio,
even Conservative state received ami ado
ed this issue of Radical corruption b;
been unable 10 find the first one. be ne.
population in some OF them Is 90 small. &
practically to them, the proposition is one
| littte impOrtanee-stjll tLey abhor Is A