Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-01-11
THE CONVENTION.
FIRST DAY.

| Il
sembly of tie State of Tennessee, en-
titled An act to authorize the people t.
call Convention, and for other purposes
passed Nov. Is, 1869, the delegates dul.
elected thereto assembled at Nashville
the capital of the State, in the COURTEOUS
of Davidson county.
At the hour of II o'clock NJ, the Hon
A. o. p Nicholson, delegate from TIL
counties of Williamson, Maury anC
Lewis, standing at the Secretary's table
and calling the body to order, said: Gen
tlemen of the Convention: hold in my
hand proclamation from the Governor
of the State, which you will be interested
in hearing read. He then read the paper,
which is as follows:
To the people of the State OF Tennessee and to the
delegates of the Constitutional Convention elected
at the general election, held in pursuance Of al
act passed by the General Assembly of the State
of Tennessee on the 18th day of December, 1855
now assembled in Nashville:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE, NASHVILLE, Tenn,
Jan. 10, 1S70-Whereas, by the 18th
section of an act entitled can act to au-
thoEize the people to call Convention,
and for other purposes, passed Nov. 10
1S69-it is made the duty of the Govern
or and Secretary of State to compare the
returns made by the Commissioners of
Registration of the votes cast at the Gen
eral election held under the provisions
of said act on the 18th day of December
1869, for and against the Convention,
therein provided for, and if a majority of
those voting be in favor of a Convention,
ebon no ha IY,fry Of hn i'm
mediately to issue his proclamation an
nouncing the result.
Now, therefore, be it known that upon
a careful comparison of the returns
so male, it satisfactorily appears that q
large majority of the votes so cast are in
favor of said Convention, the votes for
Convention ebei1g so, and against
10,020; showing majority of $500.
l do, therefore, hereby proclaim, that
said Convention is carried by a majority
of 40, 900 votes Gas far as beard FROM
In testimony whereof, l have hereunt0
subscribed my official signature, and
caused the great seal of the State to be
affixed, at the Department in Nashville,
this 10th dayiOf January, 1870.
L. S. d. W. c. SENTER.
. By the Governor,
A. J. FLETCHER, Sec'y of State.
This, gentlemen, being the evidence
upon which we are assembled, l now pro-
pose as temporary chairman of this con-
vention the name of Maj Boiling Gordon,
of Hickman, a gentleman who, from his
age, experience and connection with the
history of the State, will, l presume, be
every way acceptable to you.
There being no other nomination for
nlis position, the vote was taken, and Mr..
Nicholson declared Maj Boiling Gordon
to be unanimously chosen temporary
chairman of the Convention, and invited
him to come forward and take the chair
The temporary Chairman then said:
Gentlemen of the Convention: The dis
tinction which YOU have conferred upon
me unsolicited TO preside preliminary
over this deliberative body for the purpose
of a permanent Organization, claims my
thanks for the compliment; end receive
it at your hands as it was infended to be
rendered on account of the considerations
referred to by the gentleman. | stand
here to-day delegate of the people in
this body, and the only one returned here
who was also member of that similar
body, which thirty-five years ago gave to
the State of Tennessee a Constitution for
its government, and history answers the
question of the acceptability of the
services of that body. But Iattribute the
tender of this compliment to the fact that,
as a young man in the Convention of 1885,
l was associated with a class of men of
distinguished renOwn in the history of
Tennessee-with such men as the hOnOred
Blunt, the upright and intelligent Walton,
of the county of Butler, who in that body
occupied a position similar to my own
in this-having been member of the first
Constitutional Convention ever held in the
State-the Convention of 1796-because
l was in that Convention associated with
such men as BlOunt, Walton, Mckinney,
Vaught, and others like them, you have
been pleased to compliment me
by calling me to this chair.
p Gentlemen: We are now called upon
to revise and remodel the Constitution of
The State of Tennessee, so as TO better
adapt it to the eXigencies of the present
and the future. And may not be per-
mitted here, as a connecting link with
that Convention which gave us this Con
stitution, to invoke the efforts of men,
bers to a careful discharge of the work
assigned them, to make a Constitution for
the government of the State that will
secure and protect the rights of the peO-
pie, so that when you shall have retired
from this hall, you may cherish the reflec
tiHr hot lrtttn
Creditably to yourselves and acceptably to
the people and the generations to come?
Gentlemen, thank you again, for calling
me to the chair
Mr.. Jones, of LincOln-Mr President,
the first business of the Convention, per
haps, would be the election of Presi-
dent to preside over the deliberations of
the body during the session. | move,
therefore, thst the Convention proceed
now to that election.
NJ. Brown, of DavidSon-It seems to
me that the credentials of members should
he examined before the election of per-
marent officers That was the course
pursued by the Convention of 1884.
Mr.. MISUNDERSTANDING 10 either
of these propositions, we need a tempo
rary Secretary. move that Col. House,
of Williamson, act as temporary Secre-
tary.
The last motion being entertained,
was adopted unanimously, and Mr.. House,
of Williamson, came forward and took
his seat at the Secretary's table.
Mr.. Jones, of LincolR-Mr. President,
l move that the temporary Secretary call
the roll of delegates by their counties, and
that, as they are called, those who have
credentials will come forward and file
them, and tIose who have not can say so.
| understand that there are some men,
bers here who have not their credentials.
The motion was agreed to, and upon
this order the delegates assembled sever
ally came forward as their names and
counties were called, and fled their
credentials as follows:
Bedford--S B. Ivie.
Blount-W. H. Finley.
Bradley-S. p. Gaut.
Carroll--W. NJ. Wright.
Claiborne P. G. FulkeTson.
Cocke-M McNabS.
Davidson-N. s. Brown and J. c.
Thompson.
Dickson-Thos. G. Morris.
Franklin-Jesse Arledge.
Gibson-Sparrell Hill.
Giles-Thos NJ. Jones.
Grainger-J. NJ. Branson.
Greene-James Britton.
Hamilton-R Henderson.
Hardeman-Jas. Fentress.
Hardin-A. G. McDougal.
Hawkins-JOhn Netherland.
HaywOOd-Geo. c. Porter.
Henry. D. Porter.
Hickman-B. Gordon.
Jackcnn-R p Brooks