Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-08-05

Hon. Alexander ii. Stephens, IN his
''War between the States" vol. 2, page
365, thus refers to the attitude of Tennes-
see in February, 1861:
'Gn Tennessee, Governor Isham G.
Harris called an extra session of the Leg
islature, which assembled on the 18th of
January, 1861. This body passed an act
submitting to the people of the State, the
question whether there should be State
Convention or not; the election TO be held
on the 9th of February and the Conven-
ton to be assembled on the 25th of Feb
ruary, in case a majority of the voters
should be in favor of the call. The vote
was "a, 749 in favor of calling the Con-
vention, and 81, sos against it. The popu-
lar majority against the Convention was
67,O54. So matters stood in Tennessee.
The truth is that the official vote
on the question of calling a Convention
at the time, Qeaving out the small county
of Lauderdale, not reported was for a
Convention, sc, 232; and 1887 against.
The popular majority against it was
1855. The error of Mr.. Stephens pre-
vailed everywhere outside of Tennessee.
1t probably grew out of the fact that the
candidates for the Convention, should one
be called, who were called Unionist at
that time, were chosen over three seces-
sion opponents, by an aggregate majority
of more than sixty thousand. The great
majority of the so-called Union candi-
dates for the Convention at that time
were Unionists, in about the same sense
and to about the same degree that
Mr.. Stephens himself was at the
time he was elected to and
took his seat in the Georgia Convention.
They hoped the Union could be perpetu-
ated under the Constitution, and were
willing to exert themselves 10 that end.
The Peace Congress was then in session
at Washington, and strong hopes were
entertained that the dangers then impend-
ing might be averted; but when the issue
came to blows, they were with the South
This city and county presents a fair Illus
tration of the fact in its "Union ticket
on that occasion, it being Neil S. Brown,
Andrew Ewing, Russell Houston and
John T. House, all of whom, except MIR.
Houston, went with the South, and re-
,.,,,-,1 nth - 70 +ba au5
A large portion of the people were in
favor of calling the Convention, not fol-
immediate secession, but to be in readi'
ness to take such action as the emergen-
cies of the times and the best interests OF
the State might require. Many of them
were deferred from voting for Conven-
ton, while actually favoring it by the
fear that, if assembled, it might be pre-
cipitated into imprudent action before al
reasonable means to avert separation had
been exhausted.
After the war had actually begun, anC
the questions of Immediate separation
from the Union, and immediate con
nection with the Confederate States by
representation in their Congress, which
were both submitted at the same time, OF
the 8th of June, 1861, the vote was 1o4,
913 for separation and representation Il
the Confederate Congress, and AZ, S2S
administering q majority of $3.50.
The errors of fact thus corrected mis-
| led the North as well as the South as t
the true position of Tennessee at thai
time, and has been the basis of many mis-
representations as to the States having
been unwiIlingly dragged or dragoone(
out of the Union against the wishes o
her people.