Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-01-25

of said electors shall vote ''White Suf-
frage," then said section shall read as fol-
lows, to-wit: ''Every free -a0hite man,
= of the age of twenty-one years, being a
I citizen of the United States, and citizen
of the county wherein he may offer his
: vote six months next preceding the day of
election, shall be entitled to vote for mem
bers of the General Assembly and other
civil officers for the county or district in
! which he resides
a The President said they had now ar
: rived at the most important business of
the session, and he believed that there was
no rule in regard to the length of time
a member should speak.
Mr.. Jones of Lincoln, said he did not
believe member could speak too long on
, this subject, providing he talked sense.
The Chair ruled that there could be no
limitation as to the length of members
speech unless other rules were adopted.
Mr.. Williamson said he would not de-
tain the Convention long in opening the
debate on this question. He thought
there was million majority in the coun-
try against negro suffrage, and he did not
think it right that this great majority
should be overcome by partisan mi
nority in power. He did not think that
the fifteenth amendment prohibited the
States from voting upon negro suffrage,
and he believed that Mr.. Sumner stood
alone in Congress in holding the opposite
opinion. Suppose the fifteenth amend
ment were to-day the law of the land,
need they adopt it over again9 No, if
negro suffrage must come, let it be under
| nd ,cfr and LAT
not sanction doctrine which the people
of the State abhor in their hearts. He
was opposed to the doctrine of negro suf-
frage because it gave to an inferior race
the highest prerOgative of the American |
people. Some said we will not allow the |
negro to sit on juries or hold office, but |
wherever there was a vote there |
would be representation. The halls |
! of Congress were dlsgraced with a |
negro member, the majority of the |
Legislature in South Carolina were ne |
| grOes; so also was it with several other |
States. He was opposed to the doctrine |
OF negro suffrage again, on the ground |
| that 1t would create race antagOnism in /
the State, and the negro might be driven /
| from Tennessee into the more Southern |
| States; there the inferior race might rule |
| their own way, have their Representatives
at Washington, and in diplomatic circles
| The result would be that the negro would
be driven from the North and concentra-
| ted in the South. The General Govern
ment at Washington would rule them in
proconsular sort of way. When he was
taught the lesson that this beautiful sys-
tenn of republican government was to be-
come by-word, he would go home, or
If need be, seek refuge in some other
land.
He had no despair in his heart, for he
believed that the country could yet right
itself and repudiate the impudent doctrine
of negro suffrage. An effort had been
made by the Convention to sugar-coat
this pill by various other good amend
ments and carry it before the people to
be adopted. Was there a man in the
Convention who favored negro suffrage
in the abstract If there were such, let
them rise in their seats and announce
themselves to this people. He was
willing to rest his right to vote on the
ground of Inheritance from his fathers.
He cared for no constitutional amend
ment The right of the white man to vote
/
frage, let the people vote upon it. He
would say that all but five or six of the dele
gates had been elected with sealed lips. If
the question was discussed as it was in
few districts, he could assure them that
their Constitution, if it contained the doc
trine of negro suffrage, would DC voted
down, though it contained the very best
amendments in other respects. If they
were afraid that territorial government
was imminent, he desired 10 remove all
such fears. The sin of Tennessee was
the rejection of the fifteenth amendment
by the Lower House. He, for one, in
tended to stand by the principles of his
fathers; he should stand firm against the
dogma of negro suffrage. He wanted to
learn no new doctrines.
Mr.. Brown, of Davidson, said that if
he had consulted his own ease and COM
fort, he would have Stunned a position
where it was necessary for him to take |
upon himself the responsibility of this
question. He came here not to act for
any party or section. Their mission was
TO establish that delicate right of suffrage
which had been claimed in different
counties, and fought for through seas of
blood. He came here to worship at the
altar of peace, and whatever incense
he might have TO offer would
be burned upon that altar. They
should remember the great doc
trine that taxation without repre-
scntatiOn was tyranny. They had just
emerged from years of war-years which {
to him seemed heightened out into ages.
During that period 100, 600 of the people
of the State were DISTINGUISHED. Let them
remember who those men were They {
were the pioneers of the State; the men
who had made the State what it was. !
These men were compelled for years to
stand by the ballOt-bOX without a vote.
Last summer a large number os those dis
franChised were Disseminated; one of the
results of this was the present Convention. I
The acts of the Legislature of 1867 on the
franchise question he considered illegal,
but the Supreme Court had decided 9th
erwisc. 1t would not do to say that {
the former State government was {
inert 1t filled all the functions of gov
eminent, provided for the courts which
administered the laws. During the last
gubernatorial campaign the pledges made I
on all sides to the colored man were that
he should not be deprived of the right to
vote. So was it in the Seymour and /
Blair campaign of 1868. Now he desired
to respect those pledges. They should
remember that in those dark hours when
they were struggling to get out of bond
age a large number of the colored people
stood by them and worked with them.
Now, after all these pledges, which had
been made a thousand times over, was it
right, on the first occasion of getting into
power, to turn about and violate all these
solemn promises?
Would this not be somethinglike Punic
faith, of which they had all heard? This
violation of faith was what had carried !
many of the States of antiquity to ruin.
But this was only one view of the case;
it was claimed that the negro was inferior
to the white man. Be that as il might,
it certainly looked as though there was
much Of truth in all this. Africa was |
Africa still She had no ships blowing |
every sea; no cities and towns with church
spires, and busy with the hum of civilIza-
ton. But what would the white man have |
been had he been confined in bondage?
Would any here be able to thunder in the
halls of COngress2 He did not give the ne
gro liberty the war did that. Nor did he
give him the right to vote; and he con-
sidered the way it was done great out
rage He agreed with the gentleman from
IV;IoO,, hot lo ,,l,;to 60 vote | !