The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1870-09-15
Corruption and COwardicc.

The late Constitutional Convention
would not consent to submit the qucs
ton Of negro suffrage separately to the
people--bccausc the Convention knew
that the people would rcpudiatc it il
half chance was prcsentcd-but &C.
tually chokcd it down their Threats by
conjuring up the ghost Of "rcconstruc
ton" and appealing to their fears And
SO well pleased was the Union and
American with the success Of the
scheme that il resorts to the same dis
graceful means TO intimidatc and bully
the Convention Of 1870 into the rcpu-
diation Of the Fundamental principle Of
State Sovereignty. In its issue Of the
18th instant it says:
ut is the settled conviction Of the most
discerning Of our leading men that the
reconstruction Of the State has not yet
been abandoned by the Radicals. The
proposition still remains in Congress I'm.
disposed Of lls further consideration Ila,
only been postponed until the next scs-
sion. The Radicals Of the State still have
the most confident hopes Of success
Then follows a long platform which
our distinguished contemporary thinks
the Convention Should adopt, in which
we find it declared that
40 State has the right to scccdc from or
of it. own will rcnOuncc it, place in the
Federal Union without the consent Of the
other States which ratified the Constitu-
ton"
This is the gst Of the platform sub
mittcd by the Union and American,
The balance is trash, intended to blind
the eyes Of the people.
Now, what is the meaning Of all this
1t means that a determined and insidi
Gus effort is being made TO commit the
State Of Tennessee to fundamental
change in the nature Of the Govern
mcnt, and that the old cry Of "rccon-
struc.on' is to be rcsortcd to in order
to intimidalc The people and cocrcc
them into acquicscencc.
in this connection we desire to show
the utter political dishonesty Of the
Union and American In the preamble
t. its "prcpo9cd platform" it says:
1--WE, u portion Of the people Of the State
of Tennessee. met in convention
for the purpose Of recurring to the lunda.
mental principles OF the Government and
the tilnc-honorcd doctrines as toalLt aud
yy0ciiccd by tie SdgcS n he Rtroi0itOR, who
founded ihc Republic, do sol.mnly an
nouncc and Declare" etc.
"Thc sagcs Of the Revolution dc
clarcd "tllat, as in all other cases OF
compact among powers having no com
mon judge, each party each State
has an equal right to judge for iself as
well OF in'ractions Of the compact OF
constitution as Of the matte and meas
IRE Of redress" The sovereignty Of
the States was unqucstloncd and I'm
questionable.
But Notwithstanding his recurrence
to T. the time honorcd doctrines as
taught and practicel by the sagcs Of
the Rcvolution,' our learned contcm-
porary lays it down as Il Fundamental
plank in lis platform that mo State
has the right to sccede from or Of It's
own will rcnounce its place in the Fed
eral Union without the consent Of the
o,hcr States which ratified the Consti-
tuition"
1.-The sages Of the Revolution y
would acknowledge no political fellow
ship with the editor OF the Union and
American, and hence his allusion to
them and their principles is simply in.
tended to humbug the people.
The right to Withdraw from tue UI-
ion is the legitimate consequent OF
State Sovereignty and he who op.
poses the one opposes the other and
thus ceases to he Democrat and be-
comes an lmperia!ist