Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-01-26
THE CONVENTION.
FOURTEENTH DAY.

| WHICH the lOurQdl WIS E6du duu dppAONON
| TIME OF SPEAKING.
Mr.. Britton introduced resolution tina
no member shall be permitted to speal
more than fifteen minutes upon any singh
proposition proposing an amendment K
| to the Constitution, unless he shall frs
| obtain leave of the Convention to do so
the rule not to apply to the proposition 9Th
| franchise) now under discussion. LaiC
over under the rules.
EXEMPTION FROM SALE.
Mr.. Garner offered the following:
Resolved, That the Committee on Mis-
cellaneOus Subjects be instructed to in
quire and report as to the eXpediency OF
adopting the following as section IA, Ar.
ticle XI, of the Constitution, viz:
Sec. IA. A homestead in the hands OF
each head of family in this State, occu.
pied as residence, together with all i'm.
provements on the same, to the value OF
not exceeding $4,000, shall be exempt
from forced sale under any process of law
during the life time of such head of fam
lily and the minority of his or her children,
and shall not be alienated without the
Joint consent of husband and wife when
that relation exists; but no property shall
be exempt from sale for taxes or for the
payment of obligations contracted for the
purchase of said premises, or for the cree
ton OF Improvements.
THE MILITIA.
On motion of Mr.. Jones, of Lincoln,
the independent section to article III, pro-
posed by Mr.. Martin, was taken up and
read, as follows:
''The Governor shall not, in any event,
call into service the militia for any party
or political purpose, and shall not call
them into service in any case except that
of rebellion or invasion; and in such case
the General Assembly shall declare the
public safety requires it. :"
Mr.. Martin said that various reasons,
very evident, might be urged for this
proposition. Since the year 1865, he did
not doubt that at least half a million of
dollars had been expended on the militia,
and he failed to see any good that had
been done.
Mr.. Jones, of Lincoln, proposed to
amend the section, by striking out all
after the word "militia? to the word Eek
cept" so that the section should read
''The Governor shall not, in any event,
call into service the militia, except that of
rebellion, etc.
Mr.. Martin would accept this amend
ment if the words Sin any case" could
be retained.
Mr.. Heiskell offered an amendment to
the following effect: THAT the General
Assembly shall have no powerto authorize
the militia to be called into actual service
except when in case of rebellion or inva-
sion the public safety may require it. In
case the laws shall be resisted by cOmbina-
tons too powerful to be controlled by the
civil authorities of the State, such call
may be authorized for not more than ten
days at a time, and then only by law
declaring the necessity to exist, and de-
filming the powers to be conferred"
Mr.. Stephens did not believe they could
perfect the Constitution in this running
manner, by taking a word here and an
other there. He proposed that the matter
be all referred to the Executive Commit
tee, and that they should bring in such an
amendment as would cover the case.
Mr.. Jones, of Lincoln, did not see the
use of the proposed amendment TO the
Constitution, and to test the sense of the
Convention, moved to lay the whole mat
ter on the table. The yeas and nays were
called for and taken, resulting as follows:
yeas, Il; nays, 50.
Mr.. House, of Montgomery, offered
the following:
The Governor shall have no power to
call the militia into service except in
case of actual rebellion or invasion; and
in such case the General Assembly, by
majority of two-thirds of all the members
elected to each house, shall first declare
by Joint resolution, that the public safety
requires it.
Mr.. House moved that his amend
ment be referred to the Executive
Committee. A motion was made in lieu
and carried, that the subject, with all
he referred to a special COM
mittee, to be appointed by the Chair.
THE FRANCHISE.
The President announced that the IN
finished business of yesterday was the
Franchise, Mr. Fentrcss, of Hardeman
having the floor.
Mr.. Fentress said that he felt physically
unable to continue the discussion, and
asked the indulgence of the house while
he endeavOred to conclude his argument
After summing up the points made yester-
day, the speaker continued by urging the
prOpriety of referring this proposition of
negro suffrage to q separate vote of the
people. New York had recently submit
ted to the people these separate PROPOSE
tions. There was constantly an effort
being made to take power from the peo-
pie, which should be counteracted. He
claimed that the people had the right to
decide upon this question. But the gen.
tleman from Davidson had urged that it
was eXpedient to adopt negro suffrage,
and that it might be dangerous to refer it
to the people. This was the tyrant's ar
gument. Dangerous to allow the people
to decide on this matter for themselves.
And this expediency, was it expedient to
do wrong that good might RESULT Truth
was truth always, and there should never
be any swerving to error for expediency's
sake. If the people did not desire negro
suffrage, why attempt to force it upon
them2 Better do nothing at all The
speaker referred to- the teachings of Wash
ington, as given in his farewell address,
regarding innovations and lack Of conf
dence in the people.
Mr.. Kyle begged the indulgence of the
Convention for short time. He consid-
cred the question under consderation.one
of the greatest Importance. The South
staked four hundred millions of dollars in
slave property upon the result of the war,
and lost. He thought they should cease
abusing the negro and try to elevate and
improve him, to ameliorate his condition
as much as possible. He was in favor of
negro suffrage The plighted faith of the
Conservative people had been given to
the COlOred race. Emerson Etheridge had
preached the doctrine of universal suf-
frage all over the State He urged them
to divest themselves of all prejudice, and
in the true spirit of doing equal and i'm
partial justice to all men, engraft
universal suffrage into the Constitution.
The Fourteenth Amendment made the ne
gro citizen, and they could not legislate
against it. He did not exactly understand
the position of the gentleman from Lin
coin, Mr.. Jones. He desired to see him
locate.
Mr.. Jones interrupted the speaker to say
that he was in favor of white mans
government, and that if ne had said any
thing which had been construed otherwise,
he had been misunderstood.
The speaker acknowledged himself per-
fectly satisfied. He regretted that there
had been insinuatiOns made that they were
under the lash of a higher power. He
was in favor of suffrage to the disfran-
Chised Rebel, and TO the therefore enslaved
black man.
He had been a Unionlst through the
late war, and was a Shareholder, losing
some twenty slaves. He had nothing to