Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-06

,nsistent with perfect fidelity. The re- z
1T of their labor is submitted fol- your ap-
-oval
l must be pardoned, fellow-citizens, for v
yain reminding you that the Conversion, t
Though sovereign in its powers, has I'M
osed no new Constitution upon the State
has simply proposed for your approval a
ew Constitution, the best thingthey could {
gree upon. Perhaps it would not be too
ouch to say that no delegate
oted for every provision, but l
m glad to say that very few OF
hem declined to sign it, or failed to ap-
,rove 1t as whole. For myself, | can
rulv say that while the instrument con-
aims hardly one single provision which
would have inserted as my first choice, yet,
taken as a whole, am proud to have
signed it. While no part of the State OBJ
tanned all it desired, at the same time, the
conflicting interests of the State are justly
contrasted. and pull against each other
with an even hand. Anything more than
that YOU cannot get and have no right to |
expeet The Constitution is, in my opin- |
ion ne symmetrical as the diversified in
teresIs of the State makes possible, and L
cannot believe that the people Will be SO
mad as to reject 1t.
Mr. Thompson now briefly passed in re-
view the most important changes on tne
Constitution of 1884 proposed in the new
Constitution. The first OF these was
tne rrovision of the Bill of Rights, prohibit
ing slavery forever in Tennessee. FOR
that proyision he said the Convention de-
served neither praise nor blame. Inc
question had been settled elsewhere, and
they had performed simple duty IN Moor
porating the provision in the organic law.
In the second place the new Constitution
had made suffrage universal and had abol-
ished all test oaths forever. 1t was forthat
more than for any other one purpose that
the Convention had been called 1t was
known that small but respectable minor
ity of the delegates had thought 1t their
duty to oppose giving the right OF suffrage
to the colored man. He had voted on that
question in accordance with the desire OF
| the people of this county, and with his
own conviction of what was right under
| the circumstances. To the colored man
he would now give this warning, that the
| unwisest act of his life would be
to oppose this Constitution upon
| the idea that his citizenship was
assured by virtue Of the Fifteenth Amend
ment to the Constitution of the United
States. With another party in power the
| validity of that amendment may be ques-
toned; whereas it is now proposed to Sc
cure in the fundamental law of the State
every right of citizenship to the colorec
man in Tennessee forever.
In the third place, the new Constitution
gives to the Governor the same veto pow
er as the President has by the Fedora
Constitution. He had favored every re
striction upon the legislative department
that had been proposed, and he had yer.
heartily supported this one. The Governo
is certainly elected by majority of tn
voters. which is not necessarily true Of tn
Legislature.
In the legislative department the mos
important changes proposed are the restrlC
tion of the session to seyenty-fye days
whilst at the same time the Legislature
deprived of power to pledge the credit {
/ the State for any purpose whatever, or t
take stock in any enterprise. This PR
vision alone he believed, ought TO doubI
p the population and wealth Of the State
l five years.
Another provision, almost as good as tn
r last, required a majority of two-thlrds
e | the voters of a county to vote count
S subscription to any stock enterprise.
In the matter Of elections it had bee
: thought best to impose no condition excel
t the prepayment of the poll-tax. The pu
v nose of this condition, he said, was so oil
o vious and SO Just that he could not apprec
e ate the opposition which he understoC
!, had been made to it in certain parts of Il
q State. The tax, which cannot be less thu
d | fftv cents nor more than one dollar, Is Il
: small to form a substantial objection to al
man out of the poor house. 1t
II less than the wages Of one day
@ labor, and surely the citizen owes tn
much to his Government. The reven
n | arising from it is devoted to education
e purposes. SO that what is thus taken fro
e the poor man is Immediately restore
> | Revenue to the State forms no pant Of t
n purpose of this provision, the sole object
o | which is to protect the integrity OF t
n ballot-box by the only sure method
+ | identifying the voter. If any man, no
e ever. could be so worked on as totake me
/ sordid view of the Constitution OF his Stat
1t he would remind such a one OF two pr
: visions of the new Constitution viii
l. should render this the best poor maj
le government under the sun, as was said
t. the old colony of Virginia. The first
70 that it exempts from all taxation one tho
al sand dollars worth Of personal property
t. the hands of every citizen. The other
10 that it secures to every head Of family
,e homestead of the value of thousand d
e. lars, to enure to his widow or to his min
m children if they are orphans.
Y. MIR. Thompson said that h. should CT
re passingly refer to the necessary changes
We | the judiciary. The accumulated busint
al in that court had rendered it indispensal
,e to double the number of judges on the
m | preme Bench temporarily, and to estabh
DO five as the permanent number. He hi
ID self would have preferred the tempora
lis addition of four judges to the prese
r. bench, Whose integrity he had never hea
Sc questioned. } but the Convention had {
IS terAined by a large majority, and, perhal
be wisely. that it is best TO inaugurate
ne permanent system at once. Of course
1r Inauguration of the permanent system {
ur crates to vacate the offices of all the judg
1u as the Government would be farce, who
no judiciary is elected in antagonlsm to
Fl spirit of its Constitution.
IL He said, in conclusion, that those We
D, all the changes of importance proposed
he the Constitution of 1884, which he said |
1r Convention had touched only with a g
he tie and loving hand, rather aiming to ia
IL it back than to bring it further away FRI
ed the old Constitution of 1896. He repeat
ne that tbs instrument had been emily draft
he by the Convention, but if made the law
he the land it must be actually adopted by I
lal people with their own voices. 1t was
of fered to them, not as being perfect, but
yn the verdict of jury of seventy-fve Inc
to Hon. Neili S. Brown, the senior deleg
ne from Davidson, made the closing speech
al / the occasion, and we do him but sim
~ Justice in saying that We nave rarely hei
NJ him make q more convincing argument
Of a more eloquent appeal. Gov. Brown 81
Of that LIE felt deep and abiding inter
Ike in the questions now submitted to the p,
Oh pie of Tennessee, and he could but feel
N sured that they would ratify by a large L
oh iority the amendments proposed by
or constitutional Convention. To think Il
Ii would do otherwise would be to quest
I their iItelligo1ce, patriotism, fua fdGl
o. to the virtuous teachings and principles
a their ancestors, and to doubt their capac
". for free government and their appreciate
as | of its blessings The old or present o.
OF stitution. as amended under new and l
nd invited interference with the affairs of II
h nessee, Onnuesses the people of the st
er- and denies many of them the rights of c
zenship. The question nowis, Gov. Bro
ur said, Which will the people prefer-the o
all which Expresses, or the new, which !
les | stores the right Of eitizsnship and NAL
is them again free2 TO the people is giy
of the privilege of selecting between the ty
nv Which will they choose? is hardly 9
he longer a fair question, because it implie
m want of confidence in their intelligence Q
in prudence. lie was proud Of his colnecti
he | with the Constitutional Convention,