Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-23
MAYNARD AND STOKES.
A Radical Editor Interviews the
Narragansett and the Hero of the
Calf killer on the Reconstruction
Question.

A Radical Editor Interviews Ihs
Narragansett and the Hero of the
| Calf killer on che Recommendation
Question.
| DR.. Wheeler, one of the editors of the
| Jonesboro Herald and Tribune, has
gone to Washington, and writes to bis
paper, under date of April IS, as follows
Proceeding to the Capitol, we met Mr.
MAYNARD in the Rotunda. He expressed
the opinion that some action would be
taken in Tennessee affairs as soon as the
case of Georgia was disposed of, but did
not seem disposed to give an opinion as to
what the probable action of Congress
would be in the premises. He was upon
| the whole rather -committal and as we
did not press the point, no information of
a reliable character was elected from him.
We afterwards called upon Gen. VIM.
3. Stokes. We found him as is customary
with that gentleman, affable and courte-
Gus, and frank in expressing his opinion
about Tennessee affairs. To a question
as to what Congress is likely to do with
Tennessee, he said that the opinion was
rapidly gaining ground in Congress and
throughout the North, that the doctrine
of States Rights and State Sovereignty
was dangerous, anti-republican and could
10 longer be tolerated. That Congress
was the supreme power and must be re-
cognized throughout the land. That if
any State had failed to protect its citizens
of any class, in the exercise of their rights
and privileges as citizens of the United
States, the injured parties had the right
to call upon Congress for redress and pro-
lection, and that Congress was bound to
extend it to them; that they had as much
right to go into the States of New York,
Massachusetts and Ohio, as they have in
Georgia, Mississippi and Texas, nc
matter what their present relations
to the Federal Government may be, and
reconstruct them if the rights of any class
of their citizens are invaded, and the State
government fails to protect them. This
he believed to be the opinion of large
majority of the present Congress and of
leading politicians throughout the North
and Northwest and would soon become
universal. He thought that the Bingham
amendment to the Georgia bill would be
defeated, and that State be thoroughly re-
constructed. That as soon as this was
done Tennessee would be looked after
and as it was considered a parallel case the
same remedies would be applied. That
the election last fall would be investigated
and new registration ordered In accord
ance with the franchise law of 1867
passed by our own Legislature and of the
late Convention and of every thing con-
nected with it would be null and void.
The General seemed very positive in the
opinion that Tennessee would be recon-
structed in the same manner as other re-
belliOus States of the South.
We asked the question, suppose the
present scheme for Congressional inter-
ference should fail, will Congress declare
the New Constitution null and void on
the ground that the members of the Con
vention which framed it were disfran-
chiscd from holding office under the XIV
amendment TO the Constitution of the
States? He replied, that while he was
unwilling to admit that there was any
probability of the plan for Congressional
reconstruction failing, should that be the
case, the argument would be successfully
used that, member of a Convention was
not an officer, and did not come within
the meaning of that section of the -Four
tcenth Amendment which disqualiiies
them, and the fact that the people after
ward ratified the New Constitution re-
moved the responsibility entirely from
the shoulders of the Convention and placed
it upon the people themselves who had
the right to either reject or ratify it.
Speaking of Mr.. Buffers bill for the
removal of disabilities by application to
the United States Courts, he said he was
not in favor of it, but had a bill of his
own already drawn up removing the dis
abilities of all parties for participating in
the rebellion. which he should present in
lieu of Mr.. Buffers in case it was offered.