Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-01-15
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
General Synopsis of Yesterdays Business.
SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL.
NAsavILLE, January u.

n NASHVILLE, January IA.
The Convention resolution of Blackburn
declaring it the duty of that body to see
that no law is passed to impair or dimin-
ish the representation Of Tennessee in
; the National Congress. Referred to the
Committee on Constitution.
Resolutions were introduced, fixing
the first Tuesday in November, 1870, to
elect Senators and Representatives once
every two years, and thereafter declaring
that all Offices created by the Constitution
shall be elected directly by the people,
asserting that every male person of prop
er age, not convicted Of crime, as eligible
to Office, and affirming the right OF uni
versal suffrage, and fixing the number of
law circuits and cAsncery divisions. Re-
ferred.
Caldwell's resolution, proposing petit
tion to Congress, was indefinitely post
poned.
ASSOCIATED PRESS DISPATCH.
NASHVILLE, January I4.-The Constitu-
tional Convention continued to-day to re-
duce and refer propositions to amend the
Constitution, a considerable number Of
which were submitted, among them
amendments declaring all male persons Of
the proper age, without regard TO race or
color, citizens of the United States. eligi-
bic to Office, and comforting the right of
suffrage upon all male citizens p years of
age; against State ala TO internal i'm
| provements; prescribing the manner of
/ prosecuting impeachuents of officers lis
BILE; providing for the election of county
! judges, and defining who are liable to be
/ lmpeached; providing for the calling Of
! Conventions in future to amend the Con-
/ stitution; prohibiting the reduction of the
! Governors salary below 5000, and Circuit
/ Judges and Chanoellors below $1,000 per
/ annum.
An additional proposition on the sub
! ject of franchise confers the right on all
male citizens, white and black, but re-
| quires a residence in the State of two
! years, and in the county of one year, next
preceding the election, and the payment
of poll tax. No business was mstured
PERSONNEL OF THEsCoNvENTIoN.
The managing editor of the Louisville
CouTisr-JoUrnaE thoroughly versed in
Tennessee politics and posted as to our
politicians, thus pictures the personnel Of
the Convention. He says;
1.-THE constitutional Convention thus
provided for assembled in Nashville on
Monday, and two days of its proceedings, /
embracing among other things list Oi
the members and report Of the organi-
zation, lie before US. They are very sug-
gestive; and as our readers may like 10
know something about the personnel and
spirit of the affair, we propose to run IL /
over at random, making such notes as oc- |
cur to 3 casual review Of the kind. One I
+ thing arrests at a glance the notice Of any /
one -,aaualutea with Tennessee, and that /
is the weight and chsracter-social, moral |
and ,Htellectual-Of this body OF citizens. /
EVERYWHERE the people selected their best |
men, and, with the exception OF halt /
dozen such as Edwin IL. Ewing, James 1
z. Bsiley. W. A. Quarles, VIM Cooper, j. /
d. C. Adkins, w. c. Whiithorne and /
Isham G, Harris), we could wish for no |
additions Those we have named would |
have been elected had they consented TO /
become candidates for election; SO, their
omission is their own private concern,
and not due to the neglect or la0k Of dis
cernment in the people. East Tennessee,
West Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, every
section OF the State, Is represented by /
gentlemen who have either made their
mark already, or are known 10 be pos
sesssd of marked characteristics. War
like antecedeBts were nowhere consulted
Old Wings and old Democrats. Union men
and Confederates, are gathered together
under prevailing sentiment which asked
not after the records of thepast, but looked
solely 10 the aVailabilities Of the present.
Gen. John c. Brown, who was elected
President Of the Convention, ranked, in
days gone by, as an Old-ilns Whig. There
could not be found in all Tennessee a
more decided Union man up to the mo-
ment when hostilities commenced. On
n.6Fs than one occasion in the early part
OF 1851 he rallied the waning hopes and
falling confidence or his fellow Unionists
by his superior elOQuenc6 and courage. !
Bel young man, however, it wastm
possible that he should remain q neutral
through times of broil and battle; and he
entered the Tennessee line as a Colonel Of
volunteers. he cams out Of the war with
many wounds Major-6eEefal, aad re-
turned to the practice Of the law, which
he had abandoned for the moro stirring
duties ofthe field. His character is preemi-
nentiv conseE yative; a prudent, upright
and brave man, with a Judgment singu- 1
larly clear, and disposition rarely Dai-
aEoed by gentleness of demeanor and 1
energy Of purpose, and withal a gentle
man Of graceful and handsome presence.
He is a brother Of Neill s. Brown, who is
also a member. and of whom elaborate
mention would be SupsInOus. Like y.
o. p. Nicholson and George W. Jones,
Governor Brown has d national repu-
tatiOn and needs no introduction.
The trio are of course the most con-
spicuous historical figures who appear to
current observation. But John Baxter,
John Netherland, W. H. stephens, John
@. Thompson. George 4, plhrell, J. 4.
Mabry, }. B. Heiskell, a. 4. Kyle, ", y.
Carter, Matt MaIssn, D. NJ. Key, ]. i.
House and II. r. Bate, all OF whom are
likely to take an active part in the pro-
ceedings of the Convention, and each of
whom are more or less distinguished in
Tennessee, may be named 10 the stranger
as persons VINO sre worthy OF especial no.
tice and consideration, Baxter, Ste
phens and Matt Martin are of the middle
age, and men of genius, the latter Jdc
siMjIe of our Senator McCreery and the
former about the weightiest speaker in
the state. House, Heiskeil and Key are
eminent rs lawyers the trst distinguished
as a graceful orator. Perhaps the most
cultivated lawyer in the Convention Is
gchn c. Thompson, who IS a great scholar
as well 6s an able jurist. Diorell and Bate
are conspicuous as practical and liberal (
men, both serving during the war as
Confederate Generals, and MaDry, Kyle
and Gaut who were prominent as Union
men during the same period John Meth .
erland was an old and popular Wing
leader, He. too, was a Union man. The
residue OF the members embrace a variety
of intelligent, Well-to-a0, and more or
less influential farmers and lawyers. Sucn
a body Of citizens, all III all, has not as
sembled ia Tennessee since the Constitu-
tional Convention OF 1881. Taken in con-
nection with the Legislature, when Is
itself considerably above the average, 1t
should inspire, even ia the hostile bosom
Of Congress, nothing but respect ana con-
hdence.
STANDING COMMITTEES.
We copy from the Nashville Banner
the following standing committees ap-
pointed by the Chairman of the Conven- !
ton:
on Biz Of Rights-John Baxter. r. P.
Brooks, Joseph II. Black kburn, W. 3. Car
ter, w. +. Dougherty, George c. Porter, |
Of HsyYoO& Matt Martin, NJ MoNabb, / !
T. c. Morris, VIM. sample, John NJ. Tay- !
Tor.
on The Legislative DepGrtment-W. II. I
James s. Brown, Nathan Bran
don, James Britton, II. r. Gibson, 4.
n. S. Brown, T. b. Ivie,
George w. Jones, Z. ii. Shelton, w. 7.
Thompson.
on The Executive George I
W. Jones, John Allen, J. w. Branson,
Jno. e. DrOmgoOle, w. Il. Fielder, II. L.
w. Hill, ]. G. Parker, S. e.. Shepard,
Richard Warner, jr., w. NJ. Wright.
On Judiciary Departmental, b Heis-
kell, John Baxter, John w. Burton, AL
exander w. Henlphill, John F. House, I
Themas NJ. Jones, A. o. p. Nicholson, I
John Netherland, James d. Porter, jr., I