Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-02-24
consultation Making.

Convention has closed its arduous labors,
and its work will shortly be submitted to
the people for ratification or rejection,
1t may be interesting to our readers to
refer to the history Of the first Constitu.
tional Convention ever held In Ten
nessee.
In July, 1875, the Territorial Legisla-
ture ordered the Governor to take q
census, and in case there were sixty
thousand inhabitants, counting the whole
of the free persons, including those
bound to service for term of years, and
excluding Indians not taxed, and adding
three.fifths ofsll other persons (uegroes,
we presumed he would be authorized to
order an election Of FIVE delegates from
each county, to meet at Knoxville, and
form permanent Constitution. In
November following the Governor an
nounced that the Territory contained
1922 inhabitants, of whom 1858 were
"all other persons" The election was
held, and the Convention met ct Knox
vile, January IL, 1896, aud was COM
posed Of ffty-five members, as there
were only eleven counties at that time.
The FIVE members from Davidson
county, says Parton, were John McNairy,
Andrew Jackson, James Robertson,
Thomas HsrdemAn and Joel Lewis.
The Convention met in small building
afterwards used as a school,houae) in
the outskirts of the village of Knoxville.
The edi6ce was fitted up at the enor
nous expense of $l2 81; of this $40 was
for seats, and the rest for three and half
yards of oil-cloth to cover an aristocratic
table. This economy, we regret to say,
is not initiated even in spirit at the pres
ent day. The Legislature had fixed the
pay of members at 50 so per dsy, but had
forgotten to make any provision for the
secretary, printer and door-keeper. The
Convention, therefore, passed a resola-
ton pledging the members not to take
more than 81 so per diem. and that the
surplus should 90 to pay the secretary,
printer, door.keeper and other officers.
The rules adopted were similar TO those
which prevail at this day in the British
House of Commons. Two members
from each county were appointed q COM
mittee to draft a constitution. This
work was soon done and accepted, and
the convention adjourned after q session
of twenty.seven days. The members
only took 81 so per diem, but allowed
the door-keeper 50 per diem. We look
in vain for such notable examples in
our boosted times of steam and enlight-
eminent.
Some of the provisions of that consti-
tuition, framed by plain bsckwoodsmen,
seem peculiar to their descendants. No
man could be o member of the Legisla-
! ture who did not own two hundred acres
of land. A Governor must possess q
freehold estate of five hundred acres. A
freeholder could vote as soon as he came
into the county, bat man not owning
land had to reside in the county six
months before voting. Clergymen were
excluded from the Legislature.
The State was speedily organized. Git
izeu John Sewer was elected Governor;
and, after some delay on technical
grounds and for political reasons, the
State was admitted as the sixteenth mem
Der of the Union on the lst of June, 1896
The State then was allowed two United
States Senators and one member of the
House of Representatives. Andrew
Jackson was the first man elected
to that honorable position, now dis.
graced by such men as "Jerusa-
lem" Smith. With all our glorious pro-
gress we have, in some respects, advanced
backward While rich in material re-
sources, powerful in numbers, and in the
aggregate an enlightened people, it
cannot be said that the standard of hon
esty, morality, or manhood, or human
happiness and usefulness, has been i'm
proved since the State of Tennessee was
admitted to the Union the first time. The
contrasts that might be drawn would oc-
cupy more space than we can at present
allot to the subject. The few facts we
have reproduced from authentic history
can hardly fail to be read with interest
at this particular period of our State his.
tory.