Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-03-09
cious right of representation was

contestant to be denied a seat
Itis conceded by the. gentleman
from Massachusetts, that Mr..
Sheafe received In this case n ma.
lority Of the votes cast Aef 1856.
How was he deprived of the hon,
orable position to which that ma.
/ jority entities him : 1t is not by
reason of. any frauds, or violence,
or intimidation that prevailed du-
ring the election or on the day of
election, or at the polls, oryin the
ballot-box, or. in the making upot
the returns 55ss, Why, then, have
they been rejected I? None but
the most clear facts and unambi.
guous law can, justify overriding
the popular choice, the wiIIof the
majority, and giving the office to
another. For this House 10 act
otherwise would be to render itsell
a party to great asurpatisns :
l hope the House win remem-
ber that every officer of this cleo
toni mean precisely what 1 say
that every1oficer of3ths cleo
ton, was an appointee. OF the Re-
publican Governor efthe State Of
Tennessee, or Of Republican off
GERS appointed by that Governor !;
so that here bwas not lone friend
Eof Mr.. Sheafe,, except ID the coun-
ty of Lincoln, who had anything
to do with the practical manage
ment and conduct ofthis election.
It was entirely in the hands Of Of
his political enemies, if not Of, his
personal enemies, and it is a sig
nifcant fact in this case that yhen
these Republican officers came to
make up their returns from these
several counties they entirely fail
ed to discover Or to, o,repertthat5 in
ANY Of. these counties this rintimi-
dation, fraud, and riolence2 exist
ed to which my friend on the COM
mittee nowrefsrs, pr which it has
since been the policy of the sitting
member here to allege. The Gov
.erner even in his solemn procla-
nation, made after this election,
assigning his reasons for giving
the credentials 10 Mr.. Tillman,
did not even then discover that
there had been in this district any
of those Kuklux outrages or -parti-
san violence against the political
friends of Mr.. Tillman; although,
if any such facts existed, 1t issafe
to assume that the Governor would
have appealed to them in bis proej
lamation to justify his action.
This is a new coinage, gotten UP
since the election as q pretext,. on
ly to give to this House and the
partisan friends Of Mr.. Tillman
an excuse for making an unright-
eous and an unjudicial determine
ton of the case. That ismy
Judgment. Otherwise, why, were
not these grounds discovered and
alluded to by some of those Off
GERS, all the partisan friends of
Mr.. TilIman and all willing to
promote his interests in the can
vass !? r2a@ -...s..,,. ~, -g...> J., ,,.,,. -.
That the management of this
contest on the part OF the officers
and the Governor was character.
lied by many acts of despotism
and law1essness is not matter Of
dispute. = That all these acts were
committed in the interests Of Mr.,
TiIlman is equally undeniable.
For example, the Governor with
out right set : aside the registrar
tions in parts of the counties of
Lincoln, Franklin, and Coffee, all
large Democratic counties, in uOr-
der to prevent thepen testantfrom
being voted for by his own politi7
cal friends; I mig t say in order
to intimidate thenis against at
tempting to vote. .,.g
Was the Governor authorized
thus to '''set aside" the registra-
ttions and exclude , these voters
from the polls ? The supreme
court of Tennessee, each Of the
three Judges who composed the
bench having been appointed sso
his high office by Governor Brown.
low, each in aI separate opinion
and all, eoncurring, decided in the
case of theState of tennessee rs.
/ William Staten, &c ColdwelIs- Re
ports, page aS4 that- n
| sThsi statute hv hichI empowers
the Governor 10. his discretion
practically and effectually to ab:
4 rogate' the right to vote of any and
J every qualified citizen Of the State.
and at any time, and for all time
and in any and all elections, i
repugpant to that portion of thss
:. constitution which ID isAexpressB
, ordained to secure to the peopbs
the right to elect the tps officers 3. Of 4
Their Government! hld II s1cbro rs 4
:. The statute which practically