Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-14
OoL. OssE oIONI LISTS.

oOL. . OssE > ONT LISTS.
In the UNION AND AMBl gIoAS of Su day
we alluded to the notice Of contest which
Col. Prosser had served on I'll. Go aday
On Saturday, the 18th instant. W pub
lsh that notice in full TO- day on thi dpage.
AS we understand the law of Congress, a
notice of conteet must be served by the
contestant on the member returned with
in thirty days after the votes are counted
by the canvassers. But, waving that
Tint we proceed to consider the merits
of Col. Prosser's ease as stated by him
self.
IL will be seen by reading the notice
nat the charges of Col. Prosser embOdy
but tive grounds of objection to the valid
isy of Col. Golladay's election.
l. Intimidation in three of the counties
of the Congressional district, and in GER
tain civil districts of the other three
eour ties, by which the negro voters and
a p-Vtion of the white Radicals were
prevented from coming to the polls.
2. That the action of the COnslitu
Gnnal Convention of 1870 in restoring
the ballot to the white people of the State
was null and FOid.
Col. Prosser makes no objection TO the
election of Col. GOlladay because of any
ineligibility or political disability of Col.
Go!laday. This, it will he remembered,
was urged as strong ground of opposi
ton to Col. Golladay during the canvass.
This Col. Prosser has wisely abandoned,
or perhaps it would be more proper 10
say, this view be never entertained. If
the positions taken by Col. Prosser be held
correct, then the election Of Gen. Brown
and all the Congressional elections he'd in
this State in November are invalid. For
they were held under the same COnstitu-
ton, laws and circumstances. The
charges of Col. Prosser raise this pro
posed contest to a struggle of such mag
nitude as TO involve the rights and inter
ests of every citizen of the State. 1t is
no longer confined to Golladay and Pros
ser or to the Fifth Congressional district .
This notice is doubtless intended as.l a
fulcrl1m of reconstruction. He attacks
the present constitution and all laws there
under, and demands that Con gress shall
throw Tennessee back into CbS sand re-
store the franchise law, an8 al of its
hateful prescriptions, oath's cd lnlduiIles'
He attacks the peace and dignity ~.
State, and seeks with the rod of tyror
to strike down the elective franchise
of our people, What more terrible blow
at freedom and peace, could malignity
itself deal, than is here attempted?
1t will further be observed, that in
spite of this pretense of invalid elections
by reason of the fact that they were not
held by Commissioners of Registration,
and that people voted who under the old
franchise law, held no certificates, that
Col. Pro5ser has the effrontery to claim,
the seat, AWARDED 10y the people TO Col.
G. even ',nuer what he calls an invalid
and unlawful election.
Col. Prosser can scarcely believe that
terrorism and intimidation were practiced
asa to defeat him. He vel
knows that an overwhelming majority Of
our people, of every kind, sex anl con-
dition, have deeply lamented, ant
solemnly protested against what ha beer
called Ku-Kluxism. And he must now
whenever parties committing sucl out
RACES have been detected, they ave
been found as often Radicals as any in!
else, and never has any one been able t,
find or show that these outrages were o
Democratic parentage.
If Col. PrOsser will examine the re
turns, he will find that he received Onl
$40 votes less al The last election than b
did when he was elected in 1868, b
having received 5, 42S in 1870, snd6.
in 1868, when he received a large Den
cratic vote to insure the defeat of, as W
then believed, his more Radical opponen
Mercer. The latter received in that rae
l,Sl7 votes. This added to the preser
vote of Prosser would give him 7,245 {
746 votes less than the vote received b
Col. Golladsy. Col. Peyton, the indC
pendent Conservative candidate in tn
last election, received S,525 votes Tn
added TO the vote of Golladay is 4,27
votes more than the combined vote G
Prosser in 1870, and Mercer in 1865
This charge of intimidation is too wea
30 be urged. 1t is merely presented as
feint, while the more seriOls attack is
be made on the State government as
ezists under Me Constitution of 1870, Ell
issncGstng the white people of the State