Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-04
RErEAL OF THE TEsr oArn.

passed the House of Representatives on
the lst inst, having previously passed the
Senate, and only awaits the signature of
the President to become a law. The bill
provides that when any person who is
not rendered ineligible to Office by the
provisions of the fourteenth amendment
to the Constitution shall be elected or an
pointed TO any office of horor or trust,
and shall not De able on account of his
participation in the late rebellion to take
the oath prescribed in the act of Congress
approved July 2, 1862, the said person
shall. in lieu of said oath, before entering
upon the duties of the said office, take
and subscribe the oath prescribed in an
act of Congress entitled "Anact prescrib-
ing an oath of office to be taken by per-
sons from whom legal disabilities shall
have been removed" approved July IL,
1868.
When this bill was taken up in the
House of Representatives on the S1st ult.,
Mr.. Horace Maynard, of this State,
pitched into it sayagely, and appealed
TO the members of the House, ''or at
least the majority of them, to pause and
hesitate before taking so important, so
fundamental, and so irrevocable step as
would be the passage Of this act and the
removal of what has been for the las!
eight years one of the most important re-
straints against the enemies of our Gov
eminent, those who participated in trying
to accomplish its overthrow" The
Washington Patriot says: 'tMr. May
nard, who may be regarded as one of the
most bitter enemies of the South, and of
every liberal measure, tried to embarass
the proceedings aud TO prevent action.
Having prOfessed the EXTREMIST pro-slave-
ry views before the war, he has naturally
joined the faction of ultra Radicals. But
he has no particular influence among
! those who understand his motives, and
who have witnessed his readiness to de-
sert one side and to accept another, with
out the least regard to principle. His
opposition, therefore, only involved a
temporary delay" When the bill came
up on the 1st. inst. the report says:
Mr.. Maynard argued against the bill,
and presented communication which he
had received yesterday, addressed to the
gentleman who had reported the bill (But-
ler) The communication represented the
Union people of Tennessee being in a
helpless and deplorable condition, under
the complete control and at the mercy of
the enemies of the government, and in
vOked the protection of tire government.
He expressed the belief there were more
persons practically DISTINGUISHED in Ten
nessee to-day than there were at the close
of the war, when the Union men got DOS
session of the State government, the only
difference being that then they were dis
franchised by law, but now by violence.
He condemned the miserable namby-
PANTY sentimentalism which was doing
more to sap the foundations of the gov
eminent and overthrow it than Lee and all
his hosts did.
Mr.. Dawes, (Radical,) of Massachu-
sets, inquired whether the severe treat
ment melted out TO ''Rebes' had not had
an effect contrary to that which was in
tended, and Mr.. Maynard replied in the
negative.
Mr.. Arnell, of this State, who is
known as the 'tRebel Tanner" also ar
gued against the bill. We quote from
the report of the proceedings:
Mr.. Farnsworth, of Illinois, CRadicaD
argued in favor of the bill, and remarked
that when the two gentlemen from Ten
nessee (Messrs. Maynard ard ArnelD
were declaring against it, he almost fan
cied that it was the ghost of Hamlet's
father crying Swear, swear, swear,
laughter as if the test oath were the
great psnaCea for the woes that the South
was suffering under. The intelligent
white people of the country could not be
damned up by any such means Sooner
or later they would break down the dam.
If the government of Tennessee had
passed liberal laws, and allowed the dis
franChised to come back into the fold,
and vote and hold Office, there would not
have been any trouble. The trouble in
Tennessee had been caused by disfran-
chisement
Mr.. Arnell-I deny it.
Mr.. Farnsworth-It is so, to great |
extent, in Missouri. There were disfran-
chisement and disquaiifcations there, and
you see the result. You see the revolu- |
ton. There will be revolution IN every
State where you compel this thing. You
can not, in a republican government, pre-
vent intelligence from having voice in |
the affairs of the government. You can
not do il.
1t is gratifying that Maynard aud Ar
nell, and few others from the South like |
them, had ''nO particular influence among
those who understand their motives, and |