Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-06-22
MULTIPLICATION.

In the very excellent county OF Fayeite,
which unfortunately has Radical majori-
ty, there is very excellent paper, the Som
erville Falcon, published. In the last num-
Der Of the Falcon there is a Communication
whichthc Falcon warmly commends, "from
the penof an able lawyer" as we are told.
Who this cable lawyer"is, wea are not In
formed. We are also toId-that this article
twill strike the attention of every one who
reads It." We have read it, and it strikes
us as very weak effort at nullficsion. It,
denounces the Assessment law in general
terms, without making any specific aIlega-
ton against it. 1t tells US that it is uncon-
stitutional, without informing us in what
particular. It draws no comparison be-
tween the present and the old assessment
law, and therefore does not advise us where
in it is mora unconstitutional than its pre-
decessor. The writer may be "an
able lawyer" but as yet we have
no evidence of t. except the assertion
of the Falcon. We doubt whether he is
old enough to remember the days of South
Carolina notification; perhaps he was not
born until after the death of Andrew jack
son. he speaks of Gov. Brown as ''his
Majesty" yet he is not half as severe on
him as the South Carolina nullifiers were
on Old Hickory; indeed, is not SO bitter as
the supporters of Gov. Brownlow were on
Gov. Harris. Jackson's celebrated procla-
nation against notification was denounced
by the nullifers as "a declaration of war
by Andrew Jackson against the State of
South Carolina" as the "edict Of s Dicta-
tor" as ga federal manifesto" as ''the i'm
potent missile of despicable malignity." 1t
was announced that 'the country and the
world should know how perfectly we [nul-
lifers] despise and defy him, and they
should be told that before they plant such
principles as bis upon our free soil, the bones
of many an enemy shall whiten our shores
The carcasses of many caitiff and
trait>r blacken our air." Still Gen.
jackson survived all this de-
nunciation and lived to good
old age, honored and renowned; and South
Carolina did not nullify. Perhaps it
would be well, perhaps better, we respect.
fully suggest, for this sable lawyer" to pre-
pare his readers for notification by i'm
pressing them wherein the tax is higher
this year than it was last, or what property |
Is taxed now that was not under the old |
Law. If he will not consider it disrespect-
fol, we commend to his careful considers
ton The notification proclamation to which |
we have referred. He will there find II |
admitted that the revenue law which the |
nailifers complained of operated unequal
ly, "but so cid every revenue law that had |
ever been or could ever be passed" He |
will find it there stated that: "The wisdom
Of man never yet contrived q system Of |
taxation that would operate with perfect
equality. If the unequl operation of law
makes it unconstitutional, and if all laws of |
that description may be abrogated by any |
Safe for that cause, then indeed is the |
Federal Constitution unworthy of the |
slightest effort for its pre- servation."
II every citizen or every
officer can refuse to obey 8 law because he
thinks it unconstitutional, then we have no
use for a Judiciary and our government is 8
farce.
The Falcon backs up this notification |
by stating that 1t misunder- |
stands 'that his statement in regard to the |
Of the assessment law
is supported by the privately expressed
opinion of more than one member of the
Supreme Court" We undertake to say |
that no member of the Supreme Court has
been so unmindful Of his dignity and his
duty as to have privately expressed his
opinion about the unconstitutionality of |
aw which has not been adjadicated, nor
argued before him. Neither notification
nor reputation will be tolerated by the |
people of Tennessee.