The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-09-17
euV. EeAsly AFTER JOHN SHERMAN.


to adopt a registration law. There
had been municipal Registration law
in force but it was confined to the city
of Chattanooga. ain 1884, in a very
heated municipal election, that city
cast less than $500 votes within a
few weeks thereafter, when the State
and national elections came off, in
which registration was not required,
that city dying contiguous to Georgia
and Alabama), voting in district of
the same territorial limits as in the
municipal election, cast 400 votes"
This statement ] quote from re-
cent letter of Gov VIM. B. Bate, Of
Tennessee. This increased vote was
in the interest of the Republican par
ty, and led to the following recon-
endation by Gov. Bate in his annual
message of Jan. IL, 1885,
Here follows an extract from Gov.
Bates message.
In pursuance of this recommends
ton registration bill was introduced
into the Legislature Of Tennessee. l
hold it in my hand. tits bill of II
sections, providing that in all voting
districts having a population of one
thousand voters, the qualified voters
shall be registered before exercising
the elective franchise; that for the
purpose Of effecting this, the county
courts shall select two registrars Of
voters from each voting precinct, "pro-
vided that both of said registrars shall
not be selected from the same politi-
cal party" Perfectly fair, you see Mr..
Senator, and free from partisan bias.
Here follows detailed analysis of
the Binns Registration Bill by Gov.
Hoadly.l y
This is the substance of the act,
which, after careful examination, /
believe to be one Of the tairest and most
honest registration lavs ever prepared
IN the United States; certainly, quite
as fair as that passed in Ohio with SC
much eclat last winter But what
happened when this came before the
Legislature of Tennessee? 1t passed
two readings in the Senate, but un
fortunately the Constitution of Ten
nessee provides that two-thirds of the
members of each house are necessary
to constitute quorum-the same Ole
mischevious provision of the former
, Constitution of Ohio which enabled
the Wing party to break up the Legis
lature in 1842 in order to prevent the
passage of the Legrand-Byington Ap
portionment Bill, for which sin they
were deservedly punished by defea
at the polls that fall. When this Reg
] istration Bill came on for its las
reading in the Senate of Tennesse,
i that body was found to be without
: quorum. The Republican Senator
3 Except two) had secreted themselve
; in room in the Maxwell House il
: Nashville, thus preventing quorum
The arrest Of the senators was order
: ed at once, so as to obtain a quorum
t but they locked themselves in thei
t room and it was deemed illegal
break open the door, and so they n
i NAMED locked up in the hotel at Nasl
:. vile until the Senate was forced to az
t journ sine die. By this act of filibu
IS tering in the interest of fraud and falls
g voting, not only was the passage of th
IS registration low defeated but sewers
h other important measures were lie
unacted upon, including the revenu
e and appropriation bills, which left I'll
e State without the means of paying i
e obligations. Thereupon Gov. Ba
n called the Legislature together in e.
l. ira session, one of the reasons for IL
10 call being the necessity of passir
,e laws, as stated in these words of Il
D. Governors proclamation
r Here follows o second extract fro
re Coy. Bates proclamation and me
le sage,
20 A bill similar to that pending at ii
or regular session was then introduce
but when it came up for final actit
Ie in the House, the Republicans almo
N to man deserted the House and il
81 it without q quorum, which it did n
u afterwards secure. The sessions we
le broken up by this revolutionary m
X conduct, and the Registration Bill
n feated in that manner
In Mr.. Sherman, it was not becau
WI the Republicans were hostile on pri
sc ciple to registration that they revol
es tionized the State of Tennessee by Il
nc filibustering, for during the Brow
p low regime the Republicans enact
al. strict registration law which renal
In ed on the statute books and was {
10 forced for length of time, disfra
n chising three-fourths of the white v
les ers Of the State, while all the color
Vi voters were allowed the ballot. Th
ne we're then quite willing to see so lal
!. proportion of the people disfranch