Year: 1867

which they feel for the Constitution aad
laws of the United States, aud the Consti
tuition and laws of Tennessee, as made for
all persons legitimately in places of high
civic trust who patriotically conform their
official acton to the great and essential
principles embodied in the supreme law of
the land. Whatever we may think of the
injustice and impolioy of the franchise law
which now shuts out eighty thousand wor
thy citizens of our State from all participa-
tion in the administration of the govern
ment which their fathers instituted, so long
as said law shall remain upon our statute
book unrepealed by a just and magnani-
nous Legislature, and upheld by the courts
Of The country, it is our purpose to submit
in good faith to all its provisions; SO long
as the judicial decision of the Supreme
Court Of the State referred to il Governor
BroWnlow's proclamation, assertive of the
validity Of the said franchise law shall re-
main unreversed by the Supreme Court of
the Union, We shall accord it equal respect.
Did We believe that the franchise law had
vested the power Of appointing the Judges
OF our city elections in the Commissioner Of
Registration, We should certainly bow to
his authority. Were we the opinion with
Governor Brownlow that our Supreme
Court had ever effectively settled the oueg-
tiOn in dispute, we should at once acquies-
ce in its action, however erroneous we
might deem it. As it is, we shall perse-
we're inllexibly in the course heretofore
marked out to the end of the struggle now
In progress. Ifeel it to be due to Governor
Brownlow to declare on this occasion, that
am by no means prepared to agree with
those among US who suppose that officer
seriously TO contemplate the exercise of
armed Intervention in our municipal con-
Germs. should the corporate authorities of
the city still persevere in maintaining the
cherished rights of our people as they con-
scientiously believe them to exist. Nor
is it lightly to be supposed that were he
to undertake an experiment in all respects
so hazardous and delicate, the paternal
Government of the United States, whose
valient and patriotic troops in our State cleo
ton, two months rg , 80 nobly preserved
our citizens from lawless violence, would
quietly permit so grievous an infraction
upon the rights of our citizens with impu-
nifty to occur. 1 shall continue to boII,
that Governor Brownlow did not intend in
the proclamation which has drawn forth
this notice, to do more than simply to ex-
press his own conscientious opinion AS to
| the powers vested IN the Commissioner of
Registration in that very emphatic phrase
ology for which he has become so distiu-
guished of late, leaving the matter in dis
Pute to he ultimately settled by the courts
OF the country, to whose province it appro-
priately belongs.


hope TO be pardoned for here suggest
ing, that there really seems to me t. be no
necessity whatever for further strife At the
present moment touching the conflicting
claims on the part Of the Commissioner Of
Legislation on the one side, and the Board
OF Aldermen on the other. in relation to the
power OF appointing JudgoJ of election.





sed by Gov. Brownlow, shall choose to en-
ter upon so visionary an experiment as that
OF holding an election Of municiral officers
in the city of Nashville through the instru-
mentality Of Judges appointed by the Com
missioner, see no earthly objection to per-
mbting this to be done. Should two sets Of
corporate officers be elected, the question as
to which of them had been legally chosen,
would b. one which could be very consist
emily submitted to the courts, and when
Judicial decision should be obtained, everv
good citizen would cordially acquiesce
therein.


In testimony whereof, have hereunto set


my official signature, and caused the cor


pOIate sea Of the city of Nashville to be


affixed, on the day and year above writ


ten. w. MATT BRowY.
Mayor.