TEXM>si-:i-:. 



709 



in two judicial districts for tho sauio term, 

 ami thus dispo.-e if the aceumulatod business 

 tho sooner; hut, on tho first vacancy occurring 

 ami >ng them, it should not bo filled, when their 

 number shall bo fivo over aftcru -jird. Tboy 

 \\ -ei -c qualified by Governor Sentor on Septem- 

 ber 10th, and on tho llth they met, organized 

 among themselves, and opened court in duo 

 form, when Judgo Nelson announced that, by 

 tho unanimous consent of tho bench, Judgo 

 A. O. P. Nicholson would be tho Chief Justice. 



Early in November, 1870, a suit was in-ti- 

 t'.ito 1 against throe of tho judges of tho Su- 

 pivmo Court by writs of quo warranto, served 

 on Chief-Justice Nicholson, Judge Nelson, and 

 Judge Snood, commanding thorn to appear be- 

 fore tho United States Court, and show by 

 what authority they held their offices and 

 emoluments, tho basis of the suit being that 

 th.-y are laboring under tho disqualification 

 imposed by tho fourteenth amendment. It 

 is a civil process, based on an information 

 which tho said judges were cited to answer, by 

 plea or otherwise, on tho second Monday in 

 January, 1871. It was generally supposed 

 that the pretext of this suit was tho opinion 

 of the court shortly before delivered by Judgo 

 Nelson in tho case of. Smith vs. Brazelton, 

 holding that during the late civil war "tho 

 Confederate States were entitled to equal bel- 

 ligerent rights with the United States," al- 

 though this principle had been proclaimed in 

 tho decisions of other cases by tho former Su- 

 premo Court of Tennessee, composed of judges 

 well known to be Republicans of extreme 

 views. It was also asserted as a matter of fact 

 that " threats wore made both before and af- 

 ter the commencement of the court that prose- 

 cutions would bo commenced." Meantime 

 the Supreme Court continued to sit and try its 

 causes as if nothing had occurred. After a 

 brief adjournment of about two weeks from 

 tho middle of November, it held its session for 

 the December term in Nashville. 



The Conservative and Democratic citizens 

 of tho State assembled in convention at Nash- 

 ville, on the 13th of September, " for the pur- 

 pose of nominating a candidate for Governor, 

 and for taking such other steps as may bo 

 deemed necessary to secure a thorough organ- 

 ization." This meeting nominated John C. 

 Brown by acclamation, and adopted the fol- 

 lowing platform : 



"We, tho representative!* of the Democratic party 

 of tho State pt Tennessee, here in convention assem- 

 bled, forgetting all past differences, and deprecating 

 all attempts to engender old animosities, meeting on 

 terms of perfect equality, and animated by common 

 hopes and purposes, do heartily unite for the support 

 and vindication of the principles and policy pro- 

 claimed by the great national Democracy. 



Resolved.) That the Southern Slates should be im- 

 mediately restored to their rights under tho Consti- 

 tution of the United States as sovereign States of tho 

 American Union. 



Resolved, That all citizens of tho United States, 

 under political disabilities, should be immediately 

 relieved therefrom. 



Jfaoloed, That wo denounce tho present tariff, a* 

 well a* the nubstituto lately intnliic< <1 in tli. 

 of Representative*!, from the Committee of Way* and 

 Mean*, M a gigantic robbery of the labor and indiiH- 

 try of tho country ; that they are nolely designed to 

 advance tho intercut* of a few monopolists, and that 

 this should no longer exist ; and that no candidate i.-> 

 worthy of support who is not in favor ot'a low reve- 

 nue tariff, which closely approximates to free trade ; 

 tii. i 1 , in the arrangement or any tariff, the necessaries 

 ol'lito should be free of duty. 



Resolved, That the internal revenue system of the 

 United States is oppressive in its exactions; that it 

 should be remedied ; that its annoyances of stamps, 

 licenses, and taxes upon sales and income, should be 

 abolished ; that the tax itself should be collected by 

 State and county officers : and that tho multiplication 

 of Federal officers is wholly unnecessary and eats out 

 the substance of tho people, and that wo pledgee our- 

 selves to labor for a thorough reform in this particular. 



Resolved, That the practice of the Government in 

 the enforcement of the revenue laws which authorizes 

 tho seizure and confiscation of the property of the 

 citizens and their imprisonment, aided by tno bayo- 

 net, without trial by jury and conviction, is subver- 

 sive of the rights ot the people, and in contravention 

 of the Constitution, and should therefore be aban- 

 doned. 



Resolved. That wo denounce the profligacy in the 

 present administration of the Federal Government; 

 the corruption which has entered all its official sta- 

 tions ; the favoritism which, overlooking fitness for 

 office, has appointed to positions of public trust 

 friends or tools of those who control public patron- 

 age ; and the imbecility which directs the destinies 

 of the republic without an apparent purpose, and 

 manages its affairs with such embarrassment and 

 disaster to the mutual interests of its people at home, 

 and with such disregard of the rights and liberties 

 of its citizens abroad. 



Resolved, That wo regard the act recently passed 

 by Congress to enforce the fifteenth amendment as 

 unconstitutional, unjust, and oppressive, an invasion 

 of the rights of the States, subversive of the best 

 interests of tho people, and therefore urge its uncon- 

 ditional repeal. 



Resolved, That tho power of the Federal Govern- 

 ment to assess and collect taxes on the bonds of tho 

 United States is clear and unquestioned, and we de- 

 mand of Congress that a share of taxation equal. to a 

 fair average of the amount levied in each State on 

 money loaned, shall bo assessed and collected from 

 all investments in bonds. 



Resolved, That we are opposed to the system of 

 national banks, and urge the immediate repeal of 

 the law creating them ; and that, in place of the notes 

 of such banks, the Treasury notes of the United States 

 shall be substituted. 



Resolved, That the Democracy here assembled sym- 

 pathize with the efforts of all people struggling for 

 self-government ; and we denounce the policy of the 

 party in power to reduce whole States in our Union 

 to a condition of vassalage to the General Govern- 

 ment. 



Resolved, That the present Adminstration of tho 

 Federal Government has been persistently subver- 

 sive of the rights of the States, invasive of the Fed- 

 eral Constitution, necessarily tending to centraliza- 

 tion and the annihilation ot local self-government, 

 and, unless repudiated by the country, will inevitably 

 result in tho destruction of republican liberty. 



Unsolved^ That this convention tenders its thanks 

 to the national Democracy of the North who havo 

 so nobly vindicated the great principles herein an- 

 nounced, and that the people of Tennessee will cor- 

 dially unite with this party in the maintenance of 

 free government. 



Tho word " sovereign " applied to tho States 

 in tho first of the foregoing resolutions was 



