764 



TENNESSEE. 



Trained from appearing at the polls. The 

 " Union," the official paper of Gov. Johnson, 

 said : " We might as well speak out plainly, and 

 confess to the world, that what was called an 

 election, Saturday, at least so far as Nashville 

 is concerned, was a serious farce. And it woull 

 be well if those in authority would observe a 

 like candor, and thereby save scandal to the 

 Government, or at least to this administration." 

 No further steps toward reconstruction appear 

 to have been taken as a consequence of this 

 election. An effort is made in the following 

 statement of the "Argus," published in Mem- 

 phis, in Gen. "Washburne's military department, 

 early in June, to explain the numerous failures 

 in the attempts at reconstruction : 



It is quite natural for absent Tcnnesseeans, who 

 observed the interest taken by the State in the work 

 of restoring her to her old position in the Union, as 

 evinced by her public journals, and also notice, that 

 notwithstanding the movement alluded to, we are 

 just where we were a year ago, to inquire what we 

 are doing. With the people of the State so much 

 divided in sentiment regarding the proper policy to 

 be pursued, it could scarcely be supposed that the 

 entire proposition of any one party or clique would 

 be endorsed. Some wanted one thing and some 

 wanted another. While all desired a restoration to 

 the State of civil government and her former position 

 in the Union, all could not unite upon one basis of 

 action. The Amnesty Proclamation came most op- 

 portunely. Although all did not endorse every thing 

 it contained, it was undoubtedly the most feasible 

 proposition offered, and there is little doubt that 

 tour-fifths of the Union men of the State were willing 

 last spring, and are willing to-day, to reorganize the 

 , State in accordance with its provisions. The work 

 was commenced, but soon abandoned. The military 

 Governor of the State, it was soon announced, op- 

 posed the plan, and as much depended upon his 

 cooperation, means were soon found to clog the 

 movement. That Tennessee is not to-day in the full 

 enjoyment of all her rights as a State of the Union is 

 not the fault of the people of Tennessee, but of Gov. 

 Johnson and the radical clique, who were then as 

 they are now, opposed to reorganization, except 

 upon their own terms in exact accordance with 

 their own ideas and isms. 



We do not believe, with our contemporary, that if 

 the people, without paying attention to Gov. John- 

 son, were to proceed with the work of reorganiza- 

 tion, he could persuade the Administration "to in- 

 tervene with the bayonet," and there is no good 

 reason why the people should hesitate to proceed in 

 this work, regardless of Gov. Johnson. As long as 

 the people allow Gov. Johnson to have his own way 

 undisturbed so long will he thwart every effort at 

 reorganization which does not originate with him. 



Meantime, in May, a convention was held 

 in East Tennessee, at Knoxville, to take such 

 action as might be necessary to restore civil 

 government in the State. A committee 

 appointed on the subject presented a majority 

 and minority report. The former was in spirit 

 ar.d substance in harmony with the Critteuden 

 resolutions of 1861, and the latter recommend- 

 ed the abolition of slavery in the State,' the 

 enlistment of negroes, and the renomination of 

 Mr. Lincoln. Here this movement ended. 



On August 3d, a call was published in Nash- 

 dlle for a convention of loyal citizens to meet in 

 Nashville on September 5th, relative to the 

 -eorganizatlon of the State. On that day the 



convention assembled. Delegates frc in the east 

 and south were prevented from attending by a 

 raid of General WLeeler, and an adjournment 

 was suggested but not approved. The con- 

 vention organized by the appointment of Sam- 

 uel Milligan, President. The Committee 

 on credentials reported the following resolu- 

 tions : 



JtezolveJ, That all delegates who may have been 

 regularly appointed by loyal primary county con- 

 ventions, shall be admitted 'to the floor. 



Resolved, That all unconditional Union men, who 

 are for all the measures of the Government looking 

 to putting down the rebellion, from the different 

 counties of the State, shall be qualified to partici- 

 pate in the deliberations of this convention; and 

 that all persons claiming seats, under this resolu- 

 tion, be requested, with as little delay as possible, to 

 hand in their names to the committee on creden- 

 tials. 



This report was adopted. A committee on 

 business for the Convention reported, on the 

 7th, that a convention elected by the loyal peo- 

 ple should assemble at an early day to revise 

 the State Constitution ; that the Union people 

 of Tennessee should hold an election for Presi- 

 dent in November ; that the electors should bo 

 free white men, for six months residents of the 

 State, and have voluntarily borne arms in the 

 Federal service during the present war and 

 are in the service or honorably discharged, and 

 ah 1 known active friends of the Government of 

 the United States in each county; that the 

 citizen electors should be registered ; that polls 

 should be opened at the county seat of each 

 county, and guarded and protected so as to se- 

 cure a free and fair election, and also polls 

 opened for soldiers; that the State militia 

 should be immediately enrolled, organized, and 

 armed ; that the proceedings of the convention 

 at Baltimore should be adhered to and sup- 

 ported as due alike to self-preservation and 

 self-respect; and that agents should be ap- 

 pointed to look after the interests of Tennessee 

 soldiers and their families. The report was 

 adopted without opposition. On the next day 

 a Presidential electoral ticket was adopted by 

 the Convention. A further report was made 

 by the business committee, expressing the sense 

 of the Convention as in favor of the complete 

 suppression of the rebellion, the immediate 

 abandonment of slavery, and its prohibition in 

 future by all suitable and proper amendments 

 to the State Constitution, which was adopted. 

 Three members of the committee declared their 

 nou -concurrence in this portion of the report re- 

 lating to the immediate abandonment of sla- 

 very ; subsequently two of them withdrew this 

 declaration. On the next day, the 8th, the 

 business committee made the following report, 

 which was adopted unanimously : 



Resolved, That as a means of ascertaining the quali- 

 fications of the voters, the registers and officers hold- 

 ing the elections may examine the parties upon oath 

 touching any matter of facts, and should be required 

 to take and subscribe to the following oath, viz. 

 (said oath being prima facie evidence subject to be 

 disproved by other testimony) : 



