Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-01-16
LEGIsLATINE REFORM.

b4ucn Mr.. W s. ldulllly, AoI want ot 'lul'' To llS
pare it for the press, il compliance with frequent
solicitations of his party friends.
LEGISLATIVE REFORM.
No more important proposition has, in our iudg
ment, been introduced into either House Of the
present General Assembly than The following, by
Senator GooDPAsTUBE:
ResoIUsd. That sec =, Article "a Of the Cous,itu-
ton Of the State of Tennessee lie so amended as 20
resd after the words d" and forever thereafter,
elections for members Of the General Assembly
shall be held in four years, the first Thurs
day in August; said elections to terminate the same
day"
RssolUsa That Sec s h, article Cd. be so amended
az read after the words 'and forever thereafter
'he General Assembly shall meet once in four years
on the first Monday in October, next ensuing cleo
ton
RssOlBel, That sec 4th, article %, be So amended
a. TO read, "Ihe Governor shall hold his office for
four years, and until his successor shall he elected
and qualified lie shall not be eligible more than
eight years in any term Of twelve
TO enforce The importance Of such g reform re-
quires ingenious labored argument. It's urgent
necessity is patent to the most casual thinker tx
perienee has demonstrated it, and the people have
from necessity been made to feel and understand it
A free people and a republican system Of govern
actual amount required is positive evil hence rep
resentstive is frequently found doing his people more
service in preventing legislation than in aiding it.
tits fact beyond controversy, that of the inuumer
able propositions thrown before every delberative
body aboEt nine out Of ten, if adopted, would work
evil instead Of good. The man, therefore, who
would 60 into Legislature and voteuegativeiy upon
every proposition, from the beginning to its close,
would nine times In ten have voted right.
There is no form Of government in which 'rla Is
more essential, and should be so much rcyarei, as
one like our own, where its chiefcst obicc, and
purpose is TO secure the most perrec. liberty
Of the citizen AMI have no restraints except such as
are necessary to make that liberty perfect hy re-
quiriug each respect and observe the rights of eve
~ other But the theory of our government is that
having perfected this liberty and secured ourselves
IN the enjoyment of it byPostiyc andstrugeut laws,
The people and not the government, must De left
to work out their own gooiiu their own way. Thus
it is that the government is simple n It's character
ami the amount Of legislation required but little
And just ia proportion that we legisl4tc too much
We violate the spirit of our institutions, mar their
simplicity, and weaken the foundation of the eulir.
6sbrig.
There is constant, and in some of tho States an
decreasing, tendency to this excessive legislation,
and nothing facilitates IL so much as too frequent
sessions of Legislative bodies Iis TO prevent this
Ga Mr.. GoonrAsrrRE's propositions are, I'm part.
directed. He proposes that the Legislature shall
assemble but once in four instead %. tu0 years
Would not this he amply sufficient. Do the laws
heed revisaI ofteucrs Can "a new law go unto elag.
aud be thoroughly tested in less uweg Are there
ary considerations favorable TO "a more fruaucu,
meeting than lhat2 Weean think of none Itcau-
not be sad that emergencies. unforeseen and cx
Pected, may sometimes arise, Tor The Governor j.
already provided with authority 90 convene eLegs-
lature whenever in his Judgment becomes requisite
audnecessary. If the circumstance demand Be-, OF
abe popular sentiment of The people be {. certain 20
know TO- and sure 60 act upon IT, But tLcrsa ls. So
few are the demands for legislation, that half cen
tury might pass and the Governor End no occasion 20
oonvenea Legislature.
The numerous other advantage That Tar-d upces-
asrily result from the proposed change viii read by
occur, and scarcely need enumeration. Wa would
have fewer lcgalised aud incorporated swinIla.:
fewer partial and wasleful appropriations of public
credit; more permaneuce aud uniformity in tie
laws; more fxedness of policy iu everything con-
nected with The State q smaller drain upon the
pockets Of the people TO support laeir State govern
ment.
We feel confident in suggesting that, Is such
proposition is referred to the people twill heaI.pt-
ed by sn overwhelming majority
Eag- The Charleston C..rar reoorIsa remarkable
operation in surgery performed in chat city un the
18th Of December
1.-THE case was one of 'oeTbautiasis' and extend.
ed from the particles of the abdomen to the ground
weighing HiHcfgfigdf pounds It haI been ircre.s
ia size eight years, bat has remained stationary for
the last year and half From Che immense size
of the tumOr, nature was inadequate TO supply Do
with sufficient quantity of blood for its un.ri-H-
meut, so that modification to0S place SOL ms lowest
extremity aud threatened the lie of the .rarioat.
hence The only means 10 be adopted for saving the
life Of the patient was its speedy removal This was
done al Ihn amphitheatre of the South Carolina
Medical College, which was crowded hy % large NUM-
Der Of professional well uuu-proiyssluaaI gentle
men. The negro man was put under the IuIuuuag
of chlor0f0rm. and was totally iuscusbIe 90 SID pain.
The tumCT was successfully removed hy Tor. NytH.u.
ton Michel in one hour When the patient recovered
from the sleep which that 74r7Hgu doHar 9s chI0r5.
form, produced, be was MOT aware that the opera
ton had been performed
CoIS rs. BANK Norr,.-Iu l-a4, the present
Chief Justice Of the United States, Roger b. fancy,
1t tina, time Secretary Of the Treasury, laid down
the following economical azi0ms:
Gold aud silver will never circulate where banks
issue notes that come In competition with them. for
/. will invariably happen that when the circulating
medium is composed of different kinds of money.
and one of them IL less valuable than gLc other hur
not sufficiently deprecated 10 be ds,rcigd, the Iu-
ferior will after Jime become the general cur
oh d u-rf. ...
This is obvious In the States where the banks issue
notes as low as one dollar. for silver dollars are
never found IN circulation where paper ones are
freely issued by the banks In order, therefore, 10
bring the precious metals into use the riyaIsh.0 of
raper must be edectualy taken away. We must
moi only remove the notes of the Bank Of the United
States, but also those OF she STATE banks.
SALE OF NEGRoEs.-The following are the par
tcuars of the auction sale OF negroes ot The estate
Of the late William Read which came of on the
2sth December last. under decree Of the Chancery
Court Tie sale was conducted 10y Mr.. Tab5, OF
the house OF Gray Iabb Reuben, 90 years old,
and his wife, Melissa, ,scky,) 50 years Old oulv.
Prank, 80 years old, SIlUD; Bob, Is years Old
$lU75: Dan, - years DID, Sl4Ju %; Burton. q
years old, $3.50 %; Mary, - years DID, ol2l0;
Martha, 20 years old, and her child, months ola,
SIO-1: Jacob, rs years old, Slio2 -; Jim, D.
years Old $1,000; BlIl, ia years old, $780, Cory,
II years old, Sll05 Nicholas, Do years DID, Sll05;
Elizabeth, years DID, SlOIl. Total, ) l5,-sg TO-
G1hdfiH ElUWEsr
INTERPRETATIONS. cases are said 10 have
been regis cred In the cry OF Boston IN wear.
ul iulCImarriagcs between black men and wnlc Nu-
men. During the past year two or three such cases
have %. urred In tins ucgnb0rh0od. The last one
took place IN Troy only few daysago.-IllJay ar |
Sns.