Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-11-30
Record Of Che Tennessee Legislature.


NUMBER /.
Az the time draws near for the re-assem.
bling of the legislative Solons who rule oul
State, we naturally turn our eyes TO Their
past exploits, and wonder what viii tie
| their next one. Probably the world never
saw the like OF the Legislature, which, for
six months of the year lS19-1u, irisked and
cavorted in and around the capital of Ten
nessce The working majority of that wise
conventiclc had been for several years
starving on short commons OF honor- y'id
profits, away from the public crib. Vhey
came back To il with the rush and scampcr
ola starved herd-Cach one moro Greedy
than his neighbOr, and all gaily apd risk
ily crOwding to the trough tOgethet. Mel
ancholy as the exhibition was it had,
nevertheless Il comic aspect which Is ir-
resistible. Your genuine rcboyiikos some
times TO stand upon dignityIbut no per-
sonal or ancestral dignity iyproOf against
the seductive rafting of III" plumber shak-
ing in the public hair bushel; and when
that long unheard music sounded in their
ears, the capering OF rebel generals, colo
nels. minors, captains and lieutenants. /
think that army contained no privates
woe something fearful 10 see.
These gentlemen came to Nashville to
meet the grave ana difficult questions of
the time, with but one idea of legislative
function and duty, md that was the chief
end Of u Legislature is To repeal things.
I They charged down upon the statute
books, and ran a-muck among the laws of
Tennessee in the cheerful spirit OF the gay
lris Imam, whose only rule in shindy was
TO hit a head wherever he saw one
The first statute wlich seems to have at
tracted the attention of the wise men of
Nashville was the Act passed February Il,
1865, and which requires the Governor to
designate the newspapers in which legal
notices are TO he published. No one sup
posed that the repeal of this Act was
matter of any pressing public necessity,
but crowd Of hungry editors were wait
ing TO be fed, and Governor Senter could
not now be trusted TO select the papers
So, on the 18th of October, 1862 ii was en-
acted, THAT an Act passed the 18th day
of February, 1888, to regulate the publica-
ton Of legal notices, he, and the same is
hereby repealed and that this Act take eff
feet from and after its passaee.n
One would suppose that the obnoxious
statute was now dead and would disturb
the quiet of the rebel Democracy no long
or. But no-they owed ii a grudgc, and if
they cOuldnot STAY the ghost Of the deceased
statute they could at least bcstow 4 parting
kick upon its carcass. so on the 18th of
October, 1863, the Legislature passed an
other statute entitled IAN Act to Restore
Justice 10 the Press Of Tennessee" which
provides a. follows That an act passed
February 18th, 1868, entitled An act 10
regulate the publication Of Legal Notices.
be and the same is hereby repealed"
There is nothing like doing up work
thoroughly when you are about it; and
the Legislature having claim their first enc
my and scalped him, sounded the war
whoop, and was ready for new exploits.
The next object of attack was the Jury
Law of 1866, which being an uncommon
enemy was thought worthy TO be slain,
scalped, and burned at the stake. The
war dance was performed and thrice they
slew the slain.h In other words this stat
ute was repealed three Ii ne---once on Oc-
tDber 9TH, 1859, and twice on January 7th,
1870 a. appears by Chapters ~, XNNV. and
cXvij, of the Session Laws Of lsGg-70,
pages 6, 45 and l3j.
The statute providing for Board Of
Commissioners for Madison county was re-
pealed twice, and the last time, to make
sure, they repealed all laws providing for
such Board Of Commissioners in any
county.
BY an act passed November nth, 1859. it
was attempted to relieve Judge Thomas
n. Frazier from the effect of the judgment
pronounced against him when he was im-
peachcd and convicted Of official miscon-
duct 10y u former Legislature: which stat
ute being under the Constitution then eX-
isting, Of no validity, and the political ser
vices Of the Judge being too important TO
be Ignored, the Constitutional Convention
found it necessary 10 share up the shally
statute by declaration in tile new Consti-
tuition that the Legislature had the power
10 pass an act Of thar kind.
The next act Is one passed November
Z3rd 1853, declaring that every act done by
Commissioners Of Registration in the ssu-
anc, Of certificates be ratified and declared
legal, and that all indictments and prose-
cutiOn7 against them for any such acts
should be dismissed. AS most Of the menu
bcrs Of that Legislature owed their seats TO
the rascality Of these same Commissioners.
the passage Of this statute was a measure
Of common gratitude which the rule Of
honor among thieves clearly justifes
We cite it merely TO show the clcarness
with which the Legislature recognized both
the rascality and the reward that was due
to it.
! VIII discuss some future proceedings of
this Legislature at another time.
THE Poor FAgAlyE-A Door farmer cam