Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1872-11-30

h class OF men who arrogate to them
relves the title Of reformers, but the
majority turn out to be mere eonfound-
ere of wise couuscis and disturbers OF
eocial order. Conspicuous among
these are the men who so recently un-
dcrtook, in our midst, to reform ev
cry political abuse By leading the pco-
pie astray from the path of safe prece-
dents, in order that they might win
Office and influence by playing the part
of blind guides TO bcwildered and
scattered herds of thoughtless and in
different voters. A few, more far
reaching in their self-conceit, boldly
assumed that the peoplewill be ruined
unless the Office of County Judge is
Immediately abolished. And to this
assumption was appended a catalogue
Of fearful wrongs calculated to arouse
the fears Of all who--like the reform
ors themselyes-were grossly ignorant
Of the merits Of the question raised.
The true reformer understands
thoroughly the evils he proposes to
correct, but takes no active steps un-
til he has provided the remedies--hc
declines to pull down until he is pre-
pared to rebuild upon surer founda-
ton and with better materials. Not
30 with the prcteuder who is content
with pulling down--proposing no rem
edy and giving no thought to the con-
sequences of his needless passion for
demolshing that which wiser men
have created. We do not intend, by
these structures, to intimate that there
are no evils in the administration of
county affairs to be corrected. On the
contrary, we know that such evils do
exist, but at the same time know that
the County Judgcship, with its crimi-
mel jurisdiction, instead Of being the
source of these evils is but the neces-
cary result Of their admitted existence.
In county like this, Astounding in
law breakers, there must be tribunal
before which criminals shall be ar
raigned, and for the simple reason that
the common law court can not get
through with the civil and criminal
dockets in the time prescribed for its
sessions. This being the case, the
question is, shall there be Criminal
Judge for the entire circuit, in parts
Of which such Judge is not neces-
sity, or shall our County Judge be in
vested with criminal jurisdiction2
Those who so freely denounce the
County Judgeship as an insufierable
evil, forget that, in the abstract, all
courts arc evils, but evils made neces-
sary by the lawless and vicious charac-
ter of a portion Of the people. Were
all men pure in motive and upright in
act, there would be no necessity for
courts, or for governments even, far
Their than r broad supervision of the
general welfare in its relations to COM
nercc and the development of the ma
terial resources of the country. The
suggestion which logically follows this
view of the subject il, that instead OF
warning upon the County Judgeship,
the would be reformers should make
war upon the evils that have led to the
creation of that tribunal 1t is an I'M
deniablo fact that the honest men OF
the county arc ruinously taxed in order
10 punish the dishonest. This state OF
things is partly due to existing laws
partly to their defective administrs.
ton, and partly to the people them,
eelvcs, who are criminally Indifferent,
10 tho moral integrity and intellectual
capacity of the men they elect as law.
makers and administrators of tho laws
themselves,
The new and dangerous citizenship
imposed upon III by the malice of the
Federal government, and without con.
ptitutioual authority, suggests, if il
does not make necessary, a material
modification of the penal code Some
Of these notifications we have sug-
rested heretofore, aud now renew them
The first is, to give to magistrates orig
inal and final jurisdiction over those
petty oifenses which crowd the crimi,
nal docket aud impose such heavy jury
costs upon the taxpayers. As auxili,
airy TO this reform, the town and couu.
~ need joint workhouse where such
patty criminals can be safely KEEP
whilst they pay the penalty Of their of
Yenses in labor profitable to the towr
sd county. If then, in the admins
trAtion of the civil law, tho intorveu
ton of juries is dispensed with, excep
IN eases where either party dcmagds I
Try and pays tho cost Of the luxury
~e think tho county will be relieved
of a heavy expense, and justice be Al
certainly aud far more cheaply metct
out to all who demand it, or brinl
themselves within it's requirements.
But however beneficial these ant
kindred reforms may bo, it is uuws
IN disguise the fact that all true reform
maet begin with tho people themselves
who, if honest aud intelligent, will no
oity know how, but will resolve to 81
the offices of every department of tn
government with men capable an