Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-11
SPEECH OF HON. ]. B.yJEUP,
On the Proposition tOyPsy Attorneys
General n Fixed SALARY.

On the Proposition tOfPay Attorney
General n Fixed Salary.
When this question came up in the House
of Representatives, March 8, Mr.. JeuI
arose and spoke as follows:
MR.. SPEAKER: Being the introducer O.
this bill and firmly convinced of both it:
merits and its necessity, move to non.
concur in the report of the Judiciary Com.
mittee, and shall briefly give my reasons.
There is nothing so indispensable to the
we'll being of State and society, and so pro-
motive OF general contentmeDt among the
masses Of the people as a strict and impair.
ial enforcement of the laws. This is a
point upon which the whole civiliz I'd world
is well agreed. Another point upon which
there is hardly any difference of opinion, is
that the laws should be executed for the
general good, but not for the enrichment of
certain officers OF the law. Whether a man
is indicted Of crime or misdemeanor, or is
summoned IS witness, or is present in
court as mere spectator, be will invariably
inquire into the motives of the prosecution,
and if upon close examination be finds out
that a fellowman is being tried and fined
merely to put money into the pocket of the
Attorney General, he will be disguised, not
only with such a proceeding and with the
officers taking part in it, but with the law
itself. The motives for legal prosecutions
of the State against individuals should be
pure and above suspicion, or else they will
tend to the ruin Of the commonwealth.
The law, that pillar of society, will be con-
sidered as mere pretext, a subject for rude
jokes and contemptible smiles, and the
whole judicial department of the State viii
be degraded IN the eyes of the people, and
appear as moDey-msking institution, like
a pawn-broker's shop or shaving's bank.
Now, Mr. Speaker, permit me to ask you
and this illustrious Assembly, whether the
motives Of our Attorneys General can al
ways be accepted as being above suspicion?
We know the law as it now stands In Ten
nessee with regard 70 the salary of these
officers and we know something also of the
intrmities OF human nature. The sal
airy of our Attorneys General consists in
fees and perquisites, and falls or rises with
the number Of causes for prosecution. The
more causes, the higher the salary, the more
tTepass and crime the better the prospects
of the Attorney General for making a for-
tune. The supremacy of law and order
however, and the peace and Well-being of
society, are the ruin of that very officer
enjoyment Of those blessings. Is not this
10 express it mildly very strange state
OF affairs, aud can it by any means be con-
ducive to the prosperity of the State ? 1t
is not nv purpose to accuse any of the emf
nent officers who now fill the position of
Attorney General in the different circuits of
Tennessee, but / do mean to say the fault
lies in the mode of paying them, system
well calculated to lead even men of the
highest honor and integrity into temptation.
The Attorney General is or should be the
avenging angel Of justice uninfuenced by
any considerations of personal gain and
pecuniary profit in the exercise of his sa-
cred duties. He is, or should be, like the
Eumenides or the Einnyes of Homer and
Hesiod in ancient MythOlOg who hunted
up crime to abolish crime, but not for
the purpose of filling their pockets. Our
Attorneys General, however, are reduced 10
the position of chiefs of detectives. Like
other men they wish to make money which
in itself is not at all reprehensible, but in
order to accomplish that object, they have
TO surround themselves with spies and in
formers who make it their business, in the
first place to find out and inform against
trespassers, and in the second place to act
as Jurors on their trial. As q class these
spies are not over scrupulous, and when
ever they see that the crop of misdemean-
ors, or criminal offences, threatens to fall
below the average, they go to work like
men of nerve and shire WdneSs TO re-es.ab-
lsh the equilibrium.
Poor laboring man, thou shalt be VIC
tim, tbot shalt be the sacrifC lamb upon
which be feasts and fattens. He the ugly
spy and juror.
There is poor Irishnsn, or EDglishman,
or ScoIcbman, or Frenchman, or German,
or native American, who having toiled for
six days to sustain himself and family and
save dollar or two for the education ofhis
children, or spare money for a rainy day,
wishes to refresh himself on the Lords day
with glass ofbeer or ale in one ofthe beer
gardens out of town, Behold how quick
the spy Is on his track. He goes with him,
talks with him, praises his skill and indus
try, thinks be is one of the best citizens in
town, regrets that business is
dull and wages are rather scanty and con-
cludes with the philosophical remark that
Sunday is the only day for the laooring man
! TO have some enjoyment. They arrive at
the garden AMI the spy DESTROYS to make
sure of his victim, invites him to glass of
lager or wine. They find others present,
friends and acqusitances, and perhaps they
viii. have treat all around. What splen-
did crop of mis1emeanors
Barkeeper, thou old r'ember of the bar
what shall be thy fate when thou art 10
appear before the bar OF Justice to answer
for twenty-five misdemeanors all at once?
The spy is sure to inform against
poor lsborer, but why should he
inform against the proprietor of a
fashionable gambling hell or other
other ill-famed institution? They can afford
TO purchase his silence, for he does his dirty
work not for the sake of Justice, but for
the sake of money, and so we see that all
such establishments, which are indeed a
curse upon our towns and cities, flourish in
spite of spies and fees and perquisites.
Young men of the most respectable fami-
lies are caught in the snares of professional
seducers, and led TO their ruin in fashion
able gambling bells and houses of ill-fame.
The poison emanating from this system per-
sVades all classes of society and must newt
ably work destruction, unless we apply the
proper remedy in the spirit OF patriotism
and without hesitation.
Mr.. Speaker, this terrible abuse, this par
tisl administration Of justice, which always
discriminstes against the poor and the
young aud inexperienced has come to be
thoroughly understood by our people. They
say that the Goddess of Justice, who is
commonly represented as blind, is in this
State blind only in one eye and has q
mighty fine taste for money. The pair of
scales which she holds in enc band is I'M
equally poised and tue naked sword which
she holds in the other is pointed at none
but beardless youths and hard toiling labor
ers. She is for sale like a woman Of easy
virtue and receives the sneers of contemps
i. s.ead of words of alteration.
Mr.. Speaker and brother members, l do