Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-01-11
THE CIVIL DISTRICTS.
Local Government.

some not very well INFORMED young
men have supposed that the idea .oi
comforting certain powers of govern
ment upon the civil districts, was orig
mated by the CHRONICLE. This mis-
take was natural one for very young
men to make; and they are some
what excusable, when we consider
that they have read little and travelled
less. But they do us too much honor
when they give the credit of first con-
ceiving the plan of local government.
For their benefit we will slightly no
tice the history of this plan.
l. The most ancient record of the
adoption of this plan by any people
we find in Exodus, the second book of
Moses, chap. XVIII, verses 1926.
Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses,
shortly after the Iraelites had crossed
the Red Sea, came to visit them. He
found Moses burdened with the care
of multiplicity of small and vexa-
tious matters, which the people brought
before him for his consideration and
judgment. "And Moses father-in-law
said unto him, The thing that thou
doest is not good. Thou wilt surely
wear away, both thou, and this people
that is with thee: for this thing is too
heavy for thee;thou art not able to per-
form it itthyselfalone'" He, therefore,
advised Moses to provide out ofall the
people able men, such as fear God,
men of truth, hating eoyetousnes; and
place such over them, to be rulers of
thousands, and rulers of hundreds,
rulers of ffties, and rulers of tens !:
and let them Judge the people at all
seasons: and it shall be, that every
great matter they shall bring into thee,
but every small matter they shall
judge" And we are told that Moses
hearkened to the voice of his father
in-law, and did all that he had said"
2. The plan thus introduced among
the Hebrews continued to be one of
their permanent institutions, until the
final dispersion of that people I'm
der all their various forms of govern
ment they faithfully adhered to this
fundamental idea. 1t was copied from
them by many contemporary nations,
and, in some form or other, is found
in the institutions of ali the great
peoples of antiquity. A subdivision
of the powers of government, and the
reference of all local affairs to the
smallest possible unit of government,
have in all ages been considered essen
tial, not only to national prosperity,
but even to liberty itself
8. Alfred the Great, in remodeling
the laws and institutions of England,
adopted this idea, attached great i'm
portance to it, and put it into practical
operation in its fullest force. Jeffer-
son, the great apostle of American de-
mocracy, admired and praised its wis
dom. He advocated the very plan
which was''set forth in the CHRONICLES
article on government in the civil dis
tricts. Several States of the Union ad-
opted it at very early period; indeed,
it was practiced by some even in their
colonial infancy. De Toqueville, see
ing its practical o3sfation in these
States and the great advantages aris-
ing from it, considered it the most ad-
mirable institution which he had OBJ
served in America. He regarded
popular government of this kind as
the nearest possible approach to pure
democracy.
4. The plan. so far as we have sug-
gested itfor adoption in Tennessee, is to
leave all matter concerning the poor,
districts roads and bridges, and public
schools, to the people Of each civil
district, or proper officers eleted by
them, except where the county at large
may have some interest This plan is
now in actuated operation in many
States of our Union, in the several
provinces Of the Dominion of Canada,
and in the most enlightened and pros
porous countries of Europe.