Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-03-05
JUDGE NOT THAT YE BE NOT JUDGED.


The newspapers and others have been
rather severe on the present General AS
sembly " for" as it is asserted, doing
nothing" Perhaps there has been but
little done. Perhaps it is well so little has
been done. One of the scourges of the
past has been an excess of legislation
Previous legislatures have done, or at
tempted to do, so many thirgs that the
State has been cursed. The people have
been fastened from one measure to anoth-
err, from under one law to the experiment
of another, until even the lawyers and
judges have found it difficult to
keep up with and understand just
what the law was at any given time.
May not the people, the lawyers, and the
Courts, find relief in the hardness of our
lawmakers, in placing new statutes where
the old ones could be of more value.
And, would it not be well for us all, be-
fore crticizng too severely, to reflect that
it is much easier for one man to sit down
and write out his views, and what he
would desire to see enacted into law,
than it is to obtain the consent of seventy
four others that such views shall be the
law.
Before judging harshly, we should all
try to place ourselves in the position OF
those whose conduct is under review. Could
we in their place accomplish any more a!
Good government does not consist in the
number of laws that may be enacted. The
wisdom and pertinency of the law is the
beauty, and out of that grows the force Of
the law. One of our own Representatives
wrote home soon after the present session
of the Legislature opened, that all the good
he expected to be able to accomplish would
be in preventing foolish and unnecessary
things from being done. May not the very
caution with which the General Assembly
moves, yet prove blessing in dis
guise? And, indeed, what is be
ing neglected which should have atten-
ton? There were but about three things
supposed during the canvass last fall to be
necessary.
We remember to have heard Judge
Houk say that, if elected, he would labor
to secure good school law, to protect the
tax payers and maintain the credit of the
State and procure some legislation favor
able to immigration. These were the es-
sential matters presented to the people,
and it is these in which the people shauiU
be interested and demand action. Now
the question comes up, are they being neg
lected by our Legislators: We, think
not. No one should suppose sV
important matters could be sum-
marty dispensed with, and good re-
suits follow. he Legislature has been
getting the rubbish out of the way. The
several committees have been at work,
and as the session draws to a close, we ex-
pect to see many reasons to rejoice at the
prudence which has been exercised. While,
the school bill is not all that we desired. it
is far superior to the law as it exists.
While we do not look for any great
| fostering measure, in this direction, vet
an appropriation will be made, we think,
to encourage immigration. While it is an
| impossibility to pay off the State debt and
restore our credit, it will crafty u
all to know that a first great
step has been taken by the funding of the.
past due coupons and bonds, and thus pro-
claiming 10 the world through a legal
channel that we have no sympathy with
reputation, and that we will provide foy
and pay the interest until we become able
to pay the principal.
If these things are accomplished, the
people will have cause to thank instead of
abuse the present Legislature. To do this
much will entitle our lawmakers to the
gratitude of their constituencies. We do
not see SO much room for complain t,