Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-02-05
THE Observation-Disclosures OF pARTY.

/ I0e administration OF the CT1m1nal
| law in Tennessee is unsatisfactory at
this time. and the wasteful expendi-
lures Of the public revenues growing
out of it has necessitated a convention
of Judges and Attorneys General of
the State. Finance, the blood of the
body polite, must be purified and reg
ulated, or disease and suffering must
ensue.7dcksOR Wing and Tribune.
Now, the Democratic party has been
In power more than four years. If the
administration of criminal law is I'M
satisfactory, as it certainly is, who is
responsible for its If the blood of the
body polite is impure, why has it not
been purified long since? If the party
has not had time yet to bring about re-
forms, pray tell US how long 1t will
take to reform the courts and finances?
These are pertinent questions, and we
submit them to the Democratic press
of the State for an answer.-KnorriUe
Chronicle.
The reforms already achieved by the
Democracy In our State affairs, are the
best earnest for its future Efforts. Go
back four years and remember the pile
Of Radical rubbish we have been
obliged to sweep away. A State debt
of forty-four millions, now reduced
nearly one-half; our bonds selling at4l
cents, now worth double as much,
thanks to the certainty of resuming the
/ payment of interest, which the Demo-
cratic administration Of affairs assures
and capitalists believe. These reforms
and a thousand others have been &C
c~omphshed in spite of strenuous oppo-
sition from nominal friends as vel as
Radicals. If all our judges are not all
they should be, the people of the seve-
raj circuits are free to elect better men
"a privilege which Brownlowism never
permittedth peopleto exercise. Butthe
Democratic party, as aparty, is not re-
sponsiblefor ~ourpresent judges, outside
of the Supreme Court. While In many
instances in East Tennessee, the Radi-
Gals have made the election of judges a
party issue, such has not been the case
with the Democrats of Middle and
West Tennessee. There exists among
us a strong prejudice against subject
ing the Judiciary to merely political
tests. 1t is a high and noble view of
that important department of govern
ment, but it may be taken advantage
of. especially IN times rendered 90 cor
rupt by Radical practices as the pres
ent. Nearly all our present judges in
Democratic districts were elected with
out any nomination or pretence of
party influence, and the Democracy as
a party is not responsible. They have
been all elected on the independent
system, and If the result has not been
satisfactory, the independent system is
to blame. 1t is an important question
forthepeople. whethertherespOnsibility
of party would not ecu better
candidates. No respectable party, seek
ing the votes of an honest and earnest
people, could afford to nominate third
Or fourth rate men for Office. And
after being elected, if a strong party
is held responsible for their conduct,
that party is likely for its own inter-
ests to see that they behave themselves.
One thing badly needed, is that re-
sponsibility for wrong-doing be placed
somewhere. The responsibility Of the
offending individual is seldom sufh-
Gent. There have been some unpleas-
ant developments recently about the
.conduct Of poor houses IN Shelby and
Davidson counties. These concerns
are managed on the independent style,
without regard to politics, and so no
one is to blame but the culprits imme.
diately concerned. There are a good
many tax-coUectOrs scattered over
the State, whose accounts re-
main unsettled for the past
two, three and even FIVE years. AS
these officers were not elected by any
political party, but merely on personal
popularity, there is no one hat can be
held responsible except the Individual
delinqVents. If these Offices were filed
by party nominations, there would be
developed a strong party spirit,
first, to put none but honest men in
such places of trust, and secondly to
see that their management should not
reflect any discredit ON the party. True
party spirit, based On honor and princi-
pie. is a purifier, and affords perhaps
the most feasible system of checks and
balances in a free country, so long as
human nature remains human nature,
The independent system may suit well
enough when the millennium arrives, but
in the meantime We have to deal the
best we can with existing circum.
stances.
MOHAIR AND TTS USES.