The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1874-01-28
The Morristown Gazette.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28, 1874.
THE REFORM CONTENTION.

torneys General, which met a
! Nashville, on the 18th of the pres
eent month, have presented for The
consideration of the public number
of salutary and much needed re
forms in the existing laws with ref
erence to State prosecutions and The
collection of debts due to the State
| Among other things, they recon
mend that when real estate has been
levied on, to satisfy executions in
favor of the State-there being nc
personal property Of the defendant
it shall be the duty of some one in
each county or judicial circuit, to
bid the amount of the judgment
upon the land, and that provision be
made for the taking possession OF
and making sale of the same in be-
half Of the State. This seems to us
to be very feasible and wise pro
position. To sell land upon such
executions, when it is the duty of
no one to look after the interest of
the State, does not by any means
render it certain that the amount of
the judgment will be bid, and leaves
open an avenue for fraudulent pur-
chases at nominal prices, while the
money due the sale remains unpaid
and there is no resource remaining.
To purchase the land for the State,
without any provision for the insti-
tuition of proceedings to recover pos
session. would be worse than moth
ing; the purchase satisfying the
judgment, while the possession re-
manning in the debtor, who, might
hold it for ever, in defiance of the
right of the State.
1t is also recommended that there
be no exemption of property from
execution on judgments in favor of
the State; and, the reasoning in ia
vor of this recommendation is GER
tainly sound, An execution issues
against the defendant in a criminal
prosecution. and is returned nulld
bona Judgment over is then had
against the State or county, for the
States costs these costs are paid
from funds raised by taxation, and
from the payment of taxes there is
no exemption. Thus the people pay
the debt of on indjUidudt, without
any exemption of property in their
favor, while in his hands there re-
mains hundreds Of dollars worth of
goods and chattels, and, perhaps,
real estate, of the value of one
thousand dollars, untouched.
The same reasoning will apply
with equal or greater force to the
the case Of delinquent tax collectors,
who have collected taxes due the
State, though, to do SO, required a
levy upon and sale of the last bush
ell OF the poor mans corn, or the only
COW to give milk for his family, or
his single horse, the only hope for
the cultivation of his crop, and re-
fusing to pay over the moneys so
collected, claims the benefit of a
large exemption. Ifthere be justice
or right in this, then we have GER
tainly hitherto conceived a very
incorrect idea of the definition of
those words. We have only men
toned a few of the numerous sug.
gestions and recommendation made
by the convention. We hope the
people will agitate and discuss
these matters, and when candidates
for the next General Assembly
come before you, make them ex-
press their views and opinions upon
the subject. The stringency of the
money market and the great fnan-
cial panic which lately swept over
the country, make us now feel more
sensibly than ever before the onus
of our heavy taxation. Alteration
and reforms can be made which will
tighten this weighty burden. Meas
ures can be instituted by which
enormous revenues and demands
due the State will be collected, and
which will serve greatly to relieve
the financial embarrassments of the
State Government, and enable us
once more to breathe free from the
incubus of taxation which, like ''the
old man of the sea" clings so close.
ly around our necks. Let us then
send to the next Legislature, men
pledged to support all measures
looking to tie needed reforms-men
who consider such pledges, made by
them, something more than empty
words-and then we may. indeed,
hope that new era of prosperity
and affluence will begin to dawn
upon us.
The Ne,o York San puts it tersely
after this fashion IF the Repub-
lican Senators imagine that any
tinkering of the infamous salary law
will satisfy the country which leaves
the Presidents pay fixed permanent
ly at fifty thousand dollars a year,
they will soon have an opportunity
to unlearn that delusion. 1t would