The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1876-10-27
The Proposed Amendments
TO lhe C0Rstiuti0nI
An Infamous Scheme for PO-
IiiicaI purpose!
Judge 10 be elected BY tfsc
iII al Legislature!
Corrupt officers 10 be kept
In Office four years.

III OhAANS run ftehhH ~
Read and vote against II by
voting the Republican Ticket.
Among the many acts of the
Democratic legislature of Ten
nessee for 1875, abridging and
taking awayrthe rights Of the
people, was the joint resolution
proposing eighteen amendments
TO our constitution,
This constitution was made and
ratified by the Democratic party
in 1870, and in less than five years
they propose these eighteen
amendments. Among them is
one to amend the 3D. Section Of
the 18th Article, so as to author
lie the Legislature to submit
amendments to the constitution
directly to the people, and if the
amendments receive a majority
of the voters of the State it be-
comes a part of the constitution
from the first day of the follow
ing January. This will make.
amendments to the constitution
about as cheap and easy to man
age as ordinary acts Of legislation.
BY slillful manipulation al
most any amendment, or list Of
amendments, may be made to the
constitution before the people
understand them. The Joint res
olution of March oath, 1878, pro
posing these eighteen amend
|ments was evidently intended to
be voted through withoutinvesti-
cation. No man can tell what is
meant by reading the resolution
or advertisement submitting
the amendments. He must take
up the resolution and compare
section by section with the pres
ent constitution.
The resolution proposes to
amend Article I'd by striking out
two and inserting four. This
change will make the general as
sembly only election once in four
years. 1t futher proposes to make
the governor election only once
in four years. 1t proposes to
amend Article 6 Section 3D. by
striking out qualified voters of
the State" and inserting "vote of
both houses of the generalassem-
| bly;p also, to strike out eight and
insert twelve. This takes the
election Of supreme judges from
the people and puts it into the
Legislature, and extends the term
of the judges from eight to twelve
years.
The next proposed amendment
takes the election Of circuit
Judges and chancellors from tho
people and puts it into the legis-
Ilature. These amendments doub
10 the.time that the governor and
members Of assembly hold their
officers, and binders and delays
the people in getting rid of in
E~ellieient or corrupt officers. The
two following amendments de
priye the people of The circuitand
districts Of elocting their judges,
or Of the means of defeating an
Inefficient or tyrannical judge at
lthe ballot box. 1t is taking the
power over their officers from
those most Interested, and put
~ting,itwhere L canvand will be
made a matter of party and poll
tics.
EE One of the amendments propo-
|ses to stike from Section2S, Ar
2 of the constitution the
following clause: "All male citi-
zens of this State, over twenty
lone years Of age, and not exon
ted by age or inlrmity, shall be
taxed not less than fifty cents nor
more than one dollar, nor can a
county or corporation levy a tax
exceedingtha Of the State, This
amendment will take away tie
constitutional limitation Of re
striction and allow the Legislature
I5to lay a. tax Of any amount it
chooses on the poll. 1t may lay
Five, ten or even twenty dollars.
One Of the other amendents pro
posestosstrikc out "the thousand
dollars of personal property OK
empted" SO that every poor man
can be taxed forIiis water bucket,
his dinner pot and straw bed, as
well as for his dog and poll.
Many Of these amendentare sub
Ito and dangerous encroachments
upon the dearest rights Of the
COMMON people.
They are proposed in q manner
hard to understand and if the