The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-05-10

70 F. rhaps the most important OF al
the PROPOSE. mendments to the Con
stitution of Tennessee is the one taking
ing the election of Judges from before
the people and placing the selection oil
our Judicial officers before the General
Assembly. If the people could have a
fair chance to select Judges, there could
be no possible objection to their election
at the ballot box. But the danger is
that, while the people are at home at
tending to their work, INSCRIPTIONS
tricksters WI! call small convention
and set up can( idate who is ignorant
or corrupt, or both, while the opposing
political party will nominate man of
like character, and then the two politi-
cal parties will be called upon to stand
up to their principles and vote for their
man. A political partizan Judge is not
fit to sit in judgment upon the rights of
the people. That officer, of all others,
should be impartial and altogether free
from temptation of any kind. 1t may
be that we have very fair Judges under
the present manner of electing them by
the people, but human nature is weak
and it is natural for a man to lean to-
ward his friends and against his enc
mics. Suppose Judge is to be elected,
and there are two men in a neighbor-
hood, one of whom is the political enc
my of the candidate, and uses strenuous
efforts to defeat his election, while the
other is his political friend, and freely
spends his time and his money to secure
his election, and then suppose these two
neighbors have suit? Is that Judge
the proper person to hold the balances
of justice evenly between these two
men? Surely not. In spite of himself
his feelings would be for his friend and
against his enemy. The people of Ten
nessee have this matter of the manner of
electing Judges to decide for themselves
shortly, and it is co be hSped they will
think WEI and decide the question
wisely.
-. And S5i il the meantime fse , people !d =, OF
this cirouh have a judo to elect IN Au-
gust next. m shall watch with good
deal of interest the progress q the can
vass. We shall watch to see Ii there
are appeals made through the press TO
the people to vote for this man because
he is a Democrat, or for that man be-
cause he is a Republican. We expect
to see two partizan conventions called, |
which conventions will be apt to be |
with all the rascality and |
unfairness of such organizations and two
partizan candidates presented to the peo-
pie for their SURFACES, and the people |
will be forced to choose between these
two political hacks, or not vote all. If
such nominating conventions are held
and tolerated, and pure men are present
ed, it will, perhaps, be we'll enough for
the independent people to vote for one
Dr the other of the two as they may
chosen; but if blatherskite politicians
ire put up for Judge by these party con
1entions, then we hope to see the peo-
pie halt, kick the political hacks from
hem, and vote for good man, outside
Of nomination.
The idea of a political, partizan Judge
8 revolving. The country ought to
=rown down all such officers right now,
before the evil grows dangerous to their
lights and liberties, It would be far
better for us to have ten independent
candidates for this honorable and re-
iponsible office than to have two politi-
al scalawags, nominated by a tricky