Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-02-15
"Is CIVILIZATION A FAILURE, OR
WHAT"

This quotation from Bret Harte'
4" Heather Chinee" has no refer
ence to the partisan bias of the higI
Joint electoral commission and tn
determination Of eight men to out
vote seven all the way through
That may concern some few senti
mental people who study the phil
osophy of politics or want to stan'
by the old flag and an appropria
tion, as Mulberry Hers would say
but inst now thelo is a matter o
bigger Importance and consequence
to agitate the uneasy bosom of Ten
nessee politics FOR two years to come
There is blood on the moon, an(
the air is full of i'll omens. The
worst is to be feared. The present
legislature, elected to repeal the dog
law, has not only failed to do
so. but, by accident or otherwise.
taken a step which precludei
the possibility Of doing such
a thing this session. The
last legislature was cursed from
Carter to Shelby and from Missis-
sippi to Kentucky for passing the
dog law, and the present one il
likely to do greater penance for not
repeating it. There is a large and
patriotic and liberty-loying class
who believe that dog : breeding
should be encouraged on the one
hand, and the people should be
protected on the other from
the ravages Ct the fierce
blood : thirsty sheep. The at.
tempt to repross the former and
tolerate the latter has been con.
demned, and the distinct under
standing was that the fortieth
general assembly should repeal the
odious measure, aud so anxious
were the members to carry out
the wishes Of their constituent
that over thirty bills were
introduced on the subject. The
journals of the houses will show
more frequent illusions to this all
important scheme to promote dog
growing than anything else. There
was such a surfeit of these bills on
the clerks desk that on last Friday
an evil day-two Of them were
rejected. This was done merely to
get rid OF the rubbish with an ex.
pectation of reaching and passing
some other mans bill. Two days
elapsed, and no one thought to
move a reconsideration after that
it could not be done under the rules
The Constitution Of Tennessee pro.
videS that after a bill has been
rejected no bill containing the sanlt
substance shall be passed into q
law during the same session." The
American of Wednesday raised
this point in a sharp little article.
and then there was commotion
and running to and fro and ejacu.
lations not intended to be placed
on the journals. The discover,
was made too late there is no hell
for it, although an attempt wa,
made yesterday to have the journa.
corrected so as to ST. Y that the
bill was laid on the table instead Of
being rejected. This, however, il
a mere technicality without a sub
stantial difference. The dog Law
cannot be repealed this session un
less By totally disregarding the con
stitution. Parliamentarians vii
understand the point, but as al
Overwhelming majority Of the leg
iSlature was pledged to the repea
the members will find it very diff
cult TO explain how it happene,
that the minority out-voted them
The wrath of the dog-raiser vii
not be appeaSed, and about the tim
the tax,gatherer starts out mex
time hunting for scalps there vii
be music in the air. 1t will tax,
another exciting canvass and
thousand stump speeches to repea
the dog law, and then it may no
be done. The only earthly hop
nowi is in a decision by the Suprem
Court that the act in question i
unconstitutional.