Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-12-11
THE NEXT LEGISLATURE
Bent on RetrenchmenC and Reform
List of Bills or that Character
Already Prepared TO be
Presented.

hat the senator-elect from this county, Hon.
Clay Roberts, was engaged IN preparing
quite a number Of bills to be presented for
passage 10 the next general assembly tending
TO a reduction OF the current expenses OF the
State government, and amendments to the
criminal laws by which a large amount OF
costs will be saved to the State, we called on
that gentleman yesterday and were shown
Inc following bills:
To reduce the compensation of the judges
of the supreme court from four to three
thousand dollars per annum.
To reduce the compensation of the circuit
judges and chancellors from twenty-five hum
bred TO eighteen hundred dollars per annum.
To repeal the law allowing the adJutant-
general of the State salary of eighteen
hundred dollars per annum.
To repeal the law allowing the comptroller
a clerk at the expense of the State on a salary
of twelve hundred dollars per annum.
To repeal the law allowing the secretary
of state a salary of twelve hundred dollars
per annum.
To repeal the law authorizing the appoint
ment Of a superintendent of the penitentlary
at salary of twenty-five hundred dollars
per annum, and requiring the warden OF the
penitentiary to perform the duties now I'M
posed by law on the superintendent without
additional compensation.
To repeal the law creating a bureau of
now costing the State twelve thousand two
hundred dollars per annum.
TO repeal the law allowing the State geol-
ogist a salary of one hundred dollars per an
mum.
To reduce the compensation of the superin.
tendent of the Capitol from fifteen hundred
dollars to six hundred dollars per annum.
To reduce the compensation of the State
librarian from one thousand to six hundred
dollars per annum.
To reduce the compensation of the superin
tendent of public instruction from three
thousand to eighteen hundred dollars per
annum.
To equalize and regulate the salaries Of
certain public officers. The bill provides that
no clerk of the supreme court, clerk and mas
ter Of the chancery court; clerk of the crimi-
nal court, clerk of the county court, collector
of revenue, district attorney general, treasu-
rer secretary of state or comptroller, shall
receive, directly or Indirectly, from the fees,
emoluments or perquisites of his Office, nor as
trustee, commissioner, trustee or receiver, Or
from any position or place OF trust, or en-
ployment to which he may be appointed by
any court or judge, any sum greater than
two thousand dollars Ter annum, and requires
all the officers enumerated TO make I:nder
oath and file with the comptroller, on the
first Monday in January and July OF each
year, q true exhibit of all fees received by
them for the previous half year, and pay over
to the comptroller, pit State officer, and to the
county trustee, if a county officer, any amount
In excess of two thousand dollars, The bill
then provides that the judges of the various
courts may authorize the clerks to employ as
many deputies as are absolutely necessary to
perform tie duties of the office, at salary OF
not exceeding Slty Goi,Rr2 ger month each.
A bill giving circuit and criminal Judges
discretionary power whether they will hold
jurors together oil dispense them during Grim
Inal trials, TINS saying heavy expense for
boarding Juries.
A bill repeating the law competing the
State to pay the cost in criminal cases where
clerks have taken insufficient securities.
A Dill requiring parties imprisoned, while
waiting or'trial, to 40 to tae co4uty work.
house in place Of the Jail.
A bill prohibiting appeals to the supreme
court in many cases where now allowed.
Mr. Roberts informs us that the amount to
which he desired to reduce IAe saier,es OF the
governor, the judges Of the supreme court,
and the circuit judges and chancellors, are
the same that were paid them in 1861, at the
breaking out OF the yer, and as the cost Of
living and of transportation was meyer shedp-
Ell than It is at present, he is satisfied that all
salaries should be reduced accordingly. He
says that until within few years back nell
Their the governor, the comptroller nor the
expense of the State; that the duties of these
officers sre moi more enerous than they were
before 1872, and if they desiae TO base come
enc TO do their work for them If is but Just
and proper that they should bear the expense
out of their own pockets.
TIE superintendent of the Capitol now
draws salary of fifteen hundred dollars per
Rnnum, while theas gre hundreds of young
men in the State worthy aQd competent 70
fill the place at less than half that atnount.
In support of his bill to abolish the office of
agriculture, statistics and mines, Mr.. Roberts
informs us that he fully appreciates the value
of immigration, and that if Tennessee was
out of debt he would go as fat as the farthest
to encourage lmmigratloni but az the State 10
now unable to pay what she owes, he Is not
willing to spend twelve thousand two hum
bred dollars per annum for this department.
He has, by way of amendments to the Grim
inal code, proposed a bill giving magistrates
Jurisdiction to dispose Of many small otfenses
that now go to the circuit and cEiIlIE2! courts.
Mr.. Roberts has also prepared bill with
much care, entitled Gan act to regulate as
signments for the benefit Of creditors" 1t
prescribes, in substance, that every assign
creditors shall provide for a pY'0pOytiO1Gte
distribution of all his personal and real estate,
except what is exempt by law from execution
and attachment, among all his creditors In
proportion to the amount Of their respective
claims,
Without eomAlitting ourselves to the sup
port of all these measures, VIC present them
to our readers, and particularly to the mem
bers of the general assembly, as matters that
will be up for consideration when the legisla-
ture meets, The Banner has been alive to
the Importance of economy and retrenchment
in the management of State affairs, and will
at all times be found in advocacy of measures
tending IN that direction. 1t may be that
some of the bills in question go little too
far, but in every case where legitimate re-
forms can be affected and unnecessary expen-
ses cut down, the Banner will be found on
the side of economy and reform.