The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1882-07-01

"
months and have jurisdiction of
all crimes and misdemeanors the
punishment of which is not more
than L months Imprisonment or
500 inei have charge Of admis.
traitors, guardians, assess the prop
ertyi assess the taxes, entire su-
peryision of roads, ferries and all
public county matters. Let the
Chancery Court expire with the
present term of the Chancellor. |
Our State is too poor now to in.
dulge in the luxury of Chancery
Courts. There is scarcely a Chan.
eellOr in the State who is occupied !
more than half of the judicial days
allotted by law. There are many in
teresting branches connected with
this important discussion that we
would like to discuss. but if we
take the space required to give
our reasons for the changes we
have proposed in the constitution,
we will want a political essay rath-
er than a newspaper commmica-
ton.
There are donbtles many who
think the views presented here are
anti-democratic and not in accord
ance with the theory and spirit of
our government. In the first place
our government is not democrat
ic government. tits republican,
representative government. No
rule is laid down in the constitu.
ton as to how the State officers
should be elected; each State is
the sole and only judge of this. In
the earlier days, "our daddys'
days." many of the States elected
the Governor and the rest of the
State officers by the Legislature
and we here state that the persons
selected by the Legislatures il
those past days were as able if moi
ADLER than those elected by thu
people; and the same will be fount
true for the rest. Virginia, th'
Democratic star that never set
but always shonc bright and Sc
rene in the Democratic sky, di'
for many years elect her Governo
and the rest of her State officers
including the Judges, by her Leg
islature. Her Sheriffs obtaine'
that office by decent. The Magis
tratcs were legally entitled to |
by the date of their commission
1t was the custom in those goo
old Democratic times in that gram
Democratic State for the perso1
entitled to the Office of Sheriff t.
sell it to whosoeyer. would Civ
the most for it. This was custom
airy and legal. Such was pure DE
mocracy when it's chief apostl'
dreamed and philosophical in hi
half.Gallican, half-English villa 0
Monticello. In those good oil
Democratic days no person coul'
vote or hold Office in that Stat
unless he was a housekeeper, o
to use % common phaise of theirs
ahis pot boiled.n If Magistrate
were elected by the Legislature TO
a term of years and clothed will
responsible duties, some of tn
best men in the counties woul'
accept and perform the duties az
signed. No one who is fully con
petent is willing at presentto ente
the list of candidates, and thos
> are generally elected who will az
cept it. Greater dignity and r'
spect would center in the Office
Holding the courts quarterl.
debts could be collected IN ha
the time required now, and NOR
: than half of the prisoners could b
L tried aud disposed of, and thus r.
u lieve the county of much of tn
Jail expenses.
I The system of government mel
L toned in this has been tried in tn
d past and was successful, but SON
u new lights preached a new Demo
s racy to elect every officer by ii
Q people. How it is working we q
s know, and how the old systel
l. worked is a matter of history. A
l. rejecting minds will acknowlede
I that some great change is demand
y ed, and the longer the present sy
u tenn is continued the deeper roote
Q and more difficult to remove.
+ DEER CREEK.
@
Q The Boss Game.