Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-08-15
Courts and Politics.
wInehesler Homo JournaI.

The Constitution of the State OF Ten
nessee, in Article VII, Sec. 8, provides
that the election of judicial and civil Of
ticers shall be held tho first Thursday
in August Article III, Sec. z, provides
that the election of Senators and Rep
resentatives shall be held the first Tues
day after the first Monday in Noveni-
ber; and Article ILL., Sec. 2, provides
that the Governor shall be elected at
the same time that Senators and Rep
resentatives are elected. This is the
organic law of the State. The wisdom
in fixing the judicial and political eleS-
tions at different times is, that the ju-
dicial system may not be entanglod
with the political, and to preserve from
the corruption Of fpolilcs the judiciary.
The trainers of the State Constitution
saw proper, in their wisdom, to so ar
range the elections as to prevent any
combination or association between
the two systems. Our Judges should
be dead TO politics so far as public ex-
preston is cOncerned and whenever
a Judge steps off of the bench into the
political arena, he besmirches his Judi
cial ermine. Questions often arise in
politics that have to he determined by
our Courts, and the Judge who enters
questions, ought TO be incompetent TO
try them. Judges are only men, and
when their prejudiccs are awakened
upon public question, being men,
their prejudices will naturally warp,
in some degree, their judgment
Notwithstanding the broad princi-
pie that the purity of our Courts must
he watched with jealous eye and kept
free from the communicating iniluen-
ces OF politics, one faction Of the Dem-
ocratlc party seems 10 favor the nomi-
nation Of Judges and Governor by the
same Convention, and their reason is
obvious. They hope to he in the ma
jority in the Convention, and will say
TO such men as they propose to nomi-
nate, 'Now If you do not declare your
selves in line, (desiring Railroad
Commission) we will chop of your ju-
dlcial aspiration and nominate sOme-
body else that will be i'm line" In
other words, they say ave are not on
ly determined to have a Railroad Com
mission Mt the risk of losing the State
TO the Republican party, but we in
tend TO elect Judges who win stand by
and sustain, in their judicial capacity,
any Commission that may be enacted"
If this is TO be done-tiovernor and
Judges nominated by the same Con-
elect Legislature that
will pass the most rigid law, and your
newly elected Judges sustain it, what
is to become OF the confidence of our
people in our judicial system? And
when the confidence OF the people i'm
our Courts is destroyed, our govern
ment has proven failure and the peo-
pie left without tribunal 10 adjust
their differences. Such cOmbina-
tion MS this Is thrust at our form OF
and, il successful, will
shake the confidence OF the people to
such an alarming extent the result of
which cannot be forecast.
And who is it doing all this desper-
ate work, and what is the purpose IL
IS the machine politician, who has not
only invited the negro to walk upinto
he synagogue and take seat by his
'ide, but is willing TO suiler defeat by
.he Republican party and hurl dan
gerous doctrine against the very bull
Harks OF our form Of government
md all To regulate railroads, "tho great
that are expressing the
lear people" We put the question 10
,very candid thinking man Can such
nen be trusted with the reins OF gov
,rnment? They are these one-idead
elbows who can't see anything beyond
Railroad Commission; and a Rail-
Dad Commission they must have,
courts or no courts, people or no peo-
lie.
When we have in our midst a set Of
politicians who will not heed the voice
Il the people as expressed Mt the ballot
,ox, nor obey the decisions OF the
ourts, who have no love for the fund
mental principles OF government, it
) time for the people to look upon
heir counsel with grave doubts and
ears.
Let us have separate Conventions.
.et us keep the political system un-
by politics, and preserve
nth perfect security the confidence OF
he people in our Courts.