The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-02-05

OON. IL. IL. laylOf last FRIDAY sent
the following message to the Gener-
al Assembly:
To the Senate and House of
Representatives of the Fiftieth
General Assembly of Tennessee
Gentlemen: The able and compre-
hensive message of my honorable
predecessor, covering almost the
entire range of important matters
requiring legislation, and the trend
of bills already introduced in your
honorable bodies, renders it un-
avoidable that this communication
should embody the recommendation
of measures already to some extent
anticipated. The issues of the late
State campaign were so pronounced
and the cry for reform so loud that it
seems to be imperative that you use
the pruning knife.
Elections.
The strength and perpetuity of our
institutions rests in the patriotism
of the people. With fair elections
the republic has little to fear. The
danger lies in the corruption of the
ballot-boX. If we would preserve
free government and popular liberty
we must maintain, at all hazards,
the integrity of the ballot in the
hands of the people. We have just
passed through a great political
struggle wherein each political party
accuses all other political parties of
every manner of election fraud.
This involves great danger, because
the people hear it with ever increas-
ing cOmplacency, and L fear that
law-makers are losing the full sense
of it's wickedness and enormity. 1t
is alarming when political parties
food States with money TO debauch
the ballOt-boX. and then fill the
Associated Press with ISLANDERS upon
the people whom they have failed
to corrupt. The danger is aug
mented hundred fold whenever
the General Assembly itself is in
voked to reverse the result because
forsuoth "a sufficient amount of
money was expended in the cam
paign by the defeated party to JUS
tify them in the belief that they had
bought the State. Congress is not
competent to deal with these things.
1t does not lie within the Federal
power to interfere with State cleo
tions. The responsibility therefore
rests upon you, gentlemen of the
Legislature, to guard the rights of
the people, and to give them honest
elections.
urge that you devise statutes so
searching and comprehensive in
their scope, and so severe in their
penalties, forbidding the use of
money in elections, as to at once
crash out this insidious evil. Can
we expect to have fair elections in
Tennessee when money is subscribed
in other States and shipped here by
the tens of thousands with the de.
liberate purpose of buying votes?
Honest patriots will lose respect for
government which permits such
practices. You cannot too strongly
condemn this evil and no restrictive
measures can be too severe. 1t
needs stamping to death quickly !;
else money will soon be master at
the polls, and then we should have
done with liberty and honest govern
ment. | am of the opinion that a
board consisting of three election
commissioners for each county, to
be appointed by the Governor,
should be created, whose duty it
shall be to name the officers of cleo
ton, superintend the same and re-
ceive and transmit all returns. The
! Trustee Of each county should be re-
uuired to deliver to the Board OF
! Commissioners of said county, two
days before any election, a complete
list of all persons who have paid
their poll taxes for the two preced-
ing years for the district or ward
where the election is held, said list
to be sworn to by such Trustee; and
that the judges of election be re-
quired to verify each voters right to
vote by this list, besides being re-
uuired to show his poll tax receipt;
| that said Judge be empowered to ad-
minister oaths and require persons
who may have removed from one
district or ward to another to make
oath as to the payment of their
two years poll taxes when the Trus-
tees list fails to attest it; that the
wrongful issuance or use of a poll
tax receipt be declared felony ana
that the false swearing of voters and
trustees be declared perjury.
Fee Reform.
The paramount duty devolving
upon YOU, gentlemen of the
Assembly, is the reform of court
costs. Our annual million dollar
criminal cost account has been built
up by the fee system. In my opin-
ion, the placing of district attorneys
and clerks of courts on salaries is
only the beginning of what should
he done. The swarm of witnesses
about our magistrates offices and
court-houses, especially in our cities,