The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1897-06-24
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION,

tUNolllUllONAL UNIV kNIION'
Shall we Have One or Not, And If Not, Please
Give us Some Sensible Reason Why NOtP
No one can deny that our organic law
has become antiquated. We have out
grown it long since, and absolutely
need new safeguards to preserve the
liberties of the people from the en-
croachments of the avaricious classes
who seek to become the governing
power of the state. Shall we supinely
submit to be governed by trusts of high
and low degree, by soulless corpora
tions securely intrenched behind the
power combined capital has given them
to purchase q controlling voice in the
lawmaking department of the state
government, or shall we rise up in the
divinely given majesty of freemen, as
sert our manhood as becomes an in
telligent and patriotic citizenship, and
command our servants to be obedient
to our will?
A noble old philosopher once said /:
Gle who can not think is a fool; he
who will not think is a bigot, but he
who dare not think is q slave" Can it
be true that Tennesseans are afraid to
trust themselves to recast the funda-
mental law of the state for fear of max
ing bad matters worse? Or does the
fear spring from want of confidence in
the virtue and intelligence of the peo-
pie to maintain constitutional govern
ment? 1t was not so in 1779 when our
forefathers assembled at Watauga with
in eight miles of where | am now seated
and formulated the autonomous system
of local government on the American
continent. They did not deem it in
cumbent on them to ask permission OF
George III to form a constitution and
enact laws for their own government.
They believed in the "divine right OF
self government, and proceeded to re-
duce their belief to practice. A few
years later when John Sewer and his
captains assembled in Jonesboro, crea.
ted the state of Frankland as a sovereign
body of lawmakers, they did not appre
ciate the necessity of obtaining per
mission from North Carolina to exercise
the God. given right of self-government
And has there been no advance within
the past hundred years? Are we less
free than the sturdy old patriots of the
last century?
During the revolutionary period il
t776 North Carolina formed state con
stitution that was a great improvement
on the colonial charter granted by thu
British King, but it contained many
undemocratic features, such as electins
the governor, magistrates and many o
the state officers by the legislature. B,
kind of legal fiction this 1776 constitu
ton extended over the whole of the ter
ritory afterwards formed into the stat
of Tennessee, but when congress passed
the act organizing a territorial govern
ment over all the territory south of TIN
Ohio River in 1887, the way was openet
for the people of Tennessee to form
their organic law and become one of tn
states of the American Union. Accord
ingly after a territorial pupilage OF
few years the people elected delegate
to meet and form state constitution
This convention assembled in Knox
vile, and in twenty-eight days from it
organization drew up and adopted
constitution, the leading features c
which are still in force and constitut
the fundamental law of the state. @
course, this twenty-eight day conven
tion, in a large measure, adopted til
1775 constitution of North Carolin
without alteration, and it is now ant
quated and wholly unsuited to the pres
ent industrial conditions and bushes
and social necessities of our people
But this Knoxville convention of 179(
was sui generis in the whole world
history of constitutional conventions
Nothing like it has ever occurred in a
the wide range of American history
either before or since. These pure
patriotic and unselfsh men in til
wilderness met together at their ow
expense, wrestled with the knotty prol
lens in formulating a system of organ
law for the government of great stat
adjourned and went back to their col
stituents without voting themselv'
one cent of pay either as per diem {
miIage. There was only one item
expense to the people for whom the
gave their time, labor and talents, ar
that was an appropriation of ten dolla
to the printer or printing the constit'
ton. Only think of that ye mercenal
lawmakers who enter the field Of pol
tics to become bloated bondholders al
multi millionaires No wonder Il
peorle of Tennessee have embalmt
the memory of Jackson, Sewer and Il
other members of that convention
; their heart of hearts for this noble Sc
\ abrogdtion in serving their fellowme
/ challenge the history of all past ag