Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-06-16


Mr.. Ballow, Of McMinn, to 80 amend
the Constitution as to submit the elec'
ton of Judges for the Supreme. Circuit
and Chancery Courts, and that of At.
torneys General, to the people at the
ballot box, shall receive warm and
earnest support. Indeed the present
system is made to operate most odiouly
in some instances, by the wanton dis.
regard Of the wishes of those most i'm
mediately concerned in the result. 1t
will be readily conceded, that it is an
easy matter for members, from differ.
ent parts Of the State, who recognize
the trading policy, to combine together
for sufficient quid pro quo, to place
upon some particular Judicial District,
an Attorney General, or a Judge,
wholly unacceptable to the people Of
his immediate district-he, forsooth,
being able to furnish a few votes in
turn to decide. some other hotly con-
tested election of equal or superior i'm
portance. A remarkable instance in
point was exhibited today, in tie vote
to elect Democratic Attorney Cen
eral for Judicial District, having a
Whig majority of twenty five hundred
votes, the Democratic candidate, we
understand, being the least qualified
of the competitors. I shall not be sur
prised if tomorrow he is elected.n
Now, gentlemen, as much as l stand
opposed to 30 much coming before the
people, with elections for county and
State officers, honestly believe that
Mr. Ballew's resolution ought to be
adopted, and the Constitution amended
as proposed.
There is less corruption among the
people, than among their representa-.
tives, and more regard for the public
good. Beside, the people, or at least a
majority of them, would, at the ballot
box, at least select Judges and Attor-
ney Generals, acceptable to themselves,
a thing not often done now adays, by
trading politicians.
There is a great deal OF truth in the
remarks of the member from Mont
gomery. A disregard OF the wishes OF
those Immediately concerned, is the re.
suit of more than half your elections.
Instance the case of Mr.. Kyle's elec-
tion for this district. intend no Ie.
Elections upon Mr.. Kyle himself, for |
personally esteem the man. Nor do
blame him for desiring the office to
which you have elected him. But Mr..
Kyle was in easy circumsran ces-had
passed out Of this district into another,
where he married lady of wealth,
and could do without the office. Messrs.
9. w. Nelson and o. P. Temple, whom
you beat SO shamefully, are both poor,
need the office, and are as competent
to fill it, as Mr.. Kyle is. Either of these
gentlemen would have been as accept
able to the district as Mr. Kyle. Indeed,
Mr.. Temple is the most talented man
you had before you for the office, and
his claims upon the Whig party are
stronger thAn those of any one of the
six candidates you voted for. No young
man in East Tennessee has rendered
the Whig party more efficient service
and at greater sacrifices than himself.
This weighed nothing with you. Neither
Temple nor Nelson had any rich kin in
the Legislature, or any aristocratic re-
latlons at home, to influence your &C.
ton. A poor man with merit, talents,
and strong claims, has no chance for
success among time serving, wine
drinking, selfish pack of fools, who,
destitute of patriotism, themselves,
suspect all others for being like mind.
ed
What encouragement has a young
man, in East Tennessee, to spend his
time and money in the service of a
party, alike destitute of gratitude and
honorp When the Locofocos are in
power, they properly reward their
friends, and this enables them to get
into power again, as they will and
ought to do, in this State, two years to
come. Let the Locofoco orators of
Tennessee, two years from this, show
up the consumption of time by this
Whig Legislature in useless ballotings
for offices, day in and day out, which
they had the power to have filled at
once; let them throw the responsibility
of holding an unusually long and ex,
pensive session upon the party having
a majority of twelve upon joint ballot,
and it will tell and must tell, and it
ought to tell at the ballot box, against
any party on earth.
Gentlemen, there is no excuse for
your suffering single election to con.
sumo one, two, and three days, when,
without injustice to any one, it might
be made to consume only one, two, or
three ballotings. In the election of Gen.
Zollicoffer, as Comptroller of the Treas
ury, a most excellent officer and esti.
mable man, you balloted but once,
giving him 81 votes, while his Locofoco
opponent, Mr.. Martin, received the en-
tire vote of his party, 40. In this way
you could, and ought to dispose of all
the elections. But instead of this, you
balloted whole day, for Sen ator in
Congress, giving to no man more than
fifteen or twenty votes-and thus run.
ming the State to an expense of some