Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1897-07-22
Advocates the Convention.

Campaign Committee constitutional
League, Hamilton County, Chatta-
nooga, Tenn, July 3, 1891
Mr.. Thomas H. Hill, :
sequaOhse, Tenn.
Dear SIR
I want a word with reference
to the proposed Constitutional Con.
yentlon. The time is near at hand
when we shall be required to vote
upon this very important question;
the election takes place on the hrsI
Thursday in August.
| think the broad and liberal
minded men of the state, without re
gard to party, are in favor OF thus
movement. Our present Constltu-
ton was adopted twenty-seyen
wears ago; within that time there has
Ibeen an evolution in almost every
thing with which we have had any
exper,ence. The Constitution a. Or
Iiginally adopted was for the time a
yerv wise one, hut in the advance OF
progress it is found that in many re-
spects the Constitution does not now
meet the interests of the State,
We have "a judiciary system that
is a burden upon the State and TINS
alone would be sufficient reasSn for
calling a Constitutional Convention.
If yoa will stop to think few mo
ments YOU will remember the fact that
we have forty-fve judges in the
State of Tennessee. Our sister state,
Georgia has but twenty-five. we
$ pay our forty five judges sll2'oOV
e for salaries purely. The average
number of days per yeaI which tn sse
> Judges sit and hold court IS 100
n Does it not occur to you that If you
were to hire servants you would
want them to work more than lo5
t days in the yearr The simple trutt
: is that the whole business Of the stat'
could be done by twenty-five judges
n and serve the people as well as now
Is and better, and thus save to the tax
payer $67 10000 in the year, provid
ed there shall be at the same time
= proper restriction of petty litigation
T. which is now allowed uselessly to en-
ter the courts, but require a simpl
le provision in the Constitution permit
ii ting the disposition of misdemeanor
by a jury of three or six men befOr
a Justice of the peace, and save NOR
= than one. half the criminal prOsecu
= ton of the State.
And again, one thousand years ag
the Baronial system of county court
ak which is almost exactly the same a
a our county court, was IN vogue wit
er its cumbersome machinery and e1
pensive results, with the exceptiO
III that in those ancient days the JustiC
W or Barons, drew no salary for the
rg service, while our system sucks th
at life nearly out of the people.
Every state around us, an
vs. throughout the Union 80 far as
m know, has abolished the cumberson
w machine, and transact their buslnet
ye with less than one fifth the expenI
ev of ours. We hang on to the old s.
er perannuated Institution, with ever,
thing around advancing and leavir
n. us behind.
r think the leading republican
Oh throughout the State who are not o
u. T fcials, or interested in official pos
,no ,mo tions, are in favor of this movemeI
w w for new Constitution. 1t is in
vo sense party measure. The dem
"a cratic machine, composed of Offic
M .La holders in the state, is almost to
nIg man opposed to the movement, al
ag ~ in strict justice to them l must S
'"I that our republican office holders
e. East Tennessee are almost as unit
u