New-York tribune., 1897-08-11
M prFOPNS WANTED IN TEANESSEh

NO REFORMS WANTED IN ItNNE""h"'
Observers OF American politics who look ior
the speedv liberalization of methods Oh govern
mon, at the South can find little encouragement
N th, recent unqualified refusal OF me voters
&c Tannessoc TO sanction the calling OF con-
va,,iou IN revise the cumbersome ana anu
,ua,o,, Constitution of that State. Competer
returns from the more distant counties serve
only IN swell the maiorites cast at last Ihurs-
Jov.s snecial election against The programme ol
constitutional revision. Though less than one
,,;rl of tho normal voting strength OF re STATE
saeps m haye been brought out about 100000
,I,s roor nc AGAINST 800 900 in 1S0t-coDsent 70
hola tho nroposed convention has been withheld
hy fully three votes 10 one. In Nashv'ie' Mem
,hi. oud Cbattanooga-the chief seats of the
ooi,a+ion for n change in the States organic law
tho sunno,fprs of the revision t,cket won Dy
rosnoc,ahln nlu-alitips But the meagre vote
cast in zach OF these three centres Of pollticai
,ntelljgence and activity discloses an apathy
,,bicb could not but be fatal to the success or
the reform programme In NASHVILLE Tor III
s,ance whore over 10000 voters were drawn
n tho nolls hv last years extraordinary Presl-
den,ial contest. only 1916 TOOK the trouble on
Thursday m 90 Oh record for or against Con
s,i,ut;onal Convention Outside The cities, on
the other hand. the vote was more normal; ana
whether ont OF the mere distrust of rural cor
sorvatism. or because the urgency OF the pro-
nosed constitutional changes had not been sufli-
GENTLY emphasized by popular discussion, the
voice Of the country districts went overWhenh-
jngly against the convention project
Tho defects in administration which the ad-
vocates Of constitutional revision sought to
H.
vide opinion OH partisan lines. Indeed the
scheme of reform outlined left untouched the
crovest evil in the States polltcs-the scan
dolous lack In its election machinery OF any
guarantees against partisan violence and fraud
II was merely proposed to simplify the STATES
judicial system, TO reduce or abolish the ices
extorted under it AT present by minor coure
officials. and 10 make elective many OF the
county offices now filed by appointment from
Nashville. In themselves the reforms were
thoroughly practicable and desirable; ana their
acceptance as part of the fundamental law or
the STATE might have proved stepping stone
10 stin further administrative advances-among
them the rewriting of the election code, whose
lanentabe perversons have in recent years so
deeply tarnished the good name or Tennessee.
Last weeks decisive rebuff seems 10 prove
however, thnt Ol!nlOU III lIIc Statt OF OH duu
Jackson. of Johnson and Browniow. is scarcely
ripe for any serious publication of. its lurbu-
lently partisan politics
1t is interesting to find representative Dem
ocratic authority like The Memphis Scmtar"
frankly declaring that the true cause Of the de-
feat Of the revision scheme was "the distrust
(which years of misgoyernment have engen-
"dered in tie minds of Tennesseeans.' They
have arrived" The Sclmltar" adds, Eat the
point where they would rather bear the Ills
"they have than hy TO others that they suspect
"to be hidden in every scheme of a public nature.
"rhe manner of conducting elections has given
rise to so much scandal that thousands OF good
citizens a majority of whom would probably
"have voted for convention, remained away
from the polls having no assurance that their
"v0tes would be counted as cast
What melancholy light this matter-of-fact
statement made apparently without resentment
Or apology. throws on political manners and
morals in Tennessee! Time has indeed quick