The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-12-30
GENERAL ASSEMBLY

ASo0ulblf VIII Deglu W dlAlFO IL
Nashville to get ready for the
opening of the Legislature, which
will convene on the first Monday
in January. There is much inter
est centered in the organization of
the two branches of the General
Assembly, as it will devolve upon
each body to select its presiding
and subordinate officers, except
some of the latter, which are APP
pointed by the speaker. Some of
the contests for these offices are
very lively ones owing to the fact
that the respective friends of the
aspirants have become interested
and are using their influence in
behalf of their favorite candidate.
While the officers of the Senate
and the House will be formally
chosen by these bodies and the
United States Senator and the sew
eral State officers elected by the
Joint vote of the two Houses, nom-
nations will be made for the places
above indicated by Democratic
caucus, which will in fact be equal
to election. All contests for office
will be fought out in caucus and of
course all such nominees will be
elected.
Early in the campaign the Sena-
torial contest gave promise of be-
ing the attractive feature of the
Democratic caucus, for if it had
been carried on to the meeting of
the Legislature with anything like
equal chances for the two aspirants
all interest would now be centered
in that conflict, but fortunately for
the Democratic party and the peo
pile Of Tennessee the race, in which
much antagonism was engendered,
was settled early in the campaign
and nothing now is left of that
election but the formality-Sena-
tor W. B. Bate will be nominated
by the caucus and subsequently
elected by the General Assembly.
The State officers who are al
ready the nominees of the Demo
cratic party, but who will be given
the Endorsement of the caucus and
elected by the Legis
lature, are Reau E. Folk, for State
Treasurer; Frank Dibrell, State
Comptroller; John w. Morton,
Secretary of State.
The General Assembly is made
up of thirty-three Senators and
ninety nine Representatives. There
can be no greater number of the
latter, for the constitution prohib
its any more. The Senate mem
bership cannot exceed one third of
the Representatives. Hence that
body, too, is as large now as the
constitution will permit.
BY constitutional provision the
General Assembly meets on the
first Monday in January and some
lime during the session the Gov
srnor is inaugurated.
To be eligible for Representa-
i've man must be 21 years old, a
,itizen of the United States, must
rave been a citizen Of this State
hree years, and resident of the
ounty he represents one year. A
State Senator must be thirty years
# age; must be citizen of the
United States and must have re-
ided in the State three years and
ne year in the county or district
q reprsgpnts.
Each House elects its speaker
nd its other officers and is the
ldge of the qualification and elec
lon of its members. Two-thirds
T all the members of each house
quorum. Each House /
lakes its own rules, and has the
over to punish or expel a mem.
er. Members of either body are I
OF subject to arrest during the
ession of the General Assembly
kept for murder, felony or
reach of the peace.
Bills may originate in either I
louise, but each bill must embrace !
ut one subject and that subject