The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1912-08-23


should cost should be distributed equall
among all the people in the extension
of high schools. Otherwise the none.
appropriated is strictly class legislation
A very deceptive clause is that a practlc
and observation school in conjunction
with these normals, in which shall b.
taught at least all the subjects EN-
braced in the primary schools, shall b.
established. This is also one of the de
fects of the system. In it an excuse IL
offered to take the school children from
every locality who should be taught al
home. A provision is made for the
revenue accruing to the benefit of each
child to go to the normal school he OF
she attends. This provision serves only
to weaken our local public schools, and
strengthens the city schools of three
cities where the normalS are located at
the expense of the different counties and
the tax payers of the State. The local
schools are sacrificed and three normal
schools unfairly nourished and strength
ened. Union City was not candidate
for the West Tennessee Normal, and if
she had been, the case mould not be
altered from a moral and equitable
standpoint.
Another very obvious defect in our
general State system needing constitu-
tional revision is Capitalization - too
much authority in the legislature. For
instance, municipalities should be en-
powered with the right to issue bonds
without having to wait for an act of the
legislature. The idea of restricting in
fuences by clothing the legislature with
this power is transparent indeed in the
face of the fact that corporations cannot
issue bonds successfully unless they can
sell them, and bond sold for less than
par is an indication of the fact that the
bonds should not be issued, and in a
majority of cases would not be issued.
The municipalities at least should be
clothed with the discretion and power of
issuing bonds for improvements, for the
principal reason that these powers are
used by members of the legislature to
traffic in legislation. II municipality
wants to issue bonds the member of that
district often trades his vote for local
measures in other parts of the State to
secure his advantage. This is what
the baneful practice Of sena-
torial and representative courtesy, a
practic that should be a felony. 1t is
the cause of more corrupt legislation in
the States and in Congress than all other
influences combined, and should be
corrected as far as possible. That is
why we say that no advantage is had in
going to,the legislature for permission
to issue bonds. Many other powers
should be taken out of the hands of the
legislature and delegated and the system
thus improved.
Another question should come up for
consideration. And that is the consti-
tuition should provide some restriction
upon the creation of boards and COM
missions by the State assembly. The
Democratic platform asks for tax
We have ample means
already for this work. If it is honesty |
and efficiency that is lacking what would
be added, pray, in commission but
the danger of additional graft and d.
version of the law. That was the trouble |
with the recent State administration of |
Governor Patterson. In the place of
slecting county commissioners he desired
/ State board to appoint these commits
'ioners, and many other useless boards,
md instead of bringing about the relief
sought it was aggravated and the pre-
election pledges broken.
The creation of commissions, boards |
md courts is a tendency towards bu-
,eaucracy that should be abridged. The
dea of Congress, which costs the Gov
eminent from five to ten millions year
o make our laws, having a tariff COM
mission is unspeakably discreditable to
our system.
In the constitutional changes the work |
should be done not by the average poll
5ician, but by the best citizens Of the
State, men of honest convictions and |
moral courage. 1t would be calamity |
% hold constitutional convention made |
Up. of the average hot-headed political |
actions usually attending State con-
yention.