Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-06-25
THURSDAY MoRNISG, JUNE Is, 1857.
THE KNOW NOTHING CANDIDATE FOR GOV
ERNOR-HIs VIEWS OF STATE POLICY-IN-
TERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

TERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
when Mr. Hatton entered the Legislature in 1855,
the SEXUAL and p7ospsstue liability Of hesitate, prn
eipaliy for rail road purposes, amounted to about
tsgeatv four million sof dollars. True, this not,
directly, an Indebtedness Of the State, but the
5oan and the tender of a loan, Of State bonds for
Internal improvement purposes, which as seriously
involved her credit as if the bonds were not loan,
and the State was the real proprietor Of the roads
These bonds we're being issued daily, and finding
market at home, were Cutting the markets abroad.
The enquiry vas being made by capitalists at a dis
lance, upon whom We had to rely for their sale, if
there was no limit to the issuance Of these bonds,
and whether or not the old would have any priority
over the new. And these questions from abroad
negative response had to be given; and, a con
sequence, distrust was being created in the minds
Of foreign capitalists. These facts we're all within
the reach Of Mr. Hatton, and were told to him upon
the floor of the Legislature.
The Governor had also informed the Legislature,
BY his message submitted to that body that it would
have to provide for the payment Of hundred and
ssysay.fUs thousand dollars Of bonds Of the State
that would soon be maturing [see 4th page Of the
message State stocks, as shown by the same
message, were at large discount and could not be
sold without heavy sacrifice.
The Comptroller Of the Treasury reported that, in
addition to the foregoing, in would devOlve on the
Legislature to provide some means Of raising the
further sum Of Sis, 500, to supply deficiency in
the Treasury, occasioned by the disbursement Of the
two previous years having exceeded the receipts by
that amount The amount Of revenue ac,ruing was
shown to be insufficient to pay the necessary ex-
penses Of the State to say nothing Of the old debts
falling due.
Under this statement Of facts, Of which Mr.. Hat
ton was fully cognisant, it was matter Of grave
importance that the credit Of the State should be
guarded witt the strictest caution. She had rely
upon that credit or upon the pockets of the people,
and this Mr.. Hatton very well knew.
And yet, what was his course Columns upon
columns would not be sufficient to convey to the
reader the reoklessness of his votes. Would that
every tax payer in the State had the Journal of that
session and would read it, page by page, that they
might see for themselves. There was no proposition
too wild for him-no policy too extravagant-and
no request that was unreasonable in connection
with further aid to rail road and other internal i'm
provemeut projects Of the State. OF the number Of
bills passed upon this subject, and the still larger
number that were rejected by the Legislature, we
can find but three OF four in the entire calendar
against which Mr.. Hatton voted and these votes,
evidently, were not given from any views of pru-
dence and safety, as the projects contemplated were
far more meritorious than the majority Of those for
which he voted.
Mr. Hatt0n was not satisfied to 60 on and complete
the large number of roads already chartered, to
which aid had been given, diversifying every sec
tion and accommodating almost every interest Of
the State; but he voted to charter number Of 9TH
er roads and pledge TO them the credit Of the State.
This might have been within the bounds Of pru-
dence but he was not willing to cOnhne his iberali-
ty to works Of a State character, but voted to tax
the general credit for works Of local character that
were more for the benefit Of private individuals than
for the public at large.
Mr.. HattOn would not stop here, but voted that
the State should Discriminate between roads, loaning
her bonds 20 some to anamOunt greater than $4,000.
That while the greater portion should be required
to sell the bonds at par, a favoritism should be
shown by ersu,ptng others from the rule, and per-
hitting them to sell the bonds if they pleased below
par.
Mr. Hatton went still farther, and voted that the
State should endorse the bonds Of different COmpa-
uies for hundreds Of thousands in addition to the
$4,000 per mile loan; thus increasing her lab lily
by hundreds Of thousands fnot millions Of dollars
One might suppose that Mr.. Hatton-in view Of
the already heavy liability Of the State, and the in
crease Of revenue. which the Governor and Comp
troIler had shown must be raised-would, as pru-
dent legislator, have stopped here, but no. He
thought that, in addition to the $4,000 per mile
and the endorsement Of the bond Of the Companies
for hundreds of thousands more. the State should
also loan them the means with which to build all
their bridges and abutments over the different rivers
and smaller streams that they would have to cross
There are, perhaps, some prudent men, Jealous in
their feeling for internal improvements, who might
have sanctioned Mr. Hattons vote II he he'd stopped
here But he was not yet satisfied. He wanted
the legislature in addition to the $4,000 per mile,
and the bridge money that had been loaned them,
and the endorsement Of their company bonds, TO
GIVE STATE AID, az the rate Of $4,000 per mile,
TO ALL TIE SWITCHES AND TURN OUTS Of all
these various roads This proposition, of itself,
embraced between one and two millions Of dollars
Of State bonds. We congratulate the railroad com
p6nes well AN III 4l ILtit s'AA ie-t
ton found himself in a hopeless minority on this
question and that the proposition was defeated.
Mr. Hatton, approaching the unpopuiarity, with
the people. Of the policy which he favored on tie
subject of internal improvements now says that if
elected Governor, he will oppose anyfurther extern
sion Of State aid except to use his own figure
.'vhen it is necessary to hang door or top of
chimney" Wonder if he would not consider the
revival Of this proposition to give aid to all the
g1-iteEss and turn os the hanging Of door orthe
TOPPING Of a chimney:
MIR. Hatton was so liberal with the credit Of the
State. that he did not con6ne himself 10 rail roads
and turnpikes Of public Importance, but viii be
found on examination of the Journal to have voted
for turnpike and river improvements strictly local in
their character He voted. for instance, to appro-
pirate $1,000 to clean out Emory river a sum not
sufficient to have been Of any service in such an un-
8crtaEnu. and stream that millions could not make
uavigable
Mr.. usrrov rAvoRING CORPORATIONS, But UNWILLING
TO PROTECT THE STATE.
TWAS certainly the duty Of the Legislature in eH-
tending such liberal bounty to railroad incorPora-
tions to take every precauuon that was calculated to
protect the State against loss when her bonds, loaned
TO these companies should begin to fall due 1t was
certainly the duty of gentleman of Mr. Hatton's
liberairy TO see that IL was done It was well I'M