Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-02-26
DEF4RREH DEPATI
No. 8I0ENhL. l.as.. .ls s.E.sI 4 IL 3. e.


/ Mr. BICKNELL said;
8psakeE, Abe llslEiag a-ana=EsGola-.
tons were passed at the last General Assembly Of
kthe State of Tennessee:
r NHEREAs, 1t has been represented to this Genera
Assembly, that school lands were ever set apart
for eemmaR- sGheol- pnETasss IL lhe mountainous
Pori9A Of Sc PReh q tbs district, as lies
/ NoTth and Eastof the Tehnessee river as was re-
Foaffed BY ne aet Of 1879, chap So section /, and
tht The whole Or said district has been granted BY
the State. And, Whereas the people residing within
the second fractional township in ranges SIX and
seven have presented theft petitions asking for an
/ appropriation in lieu Of said lands Therefore
ResoLUsd 5g the General Assembly Of tie State Of
( Tennessee That Hon. T. Alexander, George Brown,
and Thomss e. Lyon, Esqs beand they are hereby
appointed Commissioners, 70 investigate the justice
OF said claim, with power TO send tor persons and
papers; and, said commissioners, OK any two Of
them, shall report 70 the next General Assembly
touching the premises. They shall also report
whether any school lands were ever set apart % the
townships or fractional i0Wnships lying in OF near
what is called Cades Cove and Tbcaiuchu Cove, and
what is the reas0nabt value Of the school lands to
which said fractional townships entitled, and
what are the prOP6rtionats size Of said townships,
and any other matter they may think necessary and
proper. y.-4 ~ - ,a,r &c.
In accordance with the foregoing resolution, 7.
c. Lyon and George Brown, made OUT their report,
which was forwarded to me The representative Of
General Assembly, and had it referred 70 the Com
mittee Of Ways and Means This morning, that
Committee, through their Chairman, has made
most elaborate report, which is truly an anomaly
Ii refers back many years IN tbelegslation Of Ten
nessee and fecites many interesting facts worthy
/ to be remembered, and Valuable for reference.
r could not have anticipated anything else, than
snable reportfrom the Hon. Chairman Of that Com
mittee, Judge Dunlap,) and / now teAder TO him
my thanks for so mucn Of the repsrt asele0rly and
explicitly admits the justice, and equity, the claim
of my constituents, Bulslr, what Is sOTemarkab "
strange, Is that while It admits the justice and
equity Of the claim II recommends that p should
be alloWed-and what sir is the reasoning upon
| which such conclusion is based-smply because Of
the policy and precedent, and a drain upon the
Treasury
Is il bad policy, Mr. Speaker, to pay an honest,
just demand. Is It atprecedent 70, to snow al
times our willingness 10 Iete our common justice 10
any portion Of our fenoW-citizensi But Il is said
| its tendency would be to bankrupt the state. Sir,
the bonds that should have ibeeniset epart 10 my
constituents school lands have heeRs0ld and the
proceeds have long since gone into the Treasury ofthe
State That fund belongs to my constituents, and il
Is that which this day, IA their pame demand Of
the State of Tennessee. Tllis We DO nOt ask as a
gratuity, but demand it right in the name of The
children to whom It justly belongs; l demand it, is
1t honest IN an individual TO admit the justice ana
equity Of a demand and refuse TO pay It. 1 think
not -Inen would ask il IL IS uODlr5 IN the chlTa
rous State Of Tennessee to do what she would con-
denim in an individual? .s-"~ o. 49,
Bot it is said that the same law by which 1 claim,
gives schoollands TO ever county IL the State Sup
pose sir that such be the fact does that in the least
yIliate my claim? Surely not. The honorable gem
tleman from Madison, .tAaj. BuIlock,) thinks We
have taken Rip Van Winkle nap, and mat il is nov
late wake uptO this great question, True, sir,
We have long lain dormant on this subject while the
public treasury mas been enjoying the money-the
whole State has, for a long time enjoyed, what OF
right belong to We DO ask even the interest
on what is admitted to be jdsty due Us; we simply
ask that you MAKE an appropriation eouAl to the
value Of the lands that should hae been apart as
school lands - 'a-' -.-7. 90 go
Those Commissioners appointed atthe last session,
have taken tsstimoByof three gentlemen, well &C
quainted with the localities, who have tesed TO the
value of the lands and all other facts desired by the
resolution. o., ..- .4 .....
1, sir, in my place, am prepared. to endorse most
fully those gentlemen, Who7e testimony has been
taken and know, they would not mislead you, or
state any thing not strictly IN accordance with the
facts
fit be true, as stated BY the honorable member
from Shelby, Judge Dunlap,J that all the counties
in the Sta.e are equally Interested 10 this matter
warn representatives to beware in voting this
resolution, ltsy they ignore the rights Of their
stituents-ls5I they forever bar the rights Of their
children. WO beude that man, who, as a-represen-
tatVe here in the capitol Of the state cuts of his
constituents from their rights under the law OF 1919
There is another fact Immediately cOnuect ed with
this subject that is worthy Of note. The General
Assembly Of 1881, made an appropriation 10 Mon
roe county Of three thousand dollars, upon a claim
precisely identical with the one under consideration,
IN every particular and may not confidently ask
similar appropriation now
The gentleman from Shelby insists that we have
already received equivalent, il the way Of other
school funds. This propositohIdeny The benefits
now enjoyed By the school fund, as distributed all
over the Staenever was intended never was thought
Of equivalent for the school lands toWhieh We
we're entitled. Can it be supposed, that BlOunt
county would have surrendered her right to her
school lands for the small ittanee reoeyedss school
money. as.-f
But sir should we fail before this legislature to
secure our rights we Will test the quesiioRin another
form That We can recover against the State, have
no earthly doubt. r.. ..,...-
l trust however, that we may not be forced to /
this extremity, and that the House viii now concur
in the report and allow me to reeOmmit the bill with
instructions.
This much, felt it my duty to say 10 the House
nor have l, in my remarks, attempted to argue the
legality Of the claim, for the reason, that ali desire
or could DESIRE is admitted in the report Of the COM
mittee b.. bel -.
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