Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-05-29


have done less or more
So much for that part of the speech-and
it is the larger part-devoted to abuse of
the Governor, the Legislature, the Judges
and the loyal people Of East Tennessee.
BANK OF TENNESSEE.
/ Attention was invited, in the course of
the harrangue, to the assets of the Bank
of Tennessee, and the School Fund, mean
ing the captured remnant Of the millions Of
public money run off into Dixie by the bank
officers and thes Harris government. The
point made is, that the bank officers and
books concur in stating that among the as
sets was cover 100000 in coin" and that
the committee, composed of the Governor
military family, appointed to count it, re-
| ported and accounted for SAC, 1870, leay-
| ing deficit of more than $4,000, which,
it is understood, without being directly
charged, was stolen by " two OF the gentle
men entrusted with the count"
| would be sufficient refutation to cali
attention to the only evidence that there
was captured and turned over any greater
sum than has been accounted for, to-wit :
The second hand statements OF the bank
books and the officers. When these officers
have accounted for the effects OF the bank,
variously estimated at from S6,00O,OOO to
! 100000, their statements may be entitled
to some credit, and to very little until then.
As Mr.. Baxter seems to be in conmunica-
ton with them, perhaps be can obtain the
information which has been so long sought
for in vain.
The facts are, as shown by public official
documents, that after the downfall of the
Confederacy, in 1865, the military captured
some fifty or sixty boxes belonging, as it
appeared, to the Bank of Tennessee. The
Legislature directed them to be taken and
receipted for by the Governor, the Comp
troller and the Secretary of State. This
was done. Messrs. a. H. Thomas, a. W.
Hawkins and Samuel Hunt, one of them
only, at the time, a member of the Cover
nor's military family" were appointed a
committee to open them and make an in
ventory Of their contents. The result of
their labors was reported to the Legislature
in October 1865, and under an order, the
report was published, a pamphlet of over
forty pages, giving with great particularly
the contents Of each box down to the most
inconsiderable items This document has
been before the public for more than year.
If all the boxes turned over have not been
accounted for, or if the contents, in any
case, have not been truly reported, let 1t
be shown, or in the name Of all fairdeal-
ing, let there be an end to covert insinua-
tions against men whose characters stand as
fair as the most distinguished representa-
tive of the moral worth and intelligence. T"
The coin thus obtained was, it seems, in
vested in q. S. 7-30 notes-which duty, ac-
eording to Mr.. Baxter, was entrusted to a
young gentleman of the Governors staff.
He complains that this financial young
gentleman has not reported to whom nor
for what prices the sale was made Had
he turned to the report of the Governor,
Secretary of State and Comptroller, made
on the 18th of February last, and published,
he would have found the precise informa-
ton he seeks. The sale was made to Jay
Cooke & Co., the agents of the United States
Treasury, " at premium of nearly 40 per
cent" | learn that no ''young gentleman"
had anything to do with the transaction,
and that the negotiation was carried on at
Washington, not in New York. Moral
worth and intelligence would, perhaps,
have preferred to invest in Confederate
| bonds.
The 7-30 bonds were placed, by act of the
| Legislature, in the hands of the Treasurer,
who, Mr., Baxter, alleges, for a bonus paid to
| himself loaned them to an irresponsible
bank in Memphis, under the control of
strangers, just come to the State.
The bank alluded to is the Tennessee
National Bank of Memphis The chief
officer, understood to be the principal own
er and manager, am told, is former citi-
zen of Nashville, who married in MRury
county. One ground urged, as [ under
stand, why he should be entrusted with this
money, was that our own folks ought to
| have the benefit of Z" our own money"
rather than persons just come to the State
from the North.
The Treasurer, thus accused, the only
executive officer of the State not in politi-
cal sympathy with the Governor, soon after
| the transaction referred to, resigned his
place, and has since departed this life under
circumstances Of solemn admolition. If he
grievously offended, grievously hath he an
swered it. ! shall not initiate Mr.. Baxter,
and invade the precincts of the grave, or
violate the sad iInmunities of death, even
to vindicate the li5ing-much less to make
capital against political opponent. The
facts in connection with this fund are sue
cinctly stated by the Governor, the Secre-
tary of state, and Comptroller, in their
published report to the General Assembly
| of the 10Th of February last, as follows
"When the assets of the Bank of Ten
nessee and the archives of the State were
captured and brought to Nashville the
Legislature, then in session, by Joint reso-
luton, adopted May the goth, 1865, directed
the Governor, Secretary Of State and Comp
trolIer to take charge of the assets of the
bank, &C., and receipt for the same. This
was promptly done, and constant military
guard kept over them until, by act of AS
sembly. passed June the 9Th, 1865 the Gov
ernor. Secretary Of State and Comptroller
were ordered to invest the funds then in
coin in United States or Tennessee bngds,
and also to investigate into and schedule
the assets, and ascertain the value thereof.
This order of the Legislature was also
promptly obeyed. The amount of coin, up
on actual count, was ascertained to be
| SIG. 719 20, which was sold to Jaw Cooke
g. Co. for 7-30 United States bonds, at a
premium of nearly 40 per cent. On the
9th of October of the same year, the under
signed had the pleasure of reporting TO your
honorable body that they had realized the
sum of S618.250 in 7-30 United States
bonds, which they announced was then in
the Comptroller's safe. This sum remained
unpacked and undisturbed until the Gen
eral Assembly saw proper to pass law re-
qniring the fund to be placed in the hands
of the Treasurer of the State Of Tennessee.
By turning to the 9TH section OF the act to
wind up and settle the business of the Bank
of Tennessee, it viii be ascertained how
this fund got into the hands Of the Treas
urer. Until this time, that office had
nothing to do with the fund but this act
of Assembly made him the lawful custodian
of it. On the 9Th day of June, 1866, with
his finger on the law, he demanded posses
| sion of these packages Of 40 bonds then