Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-20
REPUTATION.
Ought the Bonds of the BrOxEnlOW
Legislature TO be Paida
In the Edifnra Of the IIr,irr, a,,d A,u,nricar,

L
Reputation; aud even the worthy menu
bers OF our present Legislature are hand
ling the subject with a sort of Hd-gloved,
rose-water mildness that does not suit
some people. Now, grant you that this
thing called the "honOr of the State" its
'fair reputation" common honesty, y
are all very nice and proper subjects to
talk about in their proper place, but when
it comes to talk of these things in con-
nection with the payment of the debts of
Brownlow and his bogus Legislatures of
irresponsible scallawags and carpet-bag-
| gers, the thing becomes simply ridiculous.
Then, away with all such twaddle, and let
Us stalk about things as they are.n
First, then, the writer is no advocate of
reputation, and would not under anv cir
cunstance, advocate the reputation of a
single dollar OF oar bona fide State debt
and yet would oppose the assumption
| by the present Legislature or the future
payment by the people of any portion of
the debt created by Brownlow's Legisla-
lures of 1S65-e-7-8. fear our Legisla-
ture has gone most too far towards sane
tioning it already. Now, that we NAV
understand the question, let us examine
1t In a legal point of view. Upon what
pnncipie Go the purchasers of our bonds
clam that we, the taxpayers, should pay
themF The bondholder replies, because
the Legislature, the representatives of
the people of Tennessee, voted to issue
them. Very well, on that principle and
on that ground we meet the corpulent
bOndholder, and strike hands and agree
with him, that every bond of the State of
tennessee so issued shall be paid, but
that all not so issued are bogus; and to
them, In behalf of the people, we will put
in plea of non est foctuD1-in other
words that the issuance of such bonds
was not our act and deed.
Whom and how many of the people of
Tennessee did the Legislature of 1865
and Z represent? Was there over 90
900 votes cast for the general ticket by
which they were electedl OF that num-
Der the writer of this knows that at least
from 5000 to 10000 were illegal, hay
ing been cast by those who were in the
army at Nashville and Knoxville, outside
OF their counties; large number by sol
dlers from other States, and quite num-
Der OF those elected were either not citi-
zens of the State or county they repre-
scented. But take it that the whole vote
cast was legal, say 90, O0O-what proper
ton does that vote bear to the bona fide
voting population of the State? The
voting population of the State at the first
election ought to have been about l4O.-
900, to which the foregoing vote stands as
one to seVen-making it out about one
seventh of Interpolation. Now, the ques-
ton, Has one seventh of the voting pOpu-
lation the right to bind the other six-sev-
enths! If so, then with equal plausible
bility, may we not still further decrease
the contracting parties, until we shall say
that one man in thousand may contract
for the other 999, or that the Governor,
without legislation, may issue bonds
to any amount he may see proper
The second Legislature was elected by
vote of less than half the real voting
population, in fact but little over One-third,
if any. Now, with these facts before us,
| can the bond-holder and Spectator in
State stocks, say that these bonds issued
by these two Legislatures are the acts of
| the people? 1.-THE bond-holder should so
hold, will not and can net at least ninety
thousand, large majority of the voters,
and at least four-ffths to aine-tenths of
| the taxpayers, come up and swear and
prove, Unnecessary, that this was not their
act and deed-that they were not repre-
| scented; in fact so far from it. they were
by military and mob force prevented from
voting or taking any part in the elections.
Then IN court of law or ch2ncery, with
| such proof, could the bOnd-hOlder recover
Certainly not. But these rose water gen
tlemen say the bondholder is an innocent
purchaser, and he must be paid that the
bonds were issued by government, that
was the de .factO, if not the government
de jure, of the people, and, to save our
| good name and the character of the State,
we must pay it up. This is the argu-
ment of the bondhOlder who is
rich, against the taxpayers, who
are the laboring class upon whose shout
ders will fall the heavy burden of all this
taxation necessary to meet and pay off
those bonds. | have no sympathy with
the Spectator against the honest industry
of the country. Hence would treat the
Spectator in bonds in Wall street or else
Juob % L NOultl ICdb any HAL
holding forged note on me, or one OBJ
tanned by fraud. In the one case [ would
plead non est .fdct1tnl-that it was not
my deed; in the other would, by the aid
of chaDccTy, enjoin the collection of the
debt Such things are done continually
between man and man, and regarded by
all parties as honorable and right, and
why may not States, or city corporations
such as Nashville, Memphis and Chatta-
nOOga, do the same, with equal honestly
| This view Of the case is not reputation,
because it is not denial of oar debt, but
| simply a denial that certain debts are
ours. In this way the people, the tax
payers, may get rid of about nineteen or
twenty millions of debt, present and pros
pective. The apologist for the bondhOlder,
| however, will talk about innocent
| purchaser, but he never thinks once
of 10000 innocent tao payers, who
have to foot these fraudulent and bogus
bills. Did not the bond Spectator in
| Wall street or elsewhere, know that these
bonds were not issued by the real repre-
sentatives of the people! Certainly, the
facts in the case were published broad
cast and they risked it. Just in the same
| way the nOte-shaver buys a forged note,
because there is good name To it, and
when he sues on it, the supposed debtor,
| puts in a plea of non est fdctltll, and the
court releases him, and nobody pretendeds
that he has done wrong, but every honest
man applauds him for it, and the law says
to the note-shaver, Be more careful next
| time with whom you trade. In the same
way would say TO the spectators in our
bonds, Be more careful next time with
whom you trade. Suppose the bond
| holder loses these bonds, will he be likely
to come to want2 l reckon not. We do
not hear of many of them being in the
hands of the poor hard working tax pay
ers. Then to all of BrownlOw's bonds, in
behalf of the people, we would plead non
est fdctun9 A FEDERAL SOLDIER.
| Real Estate Transfers.
The following is a list of the real estate
transfers as recorded in the Office of the
County Court Clerk for the week ending
Nov. 10, 1869:
j. H. Payne to Jesse Payne land in the
county .pl ,OOO W
C. NJ Donaldson to John Dyson, land in
VS. ' Lindsey and wife to j. H. Halle lots "
in Edgefieid, Harris addition. -. 500 90
land IN the county. w '..............., 20 90
| John Harding to Benz. F. Gillian, land in
| - the county for one-half the crop. Lease
Fogg street. 1,lO7 OO
| J. d. Winston to VIM. c. Winston, land in
| tine county .-.....---.-..-..-
James Ford to James F. Meals, l07 acres
land in Humphreys county. ..-........ 500 o.
| ]. F. Mccain, wife and others, to A. 2.
Davis, land In Rutherford county 800 on
Morton B. Howell and others to John Bar
lien, lot Jefferson street. 900 W
Morton B. Howell and others to NJ. Long,
lot on jefferson street. .......-..-... 900 W
James c. owen to John Day, two lots III
Davidson county. .-........-.......... l9l VI