Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-18

OF the amount which the Legislature
has cost the people, nearly 500, 600 was
a bonus which the members of that body
voted themselves, by computing their pay
on gold basis, and requiring the Comp
troller to pay them the difference between
gold and greenbacks. This was an out
rageous imposition upon the taxpayers,
who are compelled to receive greenbacks
at par for everything they may have to
sell. The laborer has to take his pay in
in greenbacks at par, but MEM
bers of the Radical Legislaiure-al
though the constitution fixes their
salary at four dollars per day, and Con-
gross makes greenbacks a legal tender
actually drew from the treasury over five
dollars per day. And they should be
made to refund to the State treasury this
bonus which they voted themselves. EX-
Guiding this bonus which the members
voted themselves, the expenses of the
Legislature have been fully $500, 900
more than the necessities of the State re-
quircd The Legislature should not, in
any event, have cost the State more
than a quarter Of "A million of dol
lars during the entire period of
Radical rule, for just emerging from
long and exhausting war, there was no
necessity for much legislation. We
wanted simply low taxes and economy in
the government. During the ten years
from 1852 to 1861, the expenses of the
Legislature were $483, rs, while during
the four and a half years of Radical rule
this department of the government has
cost 1921, 1885, The total expenses of the
government for ten years previous to 1861
were s., Sol, 353 OF this amount about
81, 750, 900 was expended for schools and
public charities, so that the expenses of
the State government for ten years were
but little over 81, 500, 900. The expendi-
| lures of the State for four and half
years under Radical rule were SIS, 937, 5S8,
of which only S755,S44 was for
schools and charities, thus show
inc that the expenditures under Radical
rule were greater by more than So, 500, 900
than for the ten years preceding the war
| The public printing, it viii be seen, is an
enormous item, more than double what
should have been expended. Look at
what the penitentiary has cost the State
under Radical rule. Before the war it
was nearly or quite self-sustaining insti-
tuition Under the late regime it cost the
State more than $500, 900, and the tax
payers have had to foot the enormous bill
The registration of voters in 1866 cost
| S., 74O, and this should have sufficed with
! very little addition to it, but in order to
keep the State under Radical rule, an adj
ditional $21, 900 has been expended. This
expenditure was purely for the benefit of
the Radical party. Another expenditure
which has been for the benefit
of members of the Radical party,
is the sos, 403 paid to the Metropolitan
Police. The citizens of Nashville, Mem
phis and Chattanooga were competent to
choose their own police and pay for the
service of the same, yet in order to make
places for Radicals, the taxpayers of the
State have had to foot bill of over Sos,
600. The Governors staff, in time of
profound peace, has cost the State over
| $40, 600 But the browning infamy in
these useless expenditures is the $554,
$40 thrown away on the "lOyal militia,
which was organized for no other
purpose than 10 harrass and an
noy the people and aid in carry
ing the election of 1867, and to annoy
and harrass the people in the early part Of
the present year, in the hope of making
capital for the Radical party in the last
election. The impeachment of Judge
Frazier is another item in the eNpendi-
lures for political purposes. 1t was to
get that fearless, incoTuptible patriot out
of the way, that Radicalism might run
riot in its infamy, that $50, 600 Of The
peoples taxes was thrown away Another
item which was purely for the benefit of
Radical place hunters, is The 500, 932 paid
to the commissioners of claims against
the United States, for there is NOT even a
probability that any Of these claims
will ever be paid. In the items we
have enumerated there is an unnecessary
and useless expenditure of fully 81, $50,
0O0, which has been incurred for no other
purpose than 10 subserye the political in
terests of The Radical party. Does The
reader wonder now that the treasury is
empty and that the State is on the verge
of bankruptcy The financial history of
every year under Radical rule shows that