Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1870-06-04
THE SCHOOL FUND REPORT.

THE SCHOOL FUND REPORT.
In lieu Of our usual amount Of mis-
cellaneous matter, we publish to-day,
the report on the School Fund, as
prepared by the Committee Of inves-
tlgation. Every reader will be anx-
ious to see the history of this much
talked Of fund, held to be sacred until
Radical thieves proved how easily
things the most sacred may be desc
Grated by sa, Religious fingers. The
taxpayer, too, is interested in know
ing how the Treasury has been deple-
ted md he made to pay principal and
interest upon money sunk in Radical
pockets-money that has left no trace
Of benefit to those from whose hard
earnings IL was accumulated as n
fund for the common good.
From the committee Of investiga-
tfon reports have been published
showing, beyond doubt, the whole
sale robberies In almost every depart
ment Of the State Government. 1t
is our opinion that the Legislature
should inaugurate the most active
measures, to recover AZ much of the
stolen money as can be reached by
process Of law, and carefully separate
the debt justly due by the State, from
the spurious obligations imposed up
on It by Brownlow, Fletcher Il Co.,
and cancel the latter by prompt repu-
diation. The honor of the State is
not pledged to make good the debts
incurred by thieving usurpers, be-
cause the government, then existing,
was not established according to con ,
stitutional law, but In direct viola
ton Of 1t, and because the money ille-
gally collected and Illegally appro-
priated, was not applied to building
railroads and advancing education,
but to strengthening the Radicals In
power by lavish rewards for partizan
services, and pro rata distributions
among the leaders, as provision
against the day of adversely. When
we speak of cancelling portion Of
the debt by repudiating 1t, we mean
the portion created by the sale of
bonds below par, in violation of the
law, and the bonds appropriated to a
specific object, but directed there from
either by being carelessly lost, or fell
loniously applied to individual or par
titan uses. This discrimination he
tween debts legally incurred for a
consideration, and debts unlawfully
incurred for base and unjustifiable
purposes involves no dishonor to the
debtor and no injustice to the creditor.
During Brownlow's despotic rule, the
State was in fact, governed by fed
eral hayonets, against the will of the
people of Tennessee, and. the federal
government is responsible, morally,
for the bulk of the debt ssddled upon
them, during that reign Of anarchy
and military violence. Every dollar
expended to good purpose, should be
paid, although unlawfully approprl-
ated, by a bogus government, and
every dollar not so expended should
he repudiated and the creditor advised
to apply to- Congress for the pay
ment of u debt incurred by its author
lied agents in the work Of recon-
struction.
The government, under which all
this fraudulent debt was incurred,
was set up by force and through the
the direct agency of the Radical ad
ministration at Washington. And
neither in law nor equity can the
people of Tennessee be held respon.
sible for the acts of a Governor, Leg
islature and Judiciary who received
and held their commissions from an
authority unknown to the Constitu-
ton and laws of our State. All this
was as well known to the purchasers,
rs to the vendors of the bonds. We,
therefore, conceive 1t to be the duty
Of the Legislature to discriminate
closely and repudiate every item OF
the debt which clearly bears the i'm
press of fraud and theft.