Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-11-14
OUR NASHVILLE LETTER.
The Railroad QuestiOn-Chance for a Gil
gantic SWindIe-COmmOn SchOOls-State
superintendent The Rich rs. The Poor
The Lobby AII-POwerfuI.
UOrrespondence OF The UHR0NICLB,

|
The lobby AII-POwerfuI.
Correspondence of the CHRoNICLE.l
,- NASHvILLE,i Tenn. Nov. 18th.
EDITORS CHRONICLE: There is a bill
now before the Senate to give the Railroad
| Commissioners absolute control of all mat
! ters growing out of a sale Of the States in
| terest in Railroads. This bill empowers
the Commissioners to guarantee to all the
purchasers quiet and peaceable possession
of these roads, and to make all comprO-
misses with adverse claimants they may see
fit and e0h0teVer they may do. is ratified
and confined an advance This bill has al
ready passed the HOnse; but in the Senate
| it meets with the most determined oppo-
sition and it is believed that the passage
of the bill will be the signal for the bring
| ing forward of many claims against the
| State now dormant. And if the quiet and
peaceful possession of these roads is guar
drtesd by the State, it is believed that in
order to make good this guarantee the
State will eventually have to pay out
millions of dollars. The only reason yet
given for the passage of the bill is, I" that
the commissioners are men who can be
trustedp There is good reason to believe
! that the sale of these railroads will result
in the most astounding losses to the State.
Many millions OfsdOllars have been already
lost; and the chances are that millions
more will yet be lost In many cases the
iron on the roads was worth a great deal
more than the entire road sold for. Here
is great mine to be developed. The eyes
of the people are being opened. These
roads have all been sold under a clouded
title, in consequence whereof they brought
an insufficient prica. But, now, this bill
seeks to substitute q warranty for a quit
claim deed seeks to guarantee the title after
the sale has been made and the money
paid or secured. If a guarantee was
necessary, why was not the guarantee
given before the sale, and thus the
price of these roads increased hundreds
of thousands of dollars. There can be no
doubt but that this startling bill is in the
interest of the purchasers and that its fl
nal passage may be worth millions of dol
lars to them. This bill had passed three
readings in the House and one in the SEN
ate before all of the Commissioners knew
of its existence. The lobby have been
straining every nerve to gettle bill passed.
| am told the Attorneys for the State are
doing all they can to get the bill through.
1t is admitted on all hands that this bill
surrenders to q few men the absolute con-
troll ofmany millions of dollars, and that
it gives more power than it ought to give
but the argument FORTS passage is that the
'COmmis siOners are men who can be
trusted" and this is the only argument
used. The manner the bill was intro
duced, the position of the men who are
lobbying it, the fact that the Commission
ers have not asked for this extraordinary
power to dispose at will of millions of
money, and that some of them knew not
that this bill was in the Legislature until
after it had passed the House, and the eX-
traordinary character of the arguments in
its favor, cannot fail to fill the minds of
the people with anxiety aud distrust.
Senators are almost brOw-beaten and in
suited for opposing this bill, and they are
warned not to ,dareinsinuate anything as
the Commissioners are more than common
men, and above suspicion. Eternal vigil
lance is the price of liberty.
COMMON SCHOOLS.
1t seems that many Democrats here are
now in favor of State Superintendent. of
Common Schools and bill is now in
the Senate to create that Office. What
superintendent of Common Schools would
have to do is more than [ can tell. Ii the
State will levy a tax for Common Schools
she might need man to superintend
them But as the State has washed her
hands in the matter of schools, and re-
fuses to encourage or support them, but
has given up the whole subject to the
counties, L should Just like to know what
a Superintendent will have to do. The
bill revuires him to visit the counties and
make speeches in favor of common schools!
How ridiculous and absurd! A state that
refuses to educate her children sending
missionary to encourage the counties to
educate their children. The mother refuses
to have schools, but advise the daughters
to have them. What the people want is,
for the State to give them free education,
and they want no speechifying Oh the part
of the State to encourage them to educate,
If this superintendent should be appoint
ed, hope the counties will forbid him. to
enter their borders. What does Knox
county want with State superintendent
smelling around her schools? l heard
Neill S. Brown say the other day, ''every
thing ought to have hedd.o "But where
is the body?" 1 inquired. If the State
will give us free schools, we will be glad
to have State Superintendent Now,
superintendent would be like q preacher
without a congregation, a king without
country, a head without body!
THE RICH VS.. THE POOR.
The Senate on yesterday passed q bill
taking away from the defendant in un-
lawful detainer suits the benefit of an APP
peal Under the bill if landlord gets a
Judgment against his tenant before the
Justices, the Justices are required to put
the landlord into immediate possession,
notwithstanding the tenant may appeal to
the Circuit Court. The last Legislature
passed like-law in forcible entry and de-
tainer cases. And now bill is pending in
the Senate to authorize one justice to try
all these suits Thus the ball rolls on.
The merchants are pouring in their petit
tons day after day to be relieved from tax
alton. ThepOor will soon be under the
feet of the rich. The voice of the farmer
is not heard. The lobby is more powerful
than the people. Men of Influence and