Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-08-23
THANKS,
Col. Baxter's Compliments to the Banner
and Union and American.

Col. BaXter's Compliments to the Banner
and Union and American.
EDITORS OF THE CHRONICLE: The
energy with which you have seconded the
efforts of the New York Times to expose
the corruptions of the city government of
New York, deserves the hearty common
dation of every honest man. Don't weary
OF well doing. Corruption is rife every
where; it pervades almost evervdepartment
of the Federal, State and Municipal Gov
ernments. 1t is confined to no particular
party or locality. 1t is as prevelant in
Tennessee as it is in New York, and has
been practiced by men prominently identi-
fled with and conspicuous as leaders of
both parties.
Prior to the rebellion the people of Ten
nessee were taxed, for State purposes, at the
rate of ten cents on every hundred dollars
worth oftaxable property. With therevenue
derived from this low basis of taxation, the
currenteXpenses ofthe State and interest on
thepubllc debtw were promptly metand paid.
But upon the reorganization of the State
Government in 1865, a new and radical
departure, in relation to the States fin
ances, distinguished the nctg from the Old
regime. New subjects were sought after
and added to the list previously existing :;
the rate increased from ten to SiCty cents
on every hundred dollars worth of taxable
property, and the aggregate receipts of the
treasury, more than trebled. Notwith-
standing, the interest on the public debt
has not been paid since January, 1869 the
debt itself has been increased $4,000, 900:
public schools have been practically
abandoned and liabilities for the ordinu-
ry and current expenses of the State Gov
eminent, amounting to nearly q milton
Of doHdTS have aCci4nlbiatsu 80 The hands
of honest creditors and are now being
hawked about and sold in the market at
from SCCcay:fre to eighty cents on the dot
lar.
Without stopping to enquire who are re-
sponsihle for this extraordinary and de-
plonble condition of the States finances,
it is plain to every rejecting mind that it
could only arise from profligacy and cor
ruptiOn in the administration of public af-
fairs. The corruption complained of and
which has so heavily cursed our State
could never have grown into its present
dangerous proportions, in the presence of
independent public press. But, unfortu-
nately for thecountry the press in Tennes-
see have not entirely escaped the contain
mating influences OF corruption.
About the assembling of the last Legis-
lature, in October, 1869, combinations were
ormed to control the public printing. The
most powerful of these was that Organized
~ A'iS VI liiS JottfGtSG anu tllt
Union and 1n1c5icaH, under the name and
style of "Jones, Purvis d Coz But their
arrangements and expectations were some
what interfered with by the aspirations
and counter combinations of others who,
too, had claims on the parry Public print
| ing was regarded by them as legitimate
public plumber, and they had been kept in
| the cold for several years and 1Uerc hU1gJY.
| Representatives of the Conservative and
Democratic press were present from every
division of the State clmnOring for a
share of the spoils, requiring u good deal
of political experience and party tact Ia
reconcile and adjust their conflicting
| claims. But after maueuvers and counter
maneuYers, the situation was relieved by
Jones, Purvis & Co., who bought up
enough OF the rival combinations 10 ensure
to themselves the coveted prize. One edi-
| tor from East Tennessee sold the votes OF
| three members of the Legislature to them
| for money which they have since paid. To
another rom the Western Division fUc
huRdfCd dollars was paid. How much
farther the bargaining extended the wri-
| ter does not know; but he has reason for
believing that it involved others besides
the parties referred to.
As matter of course every one privy to
such bargains expected the parties Jones,
PurYis " Co.. to indemnify themselves for
| the money expended by them in buying
Oh opposition, in some way not recognized
| by law. The prices fixed by law for the
public printing, though liberal, afford no
such margin for profits as to justify the
payment OF large sums of money to get .
| competitor out of the way; and hence it is
safe to conclude that the parties contem-
plated, at the time, other sources of indem-
nifty and reimbursement for the money so
expended by them, than the compensation
prescribed by law; and it is equally true
that man who will, contrary to law and
rcdD1s Of paper. For 9th Coldwelrs Re
ports, a like overcharge was made.
For the appendix to the legislative Jour-
mails, lS60-7O, these gentlemen have charged
for one milton one huHd'TR uHd 8CvCR thou
sand ems 81 composition, ttrO httRdrcd ard
WUtcCH tokens and .tOrtY TCujas Of paper ;
whereas, the same only contains sic hiul-
area and sixteen thousand ems, scrcaty
tokens and-including wastage-ScVcntccR
ana q mar Tcdms Of l.rpcr. \ similar
oYerchargo was made for the appendix Of
1901, and for all apOrh done LgHcn.
such have been the Illegal eXactons of
these gentlemen on the public treasury,