Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-09-25
GOVERNOR BROWN AND HIS ASSOCIATES
tFf CANNOT DODGE THE ISSUES.

1t is vainly hoped by the leaders of the
Charles, accomplices and stipendiaries of the
corrupt ring that has plundered the State
treasury by wholesale-that the people are
so blinded by partizan zeal as to forget the
vital issues involved in the present State
campaign. Let us say to the ring and
their paid tools, that they are hugging a
delusion. The people are thinking on the
subject and however strong party ties may
be, they are not strong enough to prevent
tax payers from rigidly examining into
the acts of their public servants, The
present State administration has been
charged with permitting, if not conniving
at and participating in stGpendous frauds,
involving millions of dollars. These
charges are not merely of a gen.
eral character, but are specific
supported by facts and figures
so that if they are untrue it can be easily
demonstrated by referring to official rec
ords. The people, regardless of party as
sociations, desire to see them met and an
swered. Those implicated can not meet
them by maintaining what they would
have understood as o dignified and con-
temptuous silence. If Governor Brown
and his official organs are able to meet and
refute the charges, it is high time they
were about it. If it be true that railroad
property which cost the State scUeJatecn
millions of dollars has been sold to tauoriteS
for little more than Sir millions, the peo-
pie want to know the reason. If it be true
that many of these roads could have been
sold for more than they brought, the
tax payers demand to know why
they were not sold for the
the highest price, If it be true that claim
of over seventy thousand dollars was allow
ed to the Nashville and Chattanooga Rail
road Company as lessee of the Nashville
and Northwestern road, for money ex-
pended in compromising damage suits in
stituted by victims, and by the friends of
those who were victims of the Harpeth
river disaster, the people want to know by
whose authority it was allowed. If the
penitentiary could have been leased for fen
thousand dollars per annum more than it
was leased for, making an increase of if
ty thousand dollars for the term of The
lease, the people want to know why the
highest price was not taken. There are
many other things they want to know,
and if Gov. Brown and his associates
have done nothing but what is right, it
will be very easy to show it, They must
answer these charges. They cannot afford
to ignore them. The people cannot afford
to permit them to maintain silence, nor
do they mean that they shall. They do not
mean that Coy Brown shall forget the
charges either. He is now engaged in a
canvass of the State, and he will be ex-
pected to explain these things from the
stump. If he fails to do SO, if he remains
silent, it will be taken as conclusive evil
dence of guilt, and he will be held respon-
sible. We have no doubt he would be
glad to have the matter hushed up, but it
will not be. If he will come out
and meet the charges like man,
and show by the official records
at his command that they are false, it
will rebound greatly to his advantage and
to the injury of those who are making
them. VIII he or his friends undertake
to answer the charges The honest,
over-burdened, oppressed, outraged and
defrauded tax payerso of Tennessee anxious
ly wait for response. Silence will be in
terpreted to admit the truth of what is
charged.
Governor Brown has too much sense not
to see this, and knowing it will govern
himself accordingly.