Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-10-24
A GIGANTIC LOBBY SCHEME.
Another Plan 20 Tax the People to Death.
Are We to Pay Debts Incurred by the
Rebellion

Rebellion? .
Col. A. s. Colyar, late independent john
son candidate for Governor, thus arraigns
Democratic lobby scheme to make the
State pay the debts incurred by the rebel
lion. He says: s--5
No question has been presented to the
people of Tennessee of more Importance
than the TOrbett issue. The question is
alarming because everywhere find active,
intelligent, persistent advocates of the
States liberality for the money, while
nobody seems to be talking against it.
Nobody seems to have taken the pains to
collect the facts and combat the views pre-
scented on the other side.
A thorough investigation of the fact has
satisfied me that the State is not bound
for, and ought not to pay this issue, and as
[ sincerely believe the powerful efforts of
combined friends before the Legislature in
| having it funded or made receivable in
| payment of taxes, [ shall discuss it for the
reason that if the people fully understand
| their rights, no Legislature will dare yield
to the persuasive influences of oilly-ton-
| gued lObbyists-an uniformed constituent
cy may be robbed and the robbers go I'M
| punished.
Do we owe this money, now not less
| than million and half, and, by many,
| .
The facts are that, after the military or
ganization of Governor Harris, constitut-
ed mainly of the military and financial
board for the defense of the State against
| the United States, and, after the military
bill of the 9th of May, 1861, G. G.. Torhett
was made President of the bank, and
through the year 1861 signed these notes,
and they were issued by the bank.
"Was this done in aid of the insurrec-
ton or rebellion against the United
States ?" is the question under the four
| tenth amendment, which is as far as this
question is concerned as follows.
"But neither the United States nor any
State shall assume or pay any debt or obli-
| CATION incurred in aid of instruction or
| rebellion against the United States, or any
| claims for the loss or emancipation of any
slave, but all such debts, obligations and
claims shall be held illegal and void" 1
do not cOntrOvert that these notes were
regularly issued, and | admit there was in
time no military order to TOrbett to sign
the money for military purposes, and
there was no act of Assembly directing it.
This is all the friends of the money claim,
Now the facts are that Governor Harris
had put the Bank of Tennessee in the
hands of the Military Board, and they drew
on it at will, without one dollar to check
on. The board checked as follows: In
May, $3.50, 913; in June, S767, IA in July,
II $50 ,2l3; in August, 1868, 44J; in Sep
tember, 1884, G41 in October, sos, 143 in
| November, S130,939 in December, S113,-
| 751, This not only exhausted the bank,
| but by the same process the Union and
Planters banks were hurt, financially
destroyed, and have the letter of Cover
nor Harris as we'll as the letter of VIM. A.
Quarles, Bank Supervisor, both saying in
substance that the large amount taken from
these two banks was taken by force. These
letters Ow that these two banks bad no
choice and were given no discretion.
have examined the monthly balance
of the amounts due from the Bank of Ten
nessee to the Planters Bank, and find that
it run up at one time to $3.50, 900, not dol
lar of which could the Bank of Tennessee
pay, because of the heavy demand of the
military board. These checks were all
drawn by the military board on the Bank
of Tennessee, but the other banks were
forced to take them. The first of May,
1861, the issue of the Bank of Tennessee
was 81 ,42S, Alb.
To meet the demands of this military
board the TOrbett issue was signed and put
out, and OH the first of January, 1862, the
issue amounted to So, 531 ,562, an increase
in eight months of s., 532, 1862.
Col. Hal. Claiborne, who was clerk in
the bank, assures me that this alarming in
crease was to meet the demands of the mil
itary board. And Mr.. Weaver informs me
that the cashier always gave a reason for
not being able to pay the checks drawn by
the board and taken in by his (the Plant
er's) bank, that they were exhausted by
the demands of the military board. And
do not the checks drawn by the board on
the bank show this?
Under this pressure was not this money,
signed to aid if you please, in the defense
of the State as expressed by the act of the
Legislature?
In 1865, after the schedule to the Cor.
stitution condemned this money, it was
regarded as worthless: Spectators COM
menced buying it, and bought great deal
at one and two cents in the dollar By
some unaccountable oversight, this provis-
ion was not excepted out of the general
death warrant in the Constitution of 1870
and the spectators soon controlled the
whole of the Torbett issue. One man said
to me the he and his folks controlled mil.
lion. By an active, talking, persistent
combination, the money has been run uI
to forty and fifty cents. This was easily
f done when a few men held the whole Of it
, Now it is whispered around constantly
That the Supreme Judges think the State is
pound for this money that some of the
, lower courts have so decided, and that this
Is tne opinion of all the best lawyers in the
, etate. In this way an opinion is to be
formed which will Justify the Legislature
IN Delng lobbyed into payment, by fund
ing, or what is more desired, making il
, good in payment in taxes,
By this means the State is to be run fol
two years more without money, while The
people are taxed to death, and ali for thu
benefit of men who are making over
grown fortunes by specializing upon tn,
sufferings and distresses of PEOPLE deeply
afflicted by a terrible war, and that too
when no other State in the South is at
tempting to pay war debt.