Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-09-18

You will thus see that these Democrats
have increased instead of diminished the
ordinary current expenses of the Govern
ment. You will see that | have deducted
the cost of the State Guards, the Metro
politan Police, the Frazier impeachment
trial, the registration of voters, the Claim
Commissioners, the schools and the inter-
est paid on the State debt, because these
are all extraordinary expenses. On the
other hand, deduct the amount of Ten
nessee money burned, and the cost Of
schools from the Democratic column.
But again While the Republicans were in
power, the tax as an average was not so high ms
it was last year, nor were so many things taxed
as these Democrats tax. And yet in the three
years of Republican rule, the Republicans, with
a lighter tax, paid oyer 81 2JO,OOO on the State
debt. But although the Democrats taxed you
so much higher last year, they have not only not
paid out of this tax one cent on the State debt; ;
they have not only flooded the State with over
$4,000 in State warrants as appears by the
Treasurer report, but have actually borrowed
hundreds of thousands of dollars besides to run
the machinery of the Government While
the Republicans were in power, you had State
free schools in every neighborhood; but, since
the Democrats have been our rulers, State free
schools have ceased TO exist, and our children
are growing up in ignorance. Indeed the mot
to of Democracy is, that Education ia the
pririlege of the fer, and ignorance the right of
tho MANI" They hate free schools more than
aSSNif+NbN'b
STATE CREDIT.
And now what is the condition Of your State
credit The States warrants arc low down in
the market and no buyers. The honest creditors
of the State present theAr accounts at the Treas
ury and arc told the State has no money. Our
Judges can't even get their salaries. Our
sherifis, clerks, jailors and States witnesses are
forced TO sell their State claims for few cents
on the dollar. There is no State school in all
this land. No interest has been paid on the
State debt since the Democrats got into power
Everything now ia burdened with taxes. The
revenue collectors are wringing our money from
us and sending it to Nashville, and still the
State has TO borrow money to prevent going to
pieces. And what is more alarming while
the revenue was promptly collected and paid
over to the State while Republicans were rev.
enue collectors, Col. Pennebaker report shows
that these Democratic revenue collectors owe
the State over t,co million dollars.
OFFICIAL SALARIES
You all recollect how the Republicans were
abused for increasing the salaries of some Off
GERS. But, gentlemen, these Democrats have not
only not reduced the salary of single officer,
but have actually created more officers to draw
these very salaries The cost of public printing
has wonderfully increased proved to tho
world while at Nashville that the Public Prln-
tiers had defrauded the State out of thousands of
dollars. But the Democrats considered stealing
q recommendation to office, and these very Pub
lie Printers were reelected. [The speaker here
exhibited the specimen page of Legislative
Journals as proposed to be printed by Paul
White ~ Co., candidates for Public Printers. !
What does this specimen page" shown Who
are Paul, White e Co ?'i Good Democrats
all. This specimen page" shows and says
that the present Public Printers cause
"a loss to the State. arising
from disregard of tie requirements of the
Code, of about 200 per cent; and the loss does
not stop here, but enters into the cost of paper
and prcss-work each of which items it increas-
es in about the same proportion" And thus
you will see that by the testimony of Democrats
themselves, these Public Printers charge the
No wonder the Public Printing since Cover -
nor Brown was elected has cost the State over
$500 The amount paid the Judges has also
sswelled up to over 100000. The costs of State
Prosecutions amount to over $4,000 year
The last year of Republican rule, State Prose-
cutions cost only $4,000. So you see these
Democrats either did not bring peace with them
and good order, or did not bring honesty, or
what is probably nearer the truth, did not bring
either.
THE RAILROADS.
You all know the condition of the railroads
mt the end of the war. They were without
grading, without rails. without depots and sta
ton houses, without freight cars and flats, with
out passenger coaches, without engines, and
what was more than all these combined with
out money and without credit. These roads
owed the State, including accrued interest
about twenty million dollars. The State had
the interest on this debt to pay fthe roads failed
to. These roads said to the Legislature, lend
us enough money to put ourselves in repair and
evil pay thee ALL" The Legislature hearl-
ened to their prayer the bonds wore issued
and the railroads at once arose triumphant out
of their ruins. Now how many bonds, think
you, the Republican Legislature authorized to
be issued? To judge from the horrible talk
about railroad rings bond thieves and State
bankrupted, one would think the Republicans
authorized about thousand millions, and put
one-half of them into their own pockets. Now
for the facts. Comptroller Blackburn's report
of October, 1869, shows that just little over
eteren millions were issued under Republican
laws; and this very report also shows that these
eleven millions in bonds were issued rs fol-
lows
NJ. Burns FOR y. e c. Railroad S125,OOO
a. NJ N