Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-09-19
STATE BONDS.
Extract from the Speech Of Major
Sykes, Delivered at the Recent
Clarksyille Convention.

The following extract from the
speech of Major Sykes before the
Clarksville Convention will be read
with pleasure by all who desire that
the integrity of the State shall be up
held.-Memphis Appeal.
MEANS OF PAYING OUR STATE DEBT.
1.-The recent Democratic Convention
representing all parts of the State.
pledged the Democratic party of Ten
nessee to preserve untarnished the
name and credit of the State BY meet
ing all their Just debts and obligations.
When we consider the circumstances
under which this was done, with almost
famine, caused by the long-contiuued
drought In many parts of the State,
with contracting of the currency un-
paralleled in the history of any country,
producing an unprecedented scarcity
OF money among the producing and
tax-paying people, it speaks in trumpet
tones the noble character of the Ten
nessee Democracy, and entities them
to the most liberal policy on the part
of the creditors of the State, who
should be willing, nay, anxious, to
make satisfactory arrangements with
noble people, struggling to maintain
their credit under the most adverse
circumstances. After discussing the
means of paying the State debt, he
proceeded as follows: But, in my
Judgment, the only way to get clear of
our State, city and countyindebtedness
is by increasing the productions of the
country, and, consequently, the value /
of our taxable property. This can
only be done by the people themselves
adopting a more diversified system of 1
agriculture, improving the cultivation
of the soil, bringing out the millions |
of hidden wealth now lying useless in
our bills and mountains, or running to /
waste on our streams of water Let /
US remember that few acres, well cul- |
tivated and highly manured, will pro-
duce four times as much as the same
number of acres of poor, wornout and
badly cultivated land. Our cotton
should be sent off in manufactures,
instead of in its raw state; our iron
and coal should be converted into
steam engines, iron rails, and other
forms of iron manufactures. Then,
and not till then, will we be able to
meet all our obligations without bur
dening our people. To accomplish
these things, our statesmen, our en-
Gghtened, practicalfarmers, mechanics
and manufacturers should direct their
attention.
THE OWNERS OF TENNESSEE BONDS IN
TEREsTED IN INCREASING THE
WEALTH OF THE STATE.
The owners of the State, city and
county bonds are deeply interested in
developing the resources and inereas-
ing the wealth of Tennessee. Let
them give our people the needed assis-
tance in improving the country, and in
that way they will do much toward en-
hancing the value of the Tennessee
securities they hold, whether State, /
city or county; for unless we can in
crease our productions, and, as a con-
sequence, our taxable property, | con-
fess the prospect for paying our debts
may be gloomy. Other States, with
fewer natural advantages than Tennes-
see, have increased, and are increasing,
with great rapidity. Let US compare /
some States in 1870 with what they
were in 1850, and see what an enor-
nous increase of wealth has taken
place within these twenty years. As
it has been with them, so it might be
with US, if we would use similar means
to those employed by them. The in
crease in the value of their property
was caused by the increase in their |
productions.