The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-09-17
ST. TG.% 1
TTNyYDAy MORNING, September 10, 1874.

Courthouse. a tolerably goed-sizcd crowd
gathered to hear speeches from the candi-
Jates to represent this Senatorial District
and Franklin county in the next General
assembly. The speakers were: DR.. Jno.
w Payne, Hon. IL. r. Moore, Capt. w.
n. Cowden and Gen. <. A. Wilson, for the
senate; and Esqr. Jno. NJ. Donaldson, Col.
HAYDEN March and Jno. r. Beasley, for
fine House. The questions discussed were (:
The Penitentiary;
The School Law;
Tae Assessment Law,
The Railroads;
The Public Roads;
The Ten per cent. Law; .
Im,nigration;
Finances;
Reformation Fl Criminal Laws,
and some questions Of a personal nature.
We did intend to give a synopsis Of each
mans speech, but our lack Of space this
week forbids. We shall, however, attempt
for several weeks successfully hereafter
to write upon these questions, giving the
views Of each candidate as we understood
him thereon. OF course the question Of
Finance, or, The Payment of our Public
Debt, is the major question. And there is
mnch useless talk in this respect. The
fact is, there are but three ways Of paying
a debt, to-wit: LIST, By paying it at once.
ond, BY getting time allowed you and
having interest. 3rd, BY repudiating the
debt, which is q payment il. one sense Of
the werd, whether morally or not. Equal
" as much bombsst is expended as to the
Penitentiary. We venture to say that all
the talk that has been made about the
peuitentiary is nothing but an effort ad
captQndum. When a candidate ourseif Tor
the Legislature a few years since, we told
the people that it was an intricate ques-
ton, and we proposed to let the convicts
90 to the penitentiary and remain in idle
ness. If we put them at work at any la
bor under the sun they com in contact
with honest laborers, and a coal-diggcr,
or railroad hand, is just as honest as any
other nan. His occupation is an honest
one. and if they were hume rically strong
we would not hear Of the proposition to
send conyicts to coal mines. Upon this
subject more 10
Equally foolish is much of this talk
against railroads. Men are prone to run
mad in order to run with the public. They
cannot afford TO wait for the sober second
reaction. Tax the railroads if legal, but
don't damn them all as useless.
As to the Ten Per Cent. Law, we hope
it will be repealed, and after q stipulated
rate OF interest shall have been adopted as
a law, that our people will be left free to
make contracts as they please in this res
pcct. If we are to reduce the interest on
money to a rate where capitalists will not
loan, we have only to say: Strange pro-
gress towards gratuitious lending. Strange
method Of amelioratins the lot Of borrow
ers, by making it impossible for them to
sorrow ut any price! What Will become
oflabor itself? for there will no longer be
any advances, and there is no kind of en-
ploymcnt nowadays, scarcely, which
can he carried on without advances. Tho
fact is, the State has no right to say that
the people shall not borrow money. The
State allows any one to buy up all the
wheat, or bacon, or, what not? with his
money, or sell the same at any adrance he
may choose to starving people, and all is
right in the eye of the law. And yet. he
only converted his money into these arti-
cles for the purpose of gain. Now, we
say leave a and 3 perfectly free to trade
between themselves as to interest, for it is
clear that after making every calculation
and taking into account the remuneration
whatever it may be, which one has TO pay,
that some one finds, or believes it is more
profitable to borrow than not to borrow
lie comes to that conclusion because he
has compared the advantages and the dis
advantages. II we were to go to Mr.
Ransom, of our town, and agree to pay
him 20 per cent. for money for one year, it
is pr~csuraable that we expect to make
money by that operation. five fail, it is
not hir. Ransom's fault. But the contract
ought, nevertheless, to remain binding
Now, when will our people awake to the
necessity OF doing away with Usury laws
IN order that justice may be done and cap
ital flow into our State to encourage i'm
prevements, pay for labor, and create, as
it would, an era of prosperity? We shall
writs upon this subject hereafter, with {
view to "bringing out" eur candidate
t%hcrcupon. For the present we mus
close.
---n>cGD----
We were called in to DR.. j. c. Shapard'
Office, on Main street. the other day, to SCI
a worm called the TRnia Solium, or, com