Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-07-22
NOTES OF THE CANVASS.
Hon. John y. Kerr Gives Hts views
0n TIE Questions Of the Day.

dred anu one hundred ana htty Citl-
zens gathered at the court house 10 lis
ten to AN address of Hon. John $.
Kerr, of Memphis, Democratic candi>
date for the nomination FOR Governor
At about $50 o'clock. The speaker
entered and was introduced by Geo.
Washington, Esq.
After some preliminary remarks he
stated that he was here to make their
acquaintance, "a a candidate. He was
not here as the standard bearer of the
party, but simply in his own interest.
Many of his friends wanted him to be
the nominee of the Democratic party
for Governor, but none OF them want
ed him to be the nominee, or Cover.
nor, half rs bad as he did himself. He
did not want to go to Nashville to sit
in soft seat and drink fine wines, but
to work for the State. Too much of
the above has been done, hence the
heavy debt resting upon the State. He
stated that West Tennessee, the por-
ton OF the State he represented never
had Governor. But of course he did
not wish them to take this into cousid-
Grafton, unless they can find man
that will suit for the position.
1t has been heretofore considered
undignitied, for q man desiring to be
Governor, to go out among the people.
They would go to the wire pullers.
He thought the people should know
who seeks the position. Ifthey should
get man "A candidate for Governor
who can't spell the name, they will
have Horace Maynard, Barbour Lewis
or some other Republican after them
and defeat will be the result.
He thought the main question at
present was the finances. As mem-
her of the Legislature, he had tried to
find out the State debt. The Governor
could not tell the amount, and the
Comptroller could not tell the amount,
but that the interest was due for four
years. The Governor recommended it
should be funded
He opposed funding the debt, and
offered resolution which passed by a
two-thirds majority. He thought after
his resolution was passed, that the
funding law was dead, but not so. Wall
street men came To Nashville and lob
bied with the Legislature, and the re-
suit was the funding law. This law
makes the people hewers of wood and
drawers of water to Wall street.
He showed that these bond. holders
must be paid their interest before the
other liabilities of the State are paid
such as the current expenses, etc.
He thought u sinking fund should
have been raised to wipe out the past
due interest, and afterwards the prin-
cipal, but this was not what the bond
holders wanted. And should the State
fail to pay the semi annual interest for
"A few years, the same process of re-
funding will take place. Did they
propose to pay this debt 10y increasing
the at UdiOrum tax. No, they were
opposed to increasing the tax.
They found way, however. They
| passed an assessment law which is in
tended to make a man assess his prop
| erty at more than its real worth. Blu
! it did not bring the desired result, the
assessment this year Is smaller than til,
last. The State is getting constantly
poorer. There Is "A way TO get rid .
| the debt, and that is to increase thu
population. He called attention to thI
! growth of the West, and thought tha
! Tennessee had the right to he ahead o
| the State. We never wanted foreigners
! When.We had our slaves we nevel
wanted Dutchmen or Frenchmen OF
! Yankees to come among us. Why
Because they put devilmeHt in theil
heads. The young men of this coun,
try who came out of the army with
$50, spent SIS for pair of high -heeleC
! boots and the other 81 for cigars. TIL,
young men depended upon theil
daddies and the daddy upon the negro
The idea is to make every person a pro
Queer, and until this is done the State
will continue to groan under her debt
He wanted foreigners brought to this
country by colonies, and he pro-
posed, if he had the opportunity, tC
induce people to come here
simply by asking them to come
| He here gave his views as to what he
would do in the interest of immigra-
ton if elected Governor, stating thai
he felt confident if his method were
adopted, in few years half million
of good immigrants could be induced
to locate in Tennessee, and the result
would be Tennessee would rise out Of
her present humiliating condition
| These views he considered of Impor
lance to all present, and hoped they
would weigh them over in theil
minds, and thanking the audience FOL
their attention, closed.