Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-06-10
THLMAN;S z.3O.S.

Although the communication OF MIR.
Lewis TiIlman is intolerably long, We
publish it in full, as an evidence of our
disposition to give fair play to all.
Like US, he questions the sincerity of
some who are urging non-payment OF
State dues, and like them, he labors
under the delusion that the State
credit will require increased taxa
ton" The condition of the case is,
that the payments of July, 1874, and
January and July, 1875, are provided
for without touching the revenues of
1875, which, of course, depend on the
next Legislature and are an unknown
quantity. The present rate of taxation
is about the average since the war, but
the present Administration is the first
that SO managed it as to resume the
payment of interest as well as running
expenses. The question pressed on
the people by some parties is,
whether now that We have gov
eminent which makes the State solvent
on the same rate of taxation, shall we
prefer insolvency and cut down taxes
below the rate paid when the gaping
wounds of war were still open and
bleeding, roads and fences gone TO
rack, and millions of acres now under
plow an open waste? We are not
aware of any extraordinary calamity
within the past twelve months that
would explain this sudden inability
pleaded by MIR. Tillman to pay the
average tax since the war. True, there
has been a panic, but it did not fall
worse on Tennessee than her sisters
North. South and West. The Federal
revenues indicate that the country as a
whole is now buying as many taxed
articles as it did one year ago. Has
Tennessee alone Jagged far behind al
Others in this universal recovery? Mr..
Tillman speaks of ''the gradual con-
traction of currency" when the cur
rency has really been increased $780,
100000 in the past nine months.
The illustration drawn by our CORE
spondent between A, farmer, and B,
bondholder, is fair enough, as far as 1t
goes. He argues that the misfortunes
which fall on the debtor should be par
tally borne by the creditor. This
might be Just enough, if he holds the
converse proposition: that any ex-
traordinary good fortune, resulting
from the investment of the debtor,
sbouId be shared with the creditor.
Does any man borrow or lend on this
double condition of sharing in the
nrofit and loss: Such contracts can be
made between individuals, and have
been made by rickety govern
ments. But such is not the con-
tract of Tennessee with Its cred
itors. nor would we wish to see 1t en-
ter into any such SANTANA Bay specu-
lation with capitalists. In Mr.. Tillman's
illustration the venture and misfortune
Of A are his own; and A has no more
LEGAL or moral right to involve B in his
misfortune than to involve G, or ID, oil
e 10 whom he owes nothing, because
tbey were too selfish to encourage him
with loan, or their rates were more
axorbitant than BIS. Taking the cast
ont of law and equity into morality, the
duty of C and D and E to help strug,
cling fellow-christian is exactly the
same as BIS.
This illustration of MIR. Tlllman'
Ill sarve to show 1.-The variance witt
our literal and legal obligations IN
volved in his 80 plan. Like all othel
nropositions yet preached, its onl.
means of decreasing the public burdeI
is to keep and use mans money with
ont having the rent-interest. Twls
it as you will, the principle is the sam
as that of occupying the house or re
alizing the fruits of the farm OF an
otber' without paying the stipulste'
rent. The prior natural duty OF sup
aa,.tino ones family, and inability t
pay the rent might be similarly urged g s., ?
the non-paying tenant. Interest is on I!
the rent on money. The captains
MIGHT invest the same moneyln house
or lands or factories or MINES anu u q !
bisinterestin theshapeof rents or proi
;ts Has Tennesseereached thecondltlol
If the impecunious tenant who canno
nav his rent because he must supper
his familyP What fearful mlsfortun