Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-02-09
RETRENCHMENT OUR ONLY SAL.
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must be conceded that Tennessee is rot
worse off than the majority Of her sis
ter States, among whom such whispers
Of quasi reputation as we hear in our
Legislative halls would not be tolerated
for an instant. 1t is not the voice Of
the people, but the vile Of the dema-
gogue, who, for lack Of craftsmanship,
thinks to rise on the ever popalar plea
Of low taxes. The people have said,
lop off the ~tax-eaters, reduce expenses,
and give us a government such as we
want-cheap, because it is pure and
simple. They know, as Governor
Porter aptly quotes, that population
doe not pay a debt; that it does not
discharge the debtor; that it does not
modify a debt, so that it is always
binding In law as well as IN morals,
and that it adds a sort Of disrepute to
acknowledged disability" With the
Governor, we also think that any IN
crease Of the people's burdens at this
time, would be intolerable, and we
shall, as in the past, oppose it, stand
ing by the text Of the platform on
which we won the November elections.
If wise craftsmanship can reduce those
burden it should be done. But it
would not be craftsmanship to bring
on the States financial credit a dis
honor which every T-ennesseean would
necessarily share, and which would
lead all cautious capitalists to give US
a wide berth just at the juncture We
most need their help.
Therefore, it is poor policy at this
time, to be painting pictures altogether
black, without one ray Of sunshine,
such as that touched up by our corre-
spondent, East Tennessee" in an
adjoining column. They give but a
one-sided view of our condition, ignor-
ing what may, can and should be done
ignoring the supreme duty Of the
hour. To estimate the expenses of
1875, from those of 1881, is manifest
ly unjust to Legislators and State off.
GERS elected OF a pledge TO ''the most
rigid economy in government admin
istration. Retrenchment was the grand
shibboleth Of the recent campaign.
Are we then to have no retrenchment?
Was this banner with the grand device
taken up and advocated by our eandi-
dates for the Legislature merely to be
trampled in the mire when they reached
Nashville? If not, then the expenses
Of last year are no criterion for the fu-
ture. In saying this, we intend no re-
Fiction upon the last administration,
because its expenditures arose from
the operations Of laws whose repeal is
demanded on all hands. Take, for in
stance, the one item Of State prosecu-
tons, amounting to S237. SOC, or about
a quarter Of a million. Bills are now
pending which viii reduce this full fifty
per cent. So Of the costs for bringing
conyicts to the penitentiary, for land
sales, and many other items Of expense
IN which the people i~mperatively de-
mand q material reduction. On the
other hand, it is the duty Of the Legis-
lature to look after the railroads, Pull
man cars, and many other sorts of cor
porations which have been enjoying
the protection Of government and the
entree Of our courts without ~contribu-
ting a cent to their maintenance.
Another item Of encouragement Is
the remarkable decrease in that ugly
item Of the State Treasury, termed
Dues from DeIinquents. It had stead
lily increased since the war until peo-
pie began to think it bottomless pit,
into which every year would throw its
quota. The amount of deIinquencies
Jan. l, 1873, was $685. $40. Within
two years, or up to Dec. IS, 1874, it
was reduced to S770,O77. In other
words S9l6,465, OF nearly a million Of
these doubtful assets were collected.
This is a gratifying fact, in view of
the very imperfect laws under which
State officers have accomplish
cd It. Among the reforms
expected and demanded Of this Legis-
lature is more stringent laws for the
delivery Of taxes to the Treasury after
collection. This class Of delinquents
is almost exclusively composed Of col
l%ectors, who, after, getting the taxes
from the people, fail to turn the money
over to the State officials. The tax
payers are directly interested IN the
most vigorous provisions against such
mispropriation Of their moneys, and
We feel that measures can be taken
which viii guard the public funds for
the future IN such a way that this item
viii disappear entirely from the Comp
trOlier's reports.
Last week the Legislature called up
on the various State officers for esti-
mates of the expenses Of their several
departments. This may be difficult to
do, in some instance unless the officer
either assumes that there Will he no
more retrencbment this session, or IN
dertakes to discount the probabilities
Of the coming forty-eight days. Yet
the least We can do. with respect for
both Legislature and officers, is to
await the Forthcoming official estimates.
To calculate expenses IN advance, on q
one-sided basis, looks like an effort to
beg the question and bias public opin-
ion.
HERE is an item Of interest for a