Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-03


beyond Legislative control, being pre-
scribed by the Constitution Of the
State. 1t is more than ample to meet
the interest payments, and the surplus
Is set aside as a sinking fund toward
meeting bonds as they fall due. With
IN the coming two years, however, it
happens that q large number Of bonds
mature, exceeding the amount &C
cumulated by the special tax, and it
deyolves on the present Legislature to
provide means to meet the de-
fcieney and lift the bonds,
or TO open negotiations for
funding them. We notice that the
leading Democratic organs favor rails
ing the necessary funds and taking up
the bonds as they mature, in order
to sustain the credit Of the State.
Funding, or the postponement of pay
| day, is condemned as being unnecessary.
To pay these bonds, extra revenues
mustbe levied beyond the 25 cent tax for
interest and the ordinary collections for
current expenses. Such is the tone and
temperofthe Missouri Democracy, when
1t comes to a question Of State honor.
Yet that State, as well as Kansas and
Nebraska, suffered more from last suni-
mer's drought than Tennessee, and
such items as the following from the
st. Louis Republican are not unfrequent
in our exchanges:
We have accounts from some of the
western counties Of this State which
report great restitution among the
people. In someparts Of Henry, John
son and st. Clair counties, cattle have
| died for want Of food, and many fami-
lies are suffering the pangs of hunger
| from day to day. The dUouth of last
summer burned up the corn and grass,
| leaving the people without the crops
on which they were depending for food,
and without the means to purchase
| provisions from abroad. In St. Clair
! county the case IS so hard that the
! County Court has been asked 70 make
an appropriation 70 buy food for the
/ sufferers. It Is a new thing TO hear of |
actual suffering from hunger among
! any considerable number Of persons in |
| Missouri, but that Is the condition that |
exists at this time IN half a dozen Of
| our southwest counties.
This is certainly much worse than |
anything existing In Tennessee. The |
political preachers Of hard times last |
summer and fall, were abasbed at the |
bOunteous barbeoues which greeted |
them at every country gathering. The |
plea Of inability to Fay cur debts is
based on assertions of widespread pri-
walton and destitution. but the proofs |
for such assertions are all wanting.
Any serious or unusual degree o. des-
titUtion could not exist am0ngus, with
ont first striking the negro population,
as our lowest and most thriftless class.
A race naturally INDECENT ana improv-
ideut, without money AID without
lands, would certainly be the first and |
most numerous victims OF any incip- /
lent famine. Yet we hear 10 com
plant from them as a class, while 1t Is
notorious tat the country negroes
fare better than those who huddle IN
the towns and villages. But, If the
IandIess, thrifdess blacks are not suf-
fering, It is an insult TO the Anglo
Saxon race, TO maintain that the latter,
with all the advantages Of education,
landed estate, and pIovideut habits, are
worse off. Nor VIII 1t DO 10 suggest
hipPa2tly that a population Of 100000
negroes steal their living IN some way
from the whites; this would only prove
that the latter have an abundance 10
steal from, or they would make more
ado about one-third of the population
rezorting to such a startling style Of
self-supPort.
View it as one may, the unprecedented
observer cannot believe a 1.-THE Of what
he hears IN legislative halls and else.
where about distress and destitution,
so long as the negro race are not
among the victims. There is more suf-
fering and starvation IN q single c5un-
ty Of Pennsylvania or New England,
among the idle operatives Of mine and
mill, than among the whole 100000 ne
groes in this State. We have hard
times, bad crops, tight money, high
taxes, depressed commerce and dulled
industries-indeed, we do not remem-
Der the year or season, before or since
the war, when we did not hear com
plants under all these beads-but
destitution, actual suffering, except in
a very few isolated communities, Of
which the UNION AND AMERICAN
made mention recently, we have not.
To make such an excuse for not paying
our debts, is to tempt an Almighty
Providence.