Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-06-24
MEMPHIS ATRAH-


Thomas Jefferson wrote that large
cities are sores on the body polite, and
all history proves the truth of the die
tum. Even Tennessee is not without
its examples, and the people of the
State at large would do well to bear the
fact in mind. Because Memphis, with
population of 10000 finds itself hard
pressed by debt of six or seven mil.
lions, some politicians and publicists of
that city think Tennessee, with a popu-
lation Of 100000 cannot manage a
debt Of twenty millions. These figures
show, by the simple rule of three, that
the burden of Memphis is, proportion
ally, ten times as large as that of the
State; and inversely, that the State is
ten times as able as Memphis to sus-
tain its credit and meet its obligations.
Hence the State would have but little
excuse in resorting to the devious de-
vices for lodging creditors which have
brought the Bluff City into It's present
awkward predicament.
But the men who have mismanaged
Memphis finances, being sorely pressed
by the logical results of their own
folly, and anxious for relief at any sac
rifce, would fain swamp the entire
State in the slough of Reputation, in
order to have the excuse and counte-
nance Of its example, behind which to
conceal their own shameful projects.
Because their own city is driven to the
verge Of reputation, as they argue,
they would drag the entire State over
the precipice. Doubtless they act on
the impulse that misery loves cOmpa-
ny, but the rest of 100000 Tennes-
seeans are not likely to accept the in
sidious invitations of these 10000,
or their sloud-mouthed champions.
The Memphis AUalanche informs its
readers that 1.-The city has stirred up
whole battalion of lawsuits by the poll
cy advocated by Mayor League in re-
gard to its bonded debt" 1t states
further that until recently the de-
cisiOn of the courts here have been so
thoroughly in favor of the bondholder
that he has been encouraged to ask the
courts to levy and collect taxes to pay
public debts" Yet it tells us that mo
one expects the city to yield its ground
until driven away at the point of the
bayonet." The policy here foreshad-
owed is madness; no free people should
invite the rule Of the bayonet, but one
of the surest modes for doing so, is to
resist the courts. The AUdlaRche en-
courages this mad policy by predicting
that New York, Chicago, and Boston
itself, Will not be too proud
TO do the same thing before
the year $780," and by insinuating
that the courts must change the
tenor Of their decisions. But courts
can do nothing more than enforce the
LAS as they find them; nor can the
Legislature alter the laws IN this re-
spect, because the first article of the
Federal Constitution distinctly pro-
vides that "nO State shall pass any law
impairing the obligation of contracts"
Memphis may as well recognize, first
as last, that, under the law of the land,
it must pay its debts, and delay but
increases difficulty. If any of its out
standing bonds are fraudulent, let the
fraud be proven, and the courts viii
give the proper relief. 1t is easy enough
to cry fraud, but until the fraud is
proven, the motives of the man who re-
fuses to pay on that ground will be sus-
pected. Let the fraud be proven; no
court can assume it as a fact.
Our sister city might well profit by
the experience of Nashville, which also
tried the policy of staving off debts by
costly lawsuits, but has happily con-
cluded to face the music, and by close
economy and wise administration
reduce it's old debts, while