Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-03-17
OUR NASHVILLE LETTER.
The Legislature Near Its End-LpEis.
IatioD inJnr'nE the Sfate-Inv"stiEa
ton Needed.

NASHVILLE, March o, 1870.
The closing scores Of the Thirty
ninth General Assembly are rapidly
drawing near, aud soon the places
which now know the members thereof
will know some Of them no more for
ever. And, to tell the truth, they have
done the State 10 serious harm 30 far.
To be sure, they have kept the price Of
Tennessee bonds bobbing up and down
in the market like jumping jack, !"
aud have succeeded in depreciating the
value Of the same, to some extent, but
we have reason to be thankful if they
d" no worse aud allow their talk about
compromising with bondholders and
scaling the debt of the State to remain
talk.
The truth Is, there are in the present
House of Representatives. there are
in every body of similar character
men who, in their general stupidity
and ignorance, take il for granted that
bondholders are always men of
wealth, which wealth they have accu-
INFLATED by grinding and expressing
their fellows; and they look upon
bOndhOlders consequently, as the lrgi-
innate prey of all honest people, whom
the latter have right-and, in fact,
are IN duty bound, to despoil and
compel to disgorge their ilI-gotten
gains whenever opportunity offers.
The truth is, as all intelligent people
know, bonds are favorite means of
investment with all classes and when
their value is deprecated through
wicked legislation, widows, minor
children, and laboring men, suffer with
the rest.
l am glad to observe that, but one
man of the House-Anderson, of this
county-has taken decided position in
favor of requiring Insurance Com
pantes tn make a deposit of $40, 900 in
bonds with the Secretary of State. A
deposit of that amount would be no
security whatever for fair dealing on
the part of Insurance Companies, as
they take risks on millions, even,
while it would prove hardship on
home companies wishing to establish
agencies in other States, as they would
be compelled to make similar depos-
1t in each OF those States. In this aye
OF push and enterprise, men want
competition in the way of Insurance
as well as in every other branch of
business, and the way to secure Insur-
auce at low rates is to open wide the
Ioors to all well established compan-
les, protecting the policy holders 10y
requiring SAID companies to file auuu.
ally with "a State Insurance Commits
sioner sworn statements as To their
-,
which have gotten out of the ruts and
grooves in which Tennessee would re-
main forever, if all her laws were
made by men of Anderson's mental
caliUre.
Governor Porter has demonstrated
th9t he possesses a knowledge of hu-
man nature and of the needs of the
State, in appointing as he did this
week-Mr. Leon Trousdale, of Mem
phis, superintendent of Public In
structiOn and Col. J. b. Killebrew,
Commissioner of Agriculture, Stats.
tics and Mines. The former is one of
the finest scholars in the State, "A pol
ished gentleman, an eX-editor and is
admirably fitted for the position.
Killebrew is one of the best known
agricultural writers in the South, and
has won an enviable reputation
throughout the entire Union by the
energy, ability and learning displayed
by HIM in his recent publicatiom-The
Resources or Tennessee. He is also a
finished scholar, having graduated at
the famous Chapel Hill University,
North Carolina, in 1856, since which
time he has been engaged in practical
farming and editorial labors Under his
effective management, the newly es-
tablished Bureau of Agriculture, Sta.
tlstlcS aud Mines, can not fail to prove
success, and to result in great good to
the State.
The Investigating Committee ap,
pointed early in the session to ferret
out the charges of bribery and cOrrup-
ton, which were preferred against GER
tain members of the last General As
sembiy, in connection with the pas
sage of the funding bill, and the cleo
ton of Comptroller, resumed its labors
to-day, after resting spell of such
length that the fact OF the Committee
having been appointed had nearly
passed from the memory of the public.
A number OF witnesses were eXamin-
ed to-day, and facts ELECTED, showing
the Importance of securing the attend
ance of House, late of Franklin. Ten.
nessee, but now connected with a
clothing house in New York, but
whether that attendance eau be secur.
ed is question. 1t is a fact, now gem
orally known, that several witnesses
examined by this Committee have tes-
titled that House told them he had ex-
pended several hundred, and even
thousand, dollars in buying votes in
the race he made for the COmptroller- !
ship two years ago, which votes cost
him all the way from a sack of coffee |
to $3.50 per head. Witnesses have testi- !
fled that House had told them he |
paid the sum last named TO secure the |
vote and influence of Representative
NOblett of Lincoln county, who is |
also member Of the present House Of !
Representatives, and who was chair
man of the Committee appointed TO |
Investigate the Hobbs matter. 1t is |
quite likely that in making this state
ment House lied, slanderously and |
maliciously-but the fair fame Of the
gentleman referred to, demands that /
House be placed upon the witness
stand and under oath.
For this sudden aud unexpected eX-
hilton Of energy on the part of COM
.iUl. .