Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-04-17
TEaNESSEE AND THE CENTEN-
NAL.
Governor Porter in LOVe with Ihe Cen
IeDniaI Idea-Ets Blessings ia Pros
PrrIIy-state Treasures for
Exhibition.

! NASHVILLE, April 2, lo75.--I called
! upon Governor Porter and at once pro-
ceeded to lay before him the object OF
my visit, which told him, was to as
certain what action he proposed taking
! On behalf of the State with regard TO the
| Centennial celebration at Philadelphia.
asked him what he thought of the Gel
ebration and hereplied as follows:
Governor POrter-I am greatly in ia
vor OF it aud anything else which will
have so great q tendency TO eXalt the
! patton and to show forth her progress
/ during the hundred years of her exist
! ence. This celebration ought to draw
/ al the States together, and ought to be
| the means Of dissipating and forever
! botting out the curse ofsectiOnalism and
! sectional feeling, 1t ought to cultivate
broad spirit OF unity and brOtheTly
! kindness. In its PARTICIPATION the war
and all its subsequent evils should and
| will be Obliterated, and we shall move
along through the next century as
strongly cemehted together in the one
common object OF peTpetuating a re-
| publican government.
COrTesp0ndent-Wil you take any
action with regard to having Tennessee
! fully represented?
THE QUESTION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Governor Porter-I received "a let
ter from A. T. GOshOrn, director gener-
al, recently, and have been somewhat
troubled as to what course / should pur
sue. The question rests upon the fact
as to whether the State will have the
ability to furnish the money to meet the
demands OF such an undertaking. There
Is now, you know, hue and cry all over
the State about its financial condition.
This is an imaginary trouble on the part
of the people. There is no inability on
the part of the State to meet all the de-
| mands made upon it. There is no doubt
that there are many men in the State
who, by reason of the panic OF 1873 and
the drought OF last season, are in des-
perate strait. Much of the clamor pro-
ceeds from them. They are using all
| their energy to meet their liabilities, and
are, therefore, opposed to anything hav-
ing a tendency TO depTess them, though
it be of light nature. But the cry has
been so persistent that all alike pro-
claim "hard times" For instance, q
farmer in my county came to me the
other day and complained of "hard
times" l asked him whether he owed
anything. He replied, "NO" Wheth-
er he bought as much and lived as well
aS lie ever uIu. ne SaiuI eS.
"Well, then" / said, "yOu have very
little to grieve you.n
spOndeDt-WilIy you recommend
any action on the part of the legislature
relative to the centennial celebration?
Governor PoTter-Not until after the
discussion of the financial problems is
over.
CorrespOndent-Wh will you recon-
mend?
Governor POrter-An adequate sppro-
priatiOn for the conspicuous display Of
Tennessee's immense resources.
A CHANCE FOR IMMIGRANTS.
CoIrespondent-Then Tennessee will
be enabled to make as great q display As
any other State in the Union?
Governor PoTter-Yes; and am de.
cidedly in favor of placing her cOGspic-
uOusly III the foreground, and, so far as
my ability extends, it will be done.
There is no State in the Union that has
greater resources than oms. We have
ores of the greatest and the richest va
riety. There is no limit to it's coal, its
iron, its marble, plain and variegsted.
Tim Der of the finest quality and OF every
description grows here in the greatest
abundance. The products OF the soil are
unequsled, We can raise anything we
want, and, il We desire, make three
crops in one season. We have no gold
mines of any consequence, but We have
plenty of lead, copper and silver and
other ores. 1t is not egOtistical in me,
nor an overweening love for my State,
to say that she could eclipse Pennsylva.
mia in display Of her resources. They
have been comparatively unknown,
simply for the want Of capital to devel-
Op them.
CorrespOndent-DO you not think that
such au exhibition of Tennessee's
wealth as you propose would be worth a
score Of immigration bureaus?
Governor Porter-I must admit that /
do. l am thoroughly satisfied that if
Tennessee should make the exhibitiORit it
ought, we should have such a stream of
immigration to it as she had never before
known, and that is just what we want.
II we had more of it property would
soon increase to such a valuation as to
make the mnch- -talked-abOut State debt
al easy burden to carry. Besides, our
climate is SO mild that our winters are
comparatively light-sO much so that
instead Of having to build big barns, as
they do up north, cattle are turned out
to Craze; the dwellings instead are built
large and open, for a TenDessesn be-
lieves in having plenty of pure, fresh
air.