The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-07-29

We did not have room this week. fof
the whole letter, but viii conclude it
in our next
Editor Eckange;
BY your kind permission, will
submit u few suggestions on the ques-
tons Of our State credit" This, pub
fishing the liberal and live paper that
YOU do, | feel you will grant, even
should you differ with some Of ths
views advanced, II seems that the
failure to pay our maturing July it,
tereSt account. the very day due, fur
nishes the occasion for very many
astuteS) and adverse criticisms upon
the last Legislature, all along the gilt
edged line Of lofty State credit men.
These will have il, that by the failure
to pay our July interest there has been
a rgisal to pay .hunest debts aud. that
the stain and shame. Of incipient repu.
diatinIsrsw disgrsess Tennessee, Wpne
derful Were il not true, that SO large
a part of, cur citizens are forced by
hard circumstances tolabor unceasing-
ly for the means of support, so that
they are unable TO give a full share
of attention to public affairs, ara con-
sequently might be misled by such
fustian, it would surely be unnecessa-
~ to make one word of reply.
There is one paper published in this
county that says the members of the
last legislature utterly failed to abide
the pledges made before the ELECTION.
What pledges? Was it to fix the rate
of taxation at forty cents !? MOTOR
this was done True, a minority com
posed Of members of both parties, and
some free,taee men thrown in, favor,
ed lower rate Of taxation, but failed
in getting It. Does any man capable
of constituting language, and honest
enough to state fair conclusion reach
ed, hold that the democratic platform
of the State, of last fear, contetfplat-
ed higher rate OF taxation than 40c
on the hundred dollars? Besides, the
current history. and. understanding Of
the canvass were printed and conclu1
sixe, that, the people expected nc
greater. rate .dl, -"
Well evidently, nothing can be said
by these high-pressure, ImeA thus far
to their advantage. But the suspen-
sion of taxes for several months! cries
the Republican paper of Chattanooga.
has destroyed our credit. The fine
adiectives are omitted. Some demo-
cratic organs seem to think the same
way, and to ppRose such relief to the
people. -, 1t is n4s1lesS to recite facts,
but several are in place. These go to
show, the real condition of the people
but are Rht stated f. stir or revive a
single .discoraant feeling, The war
INTERVIEWED. The great wealth exist
ing in negro property was swept away.
The feeling Of two armies, and the
torch of the enemy lessened our sub
stance. This over, the drawingupon
our ,resphreps did not eaase. The ex-
action Of that unconstitutional cotton
tax, recently declared constitutional,
transferred S7,000,000.00 from Ten
nessee. Worse than this, the mon
strous protective tariff that is fastened
upon US, since the. war, has transferred
from this state without exaggeration,
as much as $50, 900. 600; and the great
bulk of this does not go into the cof-
fers of the government. the greater
part of goods consumed being manu-
factured in this country, and in a few
northern states. In addition to this,
the: federal Epvernniept. has taken
charge of banking, AMI after thxing
the people $50, 200, 900, to sustain the
national bank system andcu off from
the states tho right, to regulate their
CURRENCY, refuse to Feed the lapguish-
ing Industries of the country, until re
dry rot aud paralysis make the picture
pitiable in the extreEAe. b Vet "a step
further. Farmers SOW their scotland
till Their soil in 1874, but there is a
failure of. production almost total
Without m;sstatelrent many, many
good citizens had not the means to
support their families, make o crop
and pay their taxes 4 Dire e1trehii-
ty was upon manyof. the people. This
act suspending taxes undertook TO meet
it, and wisely. 1t provided for the
payment ofinterest on taxes after due,
and 80 caused almost the entire class
who: could pay to dc So, Those less
fortunate, it relieved. 1t is a familiar
doctrine Of the old common law that
all statute customs and obligations in
Conflict with che lawof God were void.
Is the obligation to pay the bondhold-
er higher than the duty to provide for
ones household? Nothing is exempt
from the tax-gatlierer,, Now, under
such circumstances, was it better to
stand by the people, saying they need
only little breathing spell to pro-
duce something to live upon, and on
which to levy and collect taxes with
which to paya" honest debts" or on
the other hand to- (sRck the situation
of the people, refusing a slight post
postment adjusted to their exigsncya
/: Is postponement reputation, incip-
lent or final2 What a startling doc
trine shes would, be, TO apply to .indi-
v;duals, But this giltedged crowd put
orr state obligations npop q far higher
phone tl.an individual. Isttink such
obligations should. be,acted On alike,
ard always hapestlY neYerl no never
rapudiatipg honest debts,,,.Qpe eyl |
concedewili spring outof thisnecessary
relief. hereafter. at times, denlagogres
for the sake Of favor wsil at the wrong
time, attempt to practice ca the pre-
cedent. But when the people tkink,
and are; honest. there will be no troub-
le on this score. Nosuch crop failure
has occurred, perhaps, in, fifty years;
nor at time when the people. all the
people were so near without any sur
plus. Facts are immutable, and upon
Them it is presumed the members of
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