Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-09-02
LETTER FROM ASHLAND CITY.
Public Speaking.

LETTER FROM ASHLAND CITY.
Public Speaking.
EDIToRs CHRONICLE: Agreeable to
announcement our candidates for State
Senator, together with Jacob Leech,
candidate for the Lower House. ad-
dressed our people at the court house
to-day. BY common consent Leech
was allowed twenty minutes in which
to give his views. He confined HIM
self to State policy did not specially
say what he was for, but did enumera-
ted great many things to which he
was opposed. First-the dog law;
then the no fence law, the ten per cent.
law. He was opposed to any restric-
tions on jury trials opposed to an in
crease Of taxation, opposed to some of
the provisions of the present school
law, but in favor of permanent sys-
tenn of public instruction and in
favor of looping off all unnecessary
officers and reducing the salaries of
others. Said We had too many courts
and judges believed by proper dis
tricting of the State, that the salaries
of several Judges and Chancellors
might be saved. He said that there
was one ground hog" case in Tennes-
see-we must have more money. He
took ground against reputation. Just
before the speaking opened Moses
Rogan placed on the judges stand an
apple, said to weigh a pound and a
quarter, to be awarded to the man
making the best speech against the dog
law.
At the conclusion of Leech's speech
DIR. W. A. Moody took the stand, and
before defining his position he picked
up the apple and handed it to Mr.,
Leech, telling him it was his property,
that he had richly earned it. He ac-
cepted it amid shouts of laughter.
The first point made by DR.. Moody
was that he. while in the Senate Of
1873, cut off very valuable slip of the
territory of Dickson and attached it to
Cheatham county, and at the same
session, by his vigilance, prevented
the passage of Washington's bill by
which portion of the territory Of
Cheatham was proposed to be attached
to Robertson county. He was in
favor ofreducing the number of Judges
and Chancellors, and to this end was
in favor of the abolition of the Grimm
al Court of Montgomery county, the
law court at Nashville, and one or two
other courts at Memphis and Knox
vile, and for reducing the number of
Supreme Judges to three. He was
opposed to the present assessment law,
believing that the Justices were the
proper parties to make the assessment.
He was in favor of Constables collect
ing the taxes. He was in favor of tax
ing everything connected with rail-
roads, even to their earnings if the
same can be done. He said the finan-
cial question, was tie one of para
mount Importance in the canvass. He
was opposed to an increase of taxes.
but thought all the just debts of the
State should be paid, and he would
ever oppose the reputation of any
honest debt. He said that it was in
sisted by some that many or some of
the bonds had been issued in violation
of law. and contrary % the constitu-
ton if such were the facts he would
oppose the payment of such bonds. He
said he voted against the present
school law while in the Senate, but
was in favor of system of public in
struction less expensive than the pre-
sent. He was in favor of a law that
made every county pay for its own
criminal prosecutions. He next took
up his own record in the House and
Senate, and also that Of one of his op-
ponents, Capt. McAdoo, in the House.
Mr.. FL. NJ. McAdoo next took the
stand, and said it was impossible for
him in the short space allowed, to an
swer in detail all the general positions
taken by DIR. Moody. He devoted a
short time to an explanation of the
charges brought against him by his OPP
ponent, but we have not the time,
space or inclination to go into detail
of the charges. He put himself square
down against reputation, being in
favor of paying all the liabilities of the
State SO soon as it can be done without
oppression to the people. He said
he stood on the Democratic platforms,
State and National believed it to be
the duty of the State to provide the
means of instructing every child within
her borders. and to that end he was in
favor of permanent, well settled and
fixed system of public instruction. He
was in favor of amending the present
law, SO as to dispense with the State
Superintendent, and let his duties be
performed by the Secretary of State,
and that an examination fee be allowed
to county superintendent, to be paid
by the applicants, and a nominal sum
be allowed them for keeping and pre-
serving the records connected with the
schools, and thus let all the money go
to the children. He was was in favor
of iudicially redistricting the State, to
take effect August 1878. and thereby
decrease the number of Judges and
Chancellors. He thought there were
too many courts at Knoxville, Nash
vile, Memphis and GAINESVILLE. He
was in favor of allowing clerks and
clerks and masters a liberal salary,
and all necessary clerk hire, and all
above that amount arising in any court
to be paid into the treasury of the
State as so much revenue. He thought
the same policy should be applied to
Attorney Generals, and was opposed
to an increase of the present rate of
favakion and uuaS Co. ooDIv;Do tho