Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-03-18

As soon as this Belknap business
blows over sufficiently to permit US to
lay aside our pocket handkerchief and
cologne bottle, which for the present
are Indispensable for comfort, we in
tend to give the most vigorous atten
ton of which we are capable to some
aspects of our State politics. We will
anticipate the reminder of the Com
mercial not to forget the Hobbs as
pect' we will not forget the humidity
of the Capitol. We will have our say
upon the question of State credit, which
is now the prime question in the politi-
cal economy of Tennessee. In the
coming elections the humble support
of this paper will be given to no drivel-
ing demagogue who has not the man
illness and moral courage to tell the
people the plain truth touching the
financial condition of the State, and
who will not bend his best energies to
inculcate in the popular mind proper
State pride, and virtuous disdaln for
that dishonor that is called repudia-
ton. We have at no little labor in
vestigated this question fully, and we
are ready for the sophistries and sub
terfuges of the demagogues who prate
their solicitude for the dear people and
their oppressive burdens, but who are
really doing their utmost to bind still
heavier burdens upon them. Repudi-
alton is reputation, despite the
euphonious synonyms and circumlocu-
tions by which these pseudo statesmen
seek to soften it. The debt of the
State is large, but, as compared with
the capa bilities and resources of the
| State it is small. The taxes, in these
pinching times, are of course not easily
| borne. But our State and county
taxes are lighter than those OF any OF
the thirty-eight States, except three.
| For that matter the whole world is
heavily taxed; and, for that matter
the voluntary yield of the earth, since
the expulsion from Eden, is thistles
and weeds instead of fruits and cereals.
| No people ever were emanclpated from
hard times, or heavy burdens, by in
dolent and unavailing complaints. in
stead of stout hearts and hard labor.
And least of all, did any people with
abundantresources ever rid themselves
ola public debt by reputation. Where
ever the experiment has been made 1t
| has proven an exchange of one evil tor
a hundred that were more grIevous.
The present tax of forty cents is not
large enough to meet the interest On
our bonded debt, and detray the cur
rent expenses of the State government;
and the Legislature must levy larger
tax. That is all there is about it.
After all the shifts are exhausted, to
this complexion must it come at last.
And it will not be the poor man, or the
man of moderate means, who will
mainly feel the burden of increased
taxation but the larger property own
ers. A man who GYMS a thOusad dol
lars of real estate, and thousand dol
lars of personal property, has now but
eight dollars of taxes, both State and
county, to pay. There is an immense
amount of vile humbuggery and hypo-
critical cant in this talk of the taxes
being oppressive to the poor. Munlc-
ipal taxes in this State, as in most OF
the States, are very burdensome but
this arises simply from municipal mis-
management. And our present law is
unjust to merchants, and should be
modified in that regard. furthermore,
we are in favor of everything which
promotes an improved husbandry, and
the development of our unrlvaled
mineral resources. We prefer, sheep
to dogs. We advocate the subdivis-
of our large, half titled farms into
smaller ones that shall be more thor
oughly ploughed, and fenced, and fer
tilted. Aud to this end we advocate
extending cordial invitation to the
b NEST and thrifty Of every land, to
come in and help us discharge our
burdens, till our fields, and deIve out
the hurried treasure in the womb of
earth :" and hand in hand with us re-
alize the grand prosperity, and the no.
HE civilization which the near future
holds in store for us if we but put
forth earnest, cheerful, well-directed
exertions; and are true to ourselves,
10 the instincts of honor, and to the
dictates of common sense and common
honesty Chattanooga Times.