Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-10-21
THE STATE CANVASS.
Gov. POrter's speech It Memphis.
His Views on Tennessee Finances and
National Questions.

IlIden and denQrlckS Central Glul
with a band of music from the Peabo
Hotel to the stand His speech wal
able. logical and impressive and tht
audience appreciative and attentive
| He has made marked impression anC
placed himself in proper light before
| the disafected. His effort to-nighl
was mastery, and at its conclusion hs
was warmly congratulated by promi'
nent citizens.
When the Democratic party secured
the control of the State government
what was its condition Z The public
debt had been doubled; the current
expenses of the State government
amounting in 1861 to 1891 SOP, was In
creased in 1860 to $988, ,909, in 1868 te
$974.091. In five years of Republican
administration the State prison had
cost the tax payers ofsthe State $459,
TAG, ,01, or $114. .937, 81 per annuna The
bad blood and bad passions Of the war
were kept alive by the enactment 81
odious and oppressive acts of disfraA-
chisement. To this was added the new
embarrassment created BY the decision
of the Supreme Court of the United
States makipg the old Issue of the
Bank of Tennessee receivable for taxes.
The school fund, amounting to $685.
250, according to the report of Treas
urer Rust, had all except $50, 900, dis
appeared, and the Republicans surren-
dered the State government with it's
revenues consumed, aud left the tax :
payers in state of financial exhaus-
tion from which the present generation
will not recover.
What has been done under Demo-
cratic administration
The public debt has been reduced
to less than half, the current expenses
of the State government has been re-
duced more than one-third; the State
Prison, instead Of being bnrthen upon
the taxpayers, yields rental of $50.
600 per annum More thantwo mill
ions of dollars in the cid issue of the
Bank of Tennessee have been received
into the Treasury and cancelled. The
railroads have been made to bear their
share of the burthen; permanent
school fund amounting to 81, ,512, 200
has been provided, with a semi-annnal
interest of $75,375. Since this provis-
ion was made not one cent of the fund
has been lost or misapphed. The av-
erage attendance upon the public
schools, in proportion to the scholastic
population, is greater in Tennessee
than it is in New York, Illinois or Vir-
ginia-the representative States of the
East, West and South, while the cost
of the administration of the school
system in these States is greatly in ex-
cess of that of Tennessee. In Virginia,
the most economical of these three,
the sum of $46, 1882 per annum is
paid to County Superintendents while
in Tennessee they are paid for the
same service Sf3, ,6846 64.
The protection of our laws has been
secured to every citizen; a spirit of
concord and fraternity has been Great
ed; immigration has been fostered and
encouraged, and under recent legisla-
ton, burthens amounting to nearly
half a million of dollars have been
taken from the shoulders of the tax
payers. The Republican party in Tenn.
feeling the influence Of this wholesome.
legislation has abandoned contest in
the Tennessee, and does not challenge
a single act of the present administra-
ton. Every demand against the State
is now paid Oh presentation, except the
interest on the public debt. Three
instanments OF serest vpre past due.
Before the maturity of the first one,
the Comptroller in pursuance of what
was the settled policy of the Demo-
cratic party, went to New York to ne
gotiate loan, but harsh terms were
demanded, and the executive officers
abandoned policy that they consider
ed questionable. Events have demon
strated the propriety of their action.
| have been critisised for consenting
to an attempt to borrow money; mere
ly recognized the existence of policy.
[ have been criticised, too, for my veto
of the bill repeating the act giving au-
thority to the Comptroller to borrow
money 1t was the unanimous senti-
ment of members of the Legislature
that the collection of the revenue must
be postponed for year. This action
would have made the exercise of the
borrowing power necessity; but few
days after my veto bill was passed
authorizing the issuance of treasury
warrants, and through this agency the
Treasurer was enabled to meet cur
rent expenses until the revenues of the
State become available.
| read the veto message referred to ::
EXECUTIVE Office, NASHVILLE,
Tenn, March 16, 1875.-Gentlemen
of the Senate | cannot approve Sen
ate Bill No. 100, entitled, An act to re-
peal section q of an act passed March
3, 1869, entitled, An act to amend the
revenue laws of the State.
The section herein recited conters
authority on the Comptroller of the
Treasury ito borrow such amounts as
may be necessary to meet the necessary
demands upon the Treasury of the
State" 1t is presumed that the pas
sage of this bill was secured under the
belief that the exercise of this power
would not again be necessary. But
the very general failure of the produc-
tions of Tennessee, followed naturally
by an extraordinary diminution of the
volume of the currency of the country,
with corresponding diminution in the
collection of the revenues of the State,
will prevent the financial officers of
the State from paying with any degree
of promptness the usual appropria
tions for the benefit Of the asylums for
the insane, the blind and deaf and
dumb, and other ordinary expenses of
the State Government, if deprived of
the authority to make a temporary loan.
The loan negotiated in December last,
for the purpose of meeting the Janu-
aay interest on the public debt, was
made at moderate rate of interest,
and it is believed that future loans can
be made at from FIVE to seven per cent
All parties in Tennessee are pledged
to the maintenance of the credit of the
State; this cannot be done if this bill
becomes a law. 1t is immaterial at
what rate the taxation be fixed, if at a
hundred cents, under our system of
collecting the revenue, it cannot be
made available in time to meet the OBJ
legations of the State.
[ earnestly recommend a reconsider
alton of the action of the General AS
sembly in passing this bill.
JAMES d. PORTER, Governor.
Then this message was sent to the
Senate, the reason for it was acquiesced
in. and no effort was made to pass it
again. Now, all remember that under
our law, veto on the part Of the Gov
eruor, amounts simply to a reconsider
alton of bill, and it can be passed
over his veto by bare majority.
In this message | assumed that "all
parties In Tennessee are pledged to the
maintenance ofthe credit of the State. y
To this assumption there was no legis-
lative protest, and not a word of dis
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