Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1878-12-13
AN EDITOR MEETING FACTS
WITH A SHEER.

A sneer is something of which
any one is capable. 1t requires
neither talent nor experience. The
empty-headed, conceited simpleton
may sneer at the wisdom of Daniel
Webster. 1t is a favorite method
resorted to by a certain class of
men to meet unpleasant facts.
When the rascality CT Boss Tweed
was first exposed, and those whom
he had robbed began to clamor over
the outrage, he sneeringly asked {:
What are you going to do about
it ?" We took occasion in our issue
of last Sunday morning to denounce
the outrage perpetrated upon the
taxpayers of Tennessee, which
compels them to pay million of
dollars to make good certain notes
of the Bank of Tennessee, issued
in aid of the rebellion, and now
held by few brokers and specula-
tors. The young man who writes
editorials for the Knoxville Tribune
replied to US in a highly virtuOus
strain, and intimated that We were
unacquainted with the facts.
Wednesday morning we presented
certain facts, obtained from official
records, showing that under a
Democratic administration the as
sets of the Bank of Tennessee had
been squandered to the amount of
ten millions of dollars. In answer
to all this the Tribune man writes a
couple of sneering paragraphs, one
of which we present as specimen !:
1.-THE Attorney General Of Tennes-
see will probably never cease to regret
his failure to- consult the editor of the
CHRONICLE before trying the "new is
sue " case in the supreme Court of the
United States. His failure to consult
the man who had the full facts of the
case at his fingers end will never be
forgiven him. The editor of the
CHRONICLE should volunteer bis ser
vices when matter of so much i'm
pOrtance arises hereafter. The fact
that he knew all these things and
failed to tell the Attorney General
about them will injure him in a Con-
gressional race, if he should ever have
aspiration in that direction"
This is decidedly TSOeedish. He
doesn't deny that the notes were
issued in aid of the rebellion. He
doesn't deny they were issued under
a Democratic administration. He
doesn't deny that the assets of the
Bank of Tennessee were squander-
ed, more than sufficient to pay the
liability. He does none of these
things, but laughs in derisiOn at the
whole matter. He virtually says to
the people of the State who have to
pay this sum: "We know it is
hard on you, but what are. you going
to do about it ?" Wholly indifer-
emit; perfectly unconcerned; heed
less of the toll and drudgery and
hard work that it costs the tax
payers to raise the money to pay an
unjust debt; scornful of those who
take an opposite view of the matter
from that which he entertains, he
appears to regard the whole thing
as a trivial circumstance that can
be explained with a sheer and
spurned with disdain. His whole |
bearing is that of an arrogant,
superciliOus, lOrdly master, who be-
lieves he has the power, and
proposes to exercise it, regardless of
the inconvenience or suffering to
which his victims are subjected.
We do not complain at the style
of the Tribune man. If he prefers
to discuss important public ques-
tons in that way, if his
readers are satisfied with it we