The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1878-03-20
,%THEQUEsTIoNs OF THE
DAY.

NV excuse Tor appearing DeIOTe tHe |
I5ablfts Is fgtfHtl IN tire Vi0lgut and severe
criticisms, by the high tax newspapers
and speakers, of the course pursued by |
myself and others in the Legislature in
defeating The Governors proposition to
COMPROMISE the State debt.
Having no newspapers IN the State
that can be relied on to defend the ac-
ton of the majority in the Legislature,
except the Memphis ACata7aelse and
Tedqer and a few country papefs-the
Springfield Record, Franklin Regle1o, and
perhaps seven or eight other county pa
Ders out of more than sixty-and which,
of course, cannot be read generally, the
action of the Legislature in protecting
fine DeODle from an increase OF taxes at
the lime must be defended on the stump,
or Judgment by default will be taken by
tbe attorneys of the high tax party at
The approaching conventions, ana then
under the power of party organization
made final at the approach elections.
The delicacy as well as the magnitude
of this question demands an open, frank
discussion and an unqualified avowal of
purpose.
The low tax men mean to make their
| fi0ht inside the Democratic party, and
/ they mean to appear in the State Demo-
cratic Convention and urge the party to
/ adoDt n platform consistent with the IN
/ tercsts and wishes of the People-as they
understand these int efests and wishes
| and to nominate candidates in sympathy
known to be in -sympathy-wlth the
! Dcople. and we give notice now, that we
! me49 to ~lcHvc no stone uaturned TO
mc7;5 the Convention this year peof
| nj invention The fact that all the
! RennlJlicans in the Legislature except
4 an i, each house,. uniting with small
! min.srity of Democrats, came near car
1 rying the high tax prOposltion--ahd tiIat
tie leaders Of the Republican party all
overthe State openly avow their pur-
nose to run a high tax caad! late Ter
Governor, and to elect, whereVer lhey
| can. high tax members to the Leg isla'
ture, makes fight for the people inside
| the Democratic party a necessity. Il.
The controlling reason for the course
| of the majority of tile Legislature was
! NOT that the bonds were. Issued without
! warrant of Law, nor that they were sold
in violation of law these questions were
made and passed with forces bqt the
| main reasons why no settlement was
made, were twO-1st, justice demands
and nations have acquiesced IN 1t Tor
| hundreds of years-that when war or
other causes takes from whole people
their property or any large portion. ollt,
and greatly reduces the strength ana
| mower of the nation or State, the hoIu-
ers of public securities must at least
bear their part of the general shrlnkaSe
T OF losS4aIid none of the propositions by
Istlle high tax members, TO compromise,
brought the settlement down to such
eduitable basis; indeed considering the
actual and bona fte equities, which
should first be Acknowledgement as inter
est accruing during the war which was
funded and then interest on interest;
| say. after deducting these and other
| lust equitiCs-it was not believed the
bondholders would by such compromise,
share any part. of the loss or general
shrinkage.
But the stronger and more powerful
reason against the. settlement at thiS
time was found in the fact that the Fed
+ eraI policy Tin addition to the equities
named and the loss of nearly half our
| country by the war; is policy OF en-
| s1averttf,f .e1 s.f- lIEH taI So,
A majority of. the Legislature, upon
full and thorough consideration, was of
opinion that the Federal Government
under the influence of the money power
whose organized existence is as well
known as if it were Incorporated. with
mower to regulate money! property and
labor. so that the fixed incomes from
inactive capital shall absorb the entire
lnet- income from property and labor
.
incomes, no matter if it does enslave the
masses; aud Imeaa by this, debt slavery
IA state of things whereby the people
have nothing left after paying interest
and support the Governments say a
majority of the Legislature came deli
berately to the conclusion that this is
the purpose and policy of the money
power 8hich las had control at Wash
ington for twelve years, and whose death
~
established tor the people is not yet bro
ken, and cannot be, except by general
uprising of the suffering masses, and
while we might well stand upon the
general doctrine that nothing but the
net income can be ta.sen to pay public
debt, seeing that we had no net income
vet We fully realized that as a defen-
sive measure, we must demand that the
cruel and deadly grip of the meney pow
er shall be loosed, and the blood Which
has blackened the face and chilled the
limbs by its stagnation shall be restored
to its wonted circulation. When the
people get rclief--not before-we will
cheerfully commence TO pay interest on
whatever sum is rightfully found to be
due our creditors, including the counties
! and citizens that have certificates of de-
post III the Bank of Tennessee, and la
borers on the railroads while run by the
State, and who have not been paid
Fellow citizens, the great question for
the people of Tennessee is not what sia II
be done with the State debt-this is the
question we have in hand just now it is
true; but this is collateral to a question
of alarming proportions Tue money
power using our organized government
machinery-the people being the gov
ernlnent, has it, the government, by the
throat and with blackened face, added
brain and cramped limbs, it struggles
for freedom. In this death struggle
shall blood be drawn from an agonizing
people to keep alive the great serpent us
it slowly draws its huge body about-the
neck Of its yictim-:his is the question.
, Who is this money power? The answer
is those who represent fixed incomes
who pay no taxes, but live by taxing
labOr-WhO contribute nothing for the
support of government, bnt have them
selves managed to be made the wards Of
the Government, and nj the same time
its masters. 1t is not the money OF. this
! money power that has made the people
Jealous and fearful, but it is the purpose,
now fully developed, to humiliate and
degrade labor by first making the labor
ing people helpless and dependent
| without aambition, without hope, gand
without promise-with no aspirations,
but a scant living. $50
}Ihe money power, seeing that the
masses are not as the peasantry of Eup-
land aIe, content to labor life time for
food, c!OthiDg and shelter, such as they
have, fear that the people will rise up
and rebel against system that taxes Ia
Dor to support untaxed capital, J, and their
protection for untaxed capital lies, as
| they believe, in tile extreme poverty and
I helplessness. of the people; 10 accom-
pllsh this the remedy adopted was to
1 make money scarce. This accomplished
a double purpose-it takes away from
the laborer all thought of freedom.
bringing him to think of nothing but
feeding himself and family, and at the
1 same time ii gives liked incomes = ,gal,a