The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-01-24
The People Thinking,
From the Jackson Tribune and SUM-

We have conf lence in the sober
second thought OF the people OF Ten
nessec. At one time we feared that
drnagogucs might lead them into re
pudiation, but the dlsgr0crIul conduct
Of the Legislature has 50 shocked the
public sense Of fairness that u healthy
reaction has already set in The PEG
pie arc thinking, They are beginning
10 reason that creditors have rights
that should be respected, and that the
politicians who climorugain,t tue nifty
cents compromise have personal axes
to grind, aud are using he people TO
turn the grindslonG, And they are al
80 asking themselves, "Do we owe
this debt y and that question is lead
ing to Investigations that can result
but II way-the conviction that the
State does owe the debt, The fact
that the great bulk Of the debt was
created before the war in building rail
roads, turnpikcs, our splendid Capitol
building, and other State works, all OF
WIllNl ltIIlIl allN NC oNUpNhbIlul WV
fits to the people in Il thousand ways,
is beginning to he understood despite
the distorted statements Of men who
would seize OIL ;ial positions over the
blightcd honor Of the people. The
fact that the Brownlow bonds form
scarcely Two millions Of the present in
dchtedncss Of the State, and that the
amount, whatever it may be, has been
placed by constitutional authority
whether rightly or wrongly it matters
not, yet by the lawful act Of the peo-
pies lawful agents-beyond the reach
Of analysis or separation from the
body Of the debt, This tact, we say,
is being understood at last, and is be
Ing stripped Of reckless eXaggeratlons.
The fact that the creditors Of the
State would gladly leave the question
of legality to Our courts, and mat
the leaders Of the anti compromise ele
ment have not dared to hint a willing
ness to leave whatever legal questions
may be involved to such arbltraDcnt,
is also being weighed BY the people
The tact that in the common affairs OF
life, it would be dishonest for a debtor
to be his own Judge, per force, as be-
tween himself and his creditors, Is hes
ING considered in connection with tue
idea Of aspiring irauIs-lhat the PEG
pie OF Tennessee should be their own
Judge and jury in the question between
themselves and their creditors, And
the people are beginning to estimate
their ability to pay rom the standpoint
of duty, honesty, and fairness, and not
alone from the condition OF hard
times and depressed inaustries--a con
dition that they know is gradually dis
appearing, and that, with economy, in
dustry and integrity will in a short
time cease to cast its shallow upon the
State. These facts and arguments
have found u Judgement in the public
mind, and they must result in the good
traits Of fairness to the creditors OF the
State and honor to the people.
Hence the late disgusting rant Of
demagogucs at Nashville was not an
unpixed evil. True, they disgusted
sensible and patriotic men with their
stale, cant and noisome hypocrisy, and
excited the contempt Of fair.minded
and thoughtful citizens Ivy their insin-
cerity and weakness, True, they did
nothing but bugdcn the taxpayers
with a sixteen thousand dollar bill for
incongruous gable aud for tissue pa
per; yet they have served to show the
people how weak and contemplate are
al! excuses tor dishoncsty-how mis-
erably disgusting is the particularly
sharp and brassy demagogue when
confronted by truth and integrity, and
how amazingly diminutve and pitituI
a Legislative body can make itself
when it is without convictions and
gives itself over TO a blind aud desper-
ate struggle to catch a supposed popu,
lar breeze, Seeing all this, the people
have been brought to think on the
weakness, siniuIness and disgrace of
!cpndiation, and will ere long slun it
and its advocates as they would a pes
Reasoning by analogy, the
people cannet, after looking upon the
Legislature and its work, impose
upon themselves such disastrous dis
grace. But looking to the right, to
common fairness aud common homes
ty, and to their duty and their ability
unbiased by the pleas of sels-exaggera-
ted poverty, they will meet the guess
ton next fall in a spirit o sincerity aud
honesty, and redeem the State from
the foul suspicion cast upon it by their
misrepresentation.
Tennessccans Of to day received
their State from the fathers with a
name unclOuded, a fame as pure AS the
upon Diana's temple. and they
will not be the first to darkcn the one
and stain the other.