Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-08-01
Reputation and Commu.

Or. NasIyilIe Amefican.

Some resolutions recently passed
at meeting in one OF the coan
ties Of this State have succeeded
in condepsing into vicious English
the vicious Ignorance 50 solutions
ly insiilled.
They declare that the public
debt of the State is a burden not
to be borne, and that its payment
will enslave the people and their
children. Time was when a debt
for which an equivalent considera
lion had been received was regar
ded as a just obligation, TO be
liquidaied according to its terms.
The relation of creditor and debt
or is not that OF oppressor and op
prescott master and slave. No
fact in the history of Tennessee's
public debt warrants, in any de-
gree, the use OF such terms IN re-
gard to her creditors. II applIca-
BILE ut all, it is an inversion OF the
case, such as is now threatened,
when tie debtor, Tree from com
pulsory legal process, having oh
tanned the creditors money, refu
ses TO recognize bis obligation to
pay, and plants himself on the
right of might. The creditor has
been bearing and lenient, pro-
pr sing to diminish his claim BY
nearly one-balf and asking for
the stipulated interest on that
The dishonoring and odious OPP
preston is with the debtor, who
having the brute power, would
tear up the bonds. If we are
guilty of this stupid ignoniny, lei
US spare further inault to common
intelligence and pirate no longer
of oppression. The logic thai
fluids slavery in the payment of
debt is as fimsy as the doctrine
of rel udiati)n is immoral and
dishonest. In accepting and faith
fully complying VIII the terms Of
fered by the public creators, W.
would emancipate ourselves. II
reputation we would forge the
chains Of degrading and interim
nable slavery.
They declare that the bonds
of the State were issued without
the knowledge, consent or author
ity of the taxpayers, and thai
until recently the people have
never understood that such bonds
constituted a public debt, Ia the
light of facts to be found on al
most every page of the legislative
records of tie State since 1885
these records receiving the cunu-
lative assent and approval of the
people almost biennially ever since
this assertion is amazing effron-
terry. There is not a tax payer in
the State, competent TO compute
his tax on FIVE hundred dollars of
property at ten cents on the hun
bred, who will confess to this de-
gree of ignorance and stupidity.
They declare that two thirds
of the debt is fictitious and invalid
"a statement directly impeaching
the official integrity of every Gov.
ernor of the State from Newton
Cannon to James D. Porter, AID
an indirect imputation upon thai
Of every Legislature from 1887
to the mparable assembly Of
statesmen and economists which
made last year illustrious for it:
financial wisdom. The fiction is
not in the debt but in this declar.
ton. which is intended to present
'the equities which SO much dis
turb the consciences Of men seek
ing a new way to pay just debts
They declare that the people
are 10: bound in duty and honor
to pay this debt, until the credl
tors consent to release them of all
except one third Of it. 1t is to be
regretted that the purchasers Of
Tennessee bonds did not know ear
lier Of this standard of duty end
honor now sought to be establish
ed. We could have lad no debt,
for a people without credit or hon.
or cannot contract one.
They declare it is the right and
privilege of the people at the bal
lot box to say whether they will
pay any part of the debt. In 9th
er words, they say that the form
of the State Government is not
republican, which the Constitu
ton of the United States says it
shall be, but that it is a pure De-
mocracy and voters in their pri
mary capacity have power to re-
peal laws and annul obligations.
To avoid this debt, they propose
to inaugurate peaceful revolution
and set aside the State Constitu-
ton. To satisfy "the equities
they would DEFY the law-organic
and statutory-and abolish JUS
tice.
Do these men reflect that IN
this suggested prostitution of
the ballot for the lawless and
ruthless confscation of d e b t /.
they are intoxicating the fell
spirit of communism, and debauch-
ing the public conscience utterly =?
Do they propose to shame the
scheme of government proposed
=. 100 H., a. aAforov@ ~ tanol