Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1878-11-21
AN EAST TENNESSEE REPU-
DTATIONIST.

We have rejoiced in the fact that
there are few persons in East Ten
nessee who are willing to see the
State debt repudiated. Our peo-
pie, without reference to party
lines, have been counted pretty
solid in favor of an honest settle
ment of this question. Our recOl-
lection is that there were only three
Representatives in the last Lagisla-
ture from this division Of the State
who voted in favor of rejecting the
liberal compromise offered by the
creditors of the State, in which
they proposed, in view of all the
existing circumstances, to relin-
quish forty per cent, of their claims
or about nine millions. We be-
lieved, and so charged, that these
three misrepresented their constitu-
ents, and in this it appears
we were slightly mistaken, for one
of them, Mr.. Gregg, of Sullivan
county, has been reelected, and We
take it for granted that his party
friends in that county endorse his
action. Heretofore, there has not
been a newspaper in this section of
the State that openly endorsed the
action of the Legislature in refusing
to accept this liberal compromise.
But in this respect we are no longer
"solid." The Hawkins county
editor Of the Morristown Gazette
takes up his pencil and becomes the
champion of the policy advocated
by Col. Savage and his associates in
the Democratic ranks. After taking
our neighbor of the Tribune to task
for coming out in favor Of an honest
settlement OF the debt, he says:
"Our opinion is that the Legislature
this winter will De about as successful
in making a satisfactory settlements OF
the debt question a. the late lament
ed called session was. The truth l.,
times are ton hard, money Is too
scarce aud the productions of the
country too low L. Justify the people
of the State in promising 20 meet the
semi-annual interest on fourteen or
fifteen millions of dollars in gold
When some law Is passed by Congress
giving the people = bOuni5ul supply
OF gTeenbsCks To make trade sctive,
then Tennessee will be able aud will
lug TO resume the payment of
interest on her bonded iudsb' ed
ness, and TO make fair
and liberal settlement with her
creditors. II Is useless To sit 10 on
stump aud sing ike frog about paying
millions and mil'iDus OF dollars, when
the people have not money enough TO
pay their ordinary aud necessary taxes.
Let the bDndhOideTs release some of
their boarded wealth, and let a meas
ure Of business prosperity return To
the cOnmpu people, and then 1t will
be time enough To talk about paying
Off the twenty three an llious OF bonds
We owe"
We trust his "opinion " as to the
incoming Legislature may prove I'M
founded. But after the canvass
made by the Democratic leaders, on
their deceptive and ambiguous plat
form, we confess that we look for
the worst. There is certainly moth
ing in the result that encourages US
to hope for anything good.
There is nothing in the cleo
ton returns, after the adoption
of such a platform, to discourage
the demagogues who seek their own
fortune through the peoples mis-
fortune, dishonor and disgrace.
The Nashville Banner, slew tax
organ, prints a list of sixty mem
bers of the next Legislature, with
their views on the State debt ques-
ton, and a large majority of them
are reported as being opposed to
any adjustment of the State debt
on terms honorable to the State or
satisfactory to our creditors.
We admit the truth of what tho