Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-01-18

But the creditors themselves have
relieved the State of the net essity oi
/ providing for the entire debt by
0 offering such an abatement of the
/. principal as to bring its payment
! within the ability of the State, with
: out making it burdensome. In De-
cem5er, 1877, certain creditors of the
: State proposed to adjust that part OF
the debt held by themselves, upon
+ a basis of fifty cents for principal
! and past due interest, and offered
! assurances that the great body of
: the creditors would accept the same
/ terms. This proposition was sub
mitted to an extra session of the
r Fortieth General Assembly, and its
) acceptance earnestly recommended.
! l am satisfied that the creditors
making this proposition would still
make the adjustment settled at
fifty cents, the debt would amount
+ to $19. 1877 10000; the annual interest
! upon this sum at six per cent. would
+ amount to 1928, ,220.00. / do not
hesitate to again urge the acceptance
of this proposition.
/ cannot be mistaken in the opin-
ion that the people of the State are
anxious to be delivered from
farther discussion of this question,
and from longer postpOneunent of
its settlement. If this recOmmens
dation is adopted, the Comptroller
should he invested with authority,
after day to be fixed by law, to
make publication, with notice to
financial agents of the several cOun-
ties, announcing the number of old
bonds returned and cancelled, with
the number of new bonds issued,
and the amount of revenue to Oe
provided to meet the interest. with
the amount assigned to each county;
upon this publication and notice,
the County Courts should be re-
| quired to make the necessary levy
to meet the interest, without further
legislation.
CRIMINAL EXPENSES.
The following recommendation !
was made to the Thirty-ninth and |
! Fortieth General Assembly, and / /
again urge its adoption.
l renew the recommendation /
made two years ago to the Thirty |
ninth General Assembly, for the |
| passage of an act requiring the sew |
eral counties to pay their own GRIM |
1 inal expenses The State has paid |
| for this purpose during the last two |
| years the sum of 1889, ,5S5.63, and /
| during the continuance of our pres
! ent system there can be no material /
| reduction. Tennessee is one of five,
out of thirty-eight States Of the
! Union, where criminal prosecutions
/ are made charge upon the State
Treasury; in thirty-three of them
the counties where crimes are COM
mitted pay all costs, and the result
in those thirt;-three States is that
the local officers are more active
and vigilant in preventing eXtrava-
CANT charges, and am satisfied that
where local responsibility is pro-
vided, bills of cost will be subjected
to scrutiny they cannot now re-
ceiye; the Comptroller of the Treas
ury, in auditing these bills of cost,
is only required by law to see that
the several items arc taxed in
accordance with the statute; if they
were referred to the County Judge
or Chairman of the County Court,
the necessity for their creation would
be discussed, and, it is believed, the
criminal law viii be administered
with more economy, and by bring
ing the subject directly before the
people, they would stimulate greater
vigilance ON the part of officials,
and require the punishment of Grim
inals TO be made with promptneSs.
For criminal expenses for the years
1677-l87S, the State has paid $780,
1886.
ASS EssMENT AND TAXATION OF
RAILROADS.
Under the provisions of the act
approved March %, 1877, tne Board
of Assessors was organized by the
appointment of Samuel WINS, Of
the county Of Obi3n, and z. NJ. Ew-
ing, OF the county of Giles, and upon
the resignation OF Col Wins, by the
appointment of Frank y. Moses, of
the county of Knox; all the roads
in the State were duly assessed, and
the Western & Atlantic, Tennessee
Coal q Iron, Mississippi Central,
Mississippi d Tennessee, Roane
Iron Company, Nickajack, Duck
River Valley, Ripley and Middle
ton railroads, have paid their assess
ment; the other companies are con-
testing, in the courts, the power Of
the State to levy and collect taxes
from them.
SPECIFIC APPROPRIATIONS.
The appropriation bill, passed by
the Fortieth General Assembly, was
the first compliance with the con-
stitutional provision that no money
shall be drawn from the Treasury {
hut in consequence of appropriations (
made by law. l earnestly recon-
mend a strict adherence to this pre-
oedent, not alone as constitutional
duty of maintaining legislative
authority and responsibility, but as
the only method of securing GER
tainty and economy in administra- ]
ton.
COST OF LITIGATION.
repeat the following recommen-
dation made to the FOrtieth Gene
raj Assembly:
Citizens of the State complain
that the cost of litigation is so con-
siderable that they are in many
cases deferred from asserting their !
rights in the courts of the State. !
The complaint is a well-founded
one, and / know of no more accept
able service to the public than the
correction of this evil. Costs paid
by litigants in the courts Of Tennes-
see are largely in excess of the costs
paid by citizens of several of the adj
Joining States for the same service,
and are unreasonable and excessive,
and ought to be reduced.
ARBITRATION COMMISSION.
Messrs. E. L. Gardenhire, John
w. Burton and James j. Turner
were appointed and commissioned {
as Judges of the Court of Arbitra- !
ton provided by the act approved
March %, 1877, and Messrs. l.. d. /
McKissick, Howell f. Jackson and
John T. Carthell were appointed {
and commissioned as Judges of the {
Court provided by the act approved {
March %, 1877; subsequently Henry !
Craft was appointed rice Judge
Jackson resigned, and B. NJ. Estes '
was appointed rice Judge Carthell
resigned. In my message to the {
Fortieth General Assembly stated
that:
"In spite of the industry of the {