The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-08-06

regard to party, and in no speed
that we have heard has there beel
any attempt to make it a party ques
ton. The leading Democrats of tn,
State are for it, and they are sup
: ported by the leading members 0
the opposite party. In the FRS
District, such men as A. A. Taylor
A. H. Pettibone and R. R. Butler
men who have enjoyed the confidence
of their party associates, while Col
L. H. Reeves was wistfully anC
yainly awaiting whatever crumb:
might fall from the table-are out
spoken advocates of the compromise
The assertion Of Col. T. H. Reeves
that the compromise is dishonora
BILE" will, we are forced to believe
have little weight with his party,
when such men as those we have
named declare themselves ia favor
Of it. The "Ch'm. Rep. Elk. Com
mittee, ETC., does not enjoy monop-
oily in the matter OF honor in the
First District. The best men in his
party are against him, all over East
Tennessee. We have already named
several in the First District Here
in our own District we find such Re-
publicans as VIM. Rule. the editor
of the Maryville I1adeT. the editor of
the Cleveland Herald, and a host Of
others. Col. T. H. Reeves endeav-
ors to make his readers believe that
this 50-4 compromise is a dishonest
Democratic measure, and is, there
fore, not entitled to the support Of
honest Republicans. 1t is a sufi-
cient answer to that assertion to say
that while the men we have named
were working for the Republican
cause in the past, Col. T. H. Reeves
was editing Democratic paper and
riding over his District as a Demo
cratic candidate for the State Senate.
Leaving that matter out Of the ques-
ton, however, every man who has
any breadth of mental vision should
be able to see that this is not mat
ter for partisan consideration. 1t
affects the interests Of every man in
the State, no matter what his party
affiliations may be. The MaryvilIe
IndeT, staunch Republican paper,
says in this connection: " He who,
to make party capital, will lose sight
OF the real question involved, and
sacrifice the State for the sake of
his party, is dog that should be
drummed out Of the society Of hon
orable men," Col. T. H.. Reeves
will please take notice that we have
neither called him dog nor coun-
seled his exclusion from good socie-
ty. We do say that he ought to
look at this question from higher
standpoint. 1t should be considered |
sensibly. Col. T. H. Reeves may be
unable to consider it in that way |
and we are not disposed to twit him
upon an intellectual defect for which
he is rot responsible, and which it is
out of his power to remedy. We
want to say this much, however, TO
broad. minded and liberal Republi-
cans, who are disposed to treat this
matter honestly: You cannot af-
ford to be guided by the small poli-
ticians who counsel the defeat of
this measure. You have too much
at stake, if you have property in the
State, or if you are dependent upon
your labor and the prosperity of
your neighbors for support. You
cannot afford to paralyze and cripple
the industries of the State in order
to further the personal ambitions of
a few professional office-seekers.
Those of US in the Democratic party
who have advocated the honest pay
ment of the debt of the State are de-
termineG to vote for this measure,
without regard to the effect it may
have upon the fortunes of any party.
Parties may decay and die, but the
state is here, and we, as citizens Of
must exert ourselves to
establish her prosperity. You are
honest, some of you, in your opin-
ons. We are willing to concede it
o you. You think. as we do, that |
he opinions of the States creditors ,
n this matter, in which they un-
Ioubtedly have rights, should be re- !
pected. We propose to respect 6
hose rights, while at the same time i
re believe that we can act honestly
n asking them to release portion i
( the debt, The idea of scaling the t
ebt grew out of the hard times s
trough which we have passed. We :
re not prosperous yet, and we fear !