The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-01-23
q st Gumntu smucat Cauu htu ghnrsaap a. 1879
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE.
The Governor Of Tennessee Tells How She wa
Abused during the War, and Explains the Stat

Tbs Governor Of Tennessee Tells How She was
Abused during the War, and Explains the State
Debit
NASHVILLE Tenn, January IA mer
slge of Governor Marks to the Legislature
to-day says; The payment of no part Of
the State debt can be renewed until there
shall be an adjustment of 1t on such 9
basis as will bring the debt within the
ability Of the tax payers to meet alIthe
States endorsements, the result Of the
late war, and the usurpation of her gov
ernment, and all imputations upon her
honor, proceed from malice, interest or
ignorance. The whole amount of debt
in 1851 was So 76S $685. for which the State
was primarily liable. The revenue Of the
State exceeded the interest by about
100000. The geographical position Of
Tennessee made her soil the theater of
active military operations from the be-
ginning to the close Of the war. The
blight of war which fell upon Tennessee
is without parallel in modern times. For
years her courts were closed, her laws
abrogated, her people left without pro-
lection, the arts of peace abandoned and
her accumulated wealth, banking capital
and currency annihilated, Licensed MUIR
der, arson, robbery and pillage filled the
land with terror, want and suffering. The
General Government seized and appro-
priated to its use the crops and stock of
the non.combatant citizens without com
pensation. 1t occupied and used all the
property belonging to the State, and all
upon which it had lien, for the security
of public creditors. It made the State
Capitol military fortress; it converted
the asylum and university buildings into
military hospitals and barracks, and
wantonly destroying part Of them, it seri-
ously damaged them all it filed the
penitentiary with its prisoners; it de.
stroyed the turnpike and plank roads in
its military use it stripped the branch
railroads of their iron and appropriated
it TO its own use; it operated the main
line of railroads from the beginning of
1862 to the close of 1865 and appropriated
all of the profits; it took from the State
the banking power which had been 20
profitable to it and bestowed it upon its
own bcndholders. The message review
ed at length the fraudulent manner of the
issue of bonds of the State by the Legil-
lature during BrownloW's administration.
The bondholders appreciate the fact that
the debt cannot be met, and long sin }e a
compromise would have been had but for
the fact that the holders of the bonds of
the solvent railroadsregarded their bonds
still lien on the roads, and until that
question issettled adversely to them they
will never offer compromise within the
ability of taxpayers, The confusion of
the just debt of the State with the ques-
tionable and fraudulent debt has resulted
disastrously to her interest and reputa.
ton. There has never been time when
the State was not able and willing to pay
the interest upor her just indebtdness,
but by uniting all payment has been
made'imp possible. The bonds which rep
resent the several branches of our State
debt can at least be pproximately dis
tilguished, and if so they ought to he
distinguished, and permit each branch Of
the debt to stand upon its own merits
and be adjusted accordingly, and for this
purpose an appropriate committee should
investigate all the facts connected with
the debt and report thereon. In order
that the justice of the case of the State
may be exhibited and intelligent action
had, if an adjustment is made, the cou.
pons ought not to be made receivable for
taxes. The demand for this condition
implies a want of confidence in the in.
tegrity of the State and ought for that
reason to be rejected; but as matter f
principle the State should never consent
to put her sovereignty, which she holds
in trust for the welfare of the whole peo-
pie, in pledge for the debt. If any ad-
justment is adopted it ought to be sub
mitted to the people for their ratification
or rejection at the ballot box, and if it is
by the people at the polls the
Legislature will be convened, if necessary
for the purpose of enacting it into law.
That pledge has been made to the people
and it ought to be respected. If disre.
garded upon any ground 1t will only af-
ford occasion for distrust and insure the
defeat of any adjustment made,
as the history of our State debt shows
that'in every contest with the bondholder
and railroad companies on one side and |
the tax payers on the other, that the
tax payers have gone down. 1t is notre.
that they demand the right to
pr JteCt themselves.