Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-02-12

pie on great public questions, their
time and talents are exerted to de-
bauch the public mind and corrupt
the public morals.
The better class of men who have
been regarded as leaders in the
party in power, appear to exert
very little influence upon legisla-
ton. Only a year ago, Senators
Harris and Bailey, and Represent
ative House, Atkins and Whitthorne
wrote patriotic letters urging the
Legislature at its extra session,
to accept the liberal compromise
offered by the Tennessee bond
holders. Gov. Porter recommended
the same course in his message.
But it was casting pearls before
swine, and appeared to have no in
fuence upon that body. Gov. Por-
ter, at the beginning of the present
session of the Legislature, sent in
his message, in which he took high
grounds in favor of an honest set
Element of the State debt. 1t was
an able State paper, and did credit
to the head and heart of its author.
But it fell before the Legislature
still-born. He was not treated
with decent respect. Two thou
sand copies of it were ordered to be
printed, while ten thousand copies
of his successors reputation stump
speech No. 1, miscalled a message,
were ordered.
Take the Democratic platform
upon which the last canvass was
made. 1t is a compound of dema-
gogism, evasion and cowardice. 1t
was constructed for the purpose of
lodging issues in which the people
were interested, and its author, for
for his skill in lodging, was Sc
lected as the standard-bearer of the
party and honored with its highest
confidence. 1t is true, the best
men in the Democratic party were
disguised with the platform and the
canvass made by their candidate,
but the party lash was applied, and,
with very few exceptions, even
those who held the deceptive, two
faced concern in contempt sup
ported the candidate for Governor
and the candidates on that platform
for the Legislature. The result is,
we have Governor and a Legisla-
ture, taking that miserable platform
as their rule of action, instead of
the Constitution which they have
sworn to support.
Will the people of Tennessee
continue to blindly follow such lead
ers? If so, it will be the old story
of the blind leading the blind, and
with the same results. IF Tennes~
seeans have lost every trace of
manly pride, and have deliberately
made up their minds to forfeit their
own self-respect and the respect Of
the civilized world; if they have
concluded that honesty is a myth
and manly virtue bauble, then let
them follow the leadership of these
statesmen, and the laws
of gravitation will accomplish their
desires. If man makes up his
mind to go direct to the devil, no
effort is required to effect that end,
and so of a State. Tennessee has
been travelling in that direction for
several years. AS she approaches
the terminus, at political perdition,
her speed is accelerated, and un-
less the brakes are applied,
we will soon be there. The |
history of our downfall will be writ
ten, and new evidence furnished to
prove mans incapacity for self-gov>
eminent. We have been wont to
taunt Mississippi with reputation,
but unless better counsels prevail,
Mississippi will stand as a paragon
of honesty when considered in COM
parison with Tennessee. We will
in vain plead our poverty as an ex-
cuse, for the world knows that we
spend enough for tobacco and whis-
zy to wipe out our entire State debt
IN ten years. We cannot plead the
neficiency and corruption of our
lastardly rulers, for we have chosen
hem ourselves. We cannot conceal
our dishonesty behind that much