Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-01-18
TENNESSEE.
Message Of Governor Mark,


NASHVILLE, January 1.-THE mes
sage Of Governor Marks TO the legisla.
ture to-day, says that the payment oi
no part OF the State debt can be renewed
until there shall be an adjustment OF il
on such basis as will bring the debt
within the ability of the taxpayers Ia
meet il. All the States embarrassment
Is the result of the late war and the
usurpation Of her government, and all
the imputations On her honor proceed
from malice, interest or ignorance. The
whole amount Of the debt in 1861 Was
S3,76s, SOD, Tor which the State was prl-
marily liable. The revenue of the State
excec,ied the interest by about S4O0,00.
The geographical position of Tennessee
made her soil the theatre of ofnatiNc mill
tary operations from the beginning 10
the close OF the war The blight IL war
which fell upon Tennessee In without
parallel i'm modern times. For years
her courts were closed and her laws
abroeated her people left without pro-
tectection; the arts of peace abandoned
AMI her accumulated wealth, banking
capital and currency annihilatei;
liensed murder, arson, robbery AMI
pillage filled the land with
terror, want aud suffering; the gen
eral government seized and appropriated
Ia its use tho crops and stock "l the non
combatant citizens, without Vumpensa-
ton; II occupied aud u>c,l all the prop
erty ofthr State AMI all upon whrh IL
had "A lien inr the security oi the puhlir
creditors; il made the State capital a
military fortress; IL converted the Asy.
lum anil University buildings into mill.
,ary hospitals and barracks, aud, wan.
tOnly destroying u part ut thrm, IL scrl.
ously damaged them all II flied the
penitentiarit-S wlh it, prisoners; II dr-
stroyel the turnpike aud plank r'als Ia
its military usc; IL stripped ihc branch
railroads of their iron and appropriated
il to it, own Nse; il operated the main
lines ol railroads irom the beginning ui
| lS62 to the close uf lS,ii and appfupri.
ated all the profits; IL tunk lr"m the
state the banking I"wrr, which had
been ~ profitable Ia lt, and bestowed II
upon it, own hondhuldtr>
The message reviews ~ length the
fraudulent manner II the issue II the
bonds oi the state hy the legislature
during Brow nl"N . administration. The
hondhollrrs appreciate the fact that the
debt cannot - met, AMI long since a
would have been hal but
inr the lrt that tie huldcr,Si ihc bonds
"i the solvent railroads rrg,rlrd their
bunds stlll n lien uInn the road, and IN.
Ill that question II -vttlrl adversely g.
them they will never uilvT "a Vumpro-
mise within the ability of the taNpaycrs
The confusion ni the uSi ul the State
with the questionable and fraudulent
debt has resulted lsastcrously 10 her
interest and rcpuliaLoh. There never
has been time when the state was not
able and willing Ia 1my the interest ou
her jus, inlebi,-lne>-, but Ly the unit
ine ot all payment il has brcn made i'm
possible. The bonds which represent
the several branches oi our State debt
ran al least ltc approximately di-tiu.
tngui-hrl amt II ~, they ought to hr
AMI permit each branch
"i the drhl lu stand upon IT. own incT.
its and be aljustcd accordingly, and Tor
this purp">r an ap.ripiiatc committee
should investigate all the facts connect.
,,l " ith the debt and rlnrI thereon, iu
order that the justice "i tlc Casc Ol thr
State bc exhibited aud intelligent aCtiun