The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-08-21
THE STATE DEBT.
What a Grant Republican Says Of
the Recent Election.

Washington Special to Baltimore American.
WASHINGTON, August 12.-Thc
recent Tennessee election continues
to absorb attention here, ard diff
ference of opinion seems still to ex-
list regarding the significance of the
result. Judge Freeman, the Assist
ant Attorney General for the Post
Office Department, who is a native
of Tennessee and a Grant Republi-
can, takes rather a different view of
the matter from that expressed by
Postmaster General Key, in the in
terview which appeared in these
dispatches on Monday last. Judge
Freeman, like nearly every other re-
publican in the State, belongs to
the State credit party. He visited
Tennessee during the recent can
vass, and was opposed to the prop
osition to settle the State debt. He
travelled through Eastern, Middle
and Western Tennessee, and heard
Senator Barley and Savage, the two
champions for and against an honest
settlement of the debt, and judging
from all he heard and saw, he is of
the opinion that the issue presented
in the recent election was not rep
resentative issue.
The proposition was opposed by
a large number of State credit men
because they regarded the scheme
as one of direct reputation of half
the debt, with no additional assu-
rance whatever of the payment of
the other half. They alsosfelt, he
said, that che plan was coercive
one. Judge Freeman admitted that
there was also a large number OF
State credit men in favor of the
compromise, thinking il the best
they could hope to do, and that a
majority of the regulators were op-
posed to the scheme. In the Ian
guage of one of the regulators
they hope to kill half the debt first
and allow the other half to die after
wards; or, as was aptly illustrated
by him. you cut snake in half, one
part may die at once and the other
crawls away and dies afterwards.
Yet, Notwithstanding this, Judge
Freeman holds the opinion that the
defeat of the compromise was the
best thing that could happen for
the State creditors. He thinks that,
even though the propositions had
been adopted, the Legislature would
not have been disposed to make
provision for the payment even of
the half, and Gov. Marks, himself,
who is a repudiator, would have
done nothing towards securing the
creditors.
T"dge Freeman thinks that next
- stand will be taken
upon the proposition o. :. oteGi.
tors to accept sixty cents on the
dollar, at six per cent. interest, and
that arrangement he thinks will
finally be agreed to. He predicts
that the State credit men, without
regard to party, viii meet in conyen-
ton ana nominate candidates, from
Governor down. As the mass of
anti-repudiators are Republicans,
these nominations will be support
ed by nearly every Republican, as
well as by all honest Democrats,
and viii in all probability be
elected. The fight. he thinks, will
be made upon lie issue of honesty
and good faith. The issue, thus
far, cannot be said to he party
one, but is a notorious fact that the
repudiators are composed almost
on tirnlv of DamOoro+c
In conclusion, Judge Freeman
the belief that in respect
to the coming national election
Tennessee should be numbered as a
doubtful State. He thinks it is
quite probable that the State may
go Republican, with the aid of such
honest Democrats as have become
with the weak and uncer-
tain course of their party on the
debt question.