Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-04-01
DRATHRRD REPENrANCE.

AT noon, yesterday, the legislature of Ten
nessee died peacefully, In looking over It's
ten weeks record, the truth compels us to
say that its last act is its best act That act
is one of the few it has performed which will
meet the unanimous approval of the people.
The deathbed repentance of the legislature
was as distressing as the deathbed repentance
OF the old sinner who, after spending a long
life in wickedness, seizes upon the horns of the
altar. History records that about the time of
King Alfred, the famous Danish Vikings,
plundered, pillaged and scourged with FIRE
and sword the coast of Kent, invariably re-
pented, as the sands of life ran low, of their
misdeeds, and always sought, by the endow-
ment of churches and the erection of monas-
teries and nunneries, to replace that which,
in their vigorous prime, they had sacked,
burned and leveled to the earth. When too
old 10 wear armor, and to slaughter monks
and ravish nuns. they penitently put on
sackcIoth, and with patient stoicism en-
dured self-InAicted tortures. BY this
eleventh hour piety they hoped to balance
their accounts and be saved. The Tennessee
legislature has tried to initiate this example.
1t wasted nearly all its time In doing moth
ing or in purposeless. gable, and in spending
the hard earnings of the Taxpayers in a
proftless investigation. But as the session
was about to expire, members heard the
thunders of the people, and on their death
hea -eFeHted OF their sins of omission and
commission. For nine weeks they slept at
their posts like gorged anaconda, but Goals
of fire will move the turtle housed In his own
shell, and the voice of the people finally
reached the apathetic legislature, and on It's
deathbed 1t showed disposition to fulfill its
obligations to the people and to do what it
ought to have done two months ago. If the
legislature had manifested a few weeks ago
the same energy and patriotism which has
characterized its action for the past few days,
theiState debt would have been satisfactorily
adjusted, finally and forever settled, and
the name of Tennessee would no longer
be banded about the country as the only re-
pudiating State in the Union. There was
lump of leaven in the defunct legislature, but
it could not produce much fermentation in
such a huge mass of dough. The people of
Tennessee viii ever remember with pride and
gratitude the faithful representatives who
labored to discharge their duties to them
selves and to the State. Scoring the arti-
fees of the demagogues, they never inquired |
what is popular, but what is Just, what is
right. These noble men have stood as a
bulwark between the unsullied honor of the |
State and the tide of repndiation which was
sweeping over the State. Aided by the |
press, reaction has taken place in the public |
mind. A few weeks ago Reputation was
distilling its bhghting mildew over the State,
but at last an aroused public sentiment has
called halt. A few ofice.seekers seem to |
think they can ride into Office by forever |
keeping the question of the State debt before
the people. But they will find that their
hobby has played out. The people want the
State debt settled. They prefer a tax to pay
sixty cents on the dollar to Reputation.