Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-01-29
Our Nashville Letter.
NASHVILLE, Jan. a, 1879

NAS1h Liz, - in II. 10 1 -
Mr.. EDITOR: The Banner yes
terday quoted tie following from
an exchange: What did you say
Of our Nashville solons Fools or
knayes =? Which p If this was
propounded to me under oath, and
Il was obliged to make a reply, |
should say, "In my opinion, largely
both; = and this opinion is based
upon considerable observation of
the official conduct of the members
of the Legislature. So many Of
them appear to possess intelligence
that | am forced to ascribe their ac-
ton upon all questions relating to
the State debt to their individual
deficiency in the matter Of common
honesty. Then so many others APP
pear to mean well in their 'poor,
week, feeble way" that the first of
~irtucs compyls me to think that
/ they lack only one remove Of belong
| ing to the brotherhood who arc for
hidden from ca ling each other by
their true names, under penalty OF
hell fire. The admiration which
many of them profess for that
prince of demagogues, Marks, and
that tissue Of scurrility and I'M
truth, his message, is q libel upon
honesty, makes sense ashamed and
crimsons the check Of decency with
a perpetual blush.
1t would be in pretty good taste
for the Banner to PROFOUND such
conundrums as the one quoted, were
it not prostituting itself to be
the organ in the most unmanly and
aggravated sense of the word of
this party Of self-accusing knayes
and fools. It teaches the doctrines
of those who know better to those
who DO not. 1t licks the feet Of a
man whom it knows to be the Judas
Of the day, the worst enemy Of the
people in the guisc Of their best
friend. This little organ now has a
great grief. 1t has been insulted
By the House, and il can see no
good coming out Of that Nazareth.
The House refused to strike from
the Journal the resolution Of cen
sure concerning the Banner, be
cause of It's attack upon Mr. Butler.
This IS the secret of its i'll nature.
The dreadful House has impressed
a censorship upon the press. Livery
thing is wrong. There is no virtue
extant. There is nothing TO black
mail up in that House.
A member Of the House to-day
made a motion for an adjournment
sine de, "the public welfare re
curing it." The motion was sec.
onded, but thepomt oforder was made
that it takes q joint resolution, thus
to adjourn. Had the motion been
made the first day Of the session it
would certainly have been betting,
for the State would have escaped
the odium Of having sent another
assortment Of repudiationists to her
/ Council Halls. But now the reso-
lutions and speeches telling this
shameful fact have gone upon the
records and before the world, and
the Houses might as well remain in
session long enough to accomplish
the little good they have begun.
Regarding Marks message l am
pleased to notice that it does not
give such universal satisfaction
among Democrats even, as the feel
ing in the Legislature would seem
to indicate. | know very many
prominent Democrats who are dis
gustcd with it, as honest men ough.
to be.
a few such messages from Southern
Governors, and little more sucl
, legislative action as is now being
taken in Virginia and Tennessee
, would give the Republican party {
lease forever Of the administrator
of affairs-elcct Grant next Presi
: dent and put Blaine, Sherman, Ed
r munds, Chandler, Hale aud Others
, Of their we'll known, unfinching de
Iotion to Republicanism in the Cab
met. The people would forget per
sonal dislikeS and look mainly to tn
one object of shutting out the pos
3 siDility of Democrat having an,
: control over their lives, liberties o
property.
With all the Bourbonism in thei
4 party, and with all the moral lati
tude which is SO generously allowed
5 to its members, it can not long re
tain its present strength, while S
openly setting at nought the cardi
:. nal virtues which make organize
society better than the original con
]