The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-07-24
For the Citizen.
The State Debt Compromise.

Mucn IS now DelnS Salu IN every
part of the State, both in favor of,
and against the compromise propo-
sition agreed upon for the settle
ment of the State debt by our rep
resentatives at the last session OF
the Legislature, and submitted to
the qualified voters of the State for
their acceptance or rejection at the
balloL box on the 7th of August
next. The State debt question was
the great absorbing question before
the last Legislature from the begin
ming to the close of the same, and
was Investigated and considered in
every way known to parliamentary
usage, and the proposition now sub
mitted to the people, if not the best,
was the only compromise of the
question that could be agreed upon
by our representatives. Now what
questions are the people expected
20 consider under the proposition
submitted by the Legislature? Sure
ly not the legality or validity of the
bonds, for if the Legislature could
not settle that question when they
had all the means that could be had
to investigate the question, and am
pie time to do it in, how could they
reasonably expect the people to do
it, when they neither have the
means of making a proper investi
CATION, nor time to do it in? Nei-
ther is it reasonable to suppose that
the Legislature intended to submit
to the people the question whether
or not they were willing to pay an
unjust debt, for it is well known to
the whole country that we are not
able to pay what we justly owe.
And it is hardly reasonable to sup
pose that they intended to submit
to the people the question whether
or not they were willing to pay their
Just debts, for that would be q re-
flection, not only upon their honor,
but upon their honesty. Neither is
it reasonable to suppose that any
bonds are enumerated and embraced
in the compromise act which the
Legislature supposed to be fraudu
lent, for that would be a reflection
upon the honesty of our representa-
tives. Then what questions are
the people expected to consider,
and if possible to try to settle?
Simply whether we believe ourselves
able to pay fifty cents on the dollar
of our bonded debt and four per
cent. interest on the same until we
are able to pay the principal. And
whether we are willing to accept
such a compromise of the debt, and
to try in good faith to carry out the
same; or whether we prefer to let
the whole debt continue to hang
over us and our children at siS per
cent. For 1 cannot think they in
tended to submit the question
whether we preferred to accept the
proposition or repudIate the whole
debt. Surely that is not the qUes-
tion submitted to US. Neither do l
think it was done to give dema-
gogues q chance to misrepresent
the facts in the case, and by max
ing appeals to the uniformed and
poorer classes, to get up a prejudice
between the classes, and to defeat
the proposition by pandering to the
prejudices of the people and to the
avaricious notions Of such men as
think more of money than they do
of honor, right and justice, and who
are unwilling to pay any debt, either
public or individual, if it costs any
thing to pay it, unless they are
forced by law to do so. Some per
sons in arguing the question of the
State debt tell the people that their
taxes will be over a dollar on the
hundred if they accept the compro-
mise, evidently trying to make tie
impression that the compromise will
/ cost them that amount, and then
commence telling them about hav
| ing their lands sold for taxes, and
all that sort of stuff, trying to make
the impression that it is much
harder on u poor man to pay his
taxes than it is on a man who may
chance to be little better of, when
all sensible men know that all prop
erty is, by the laws of the State,
taken according to its value, and