The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-08-13

doubt will say it means this. Does
it mean population? Some say it
means this. just what it does mean
no man can say. 1t has shown one
thing, however. beyond question, and
that is, that a representative democ-
racy cannot be transformed into a
pure democracy, and that the effort
to do so is a ridiculous farce. In
our form of government, the power
rests with the people, and is inherent
iu them. But it must be exercised
through their chosen representatives,
and not directly through the ballot.
An effort has been made to ascer-
tain the will Of the people in regard
to the bonded debt of the State.
The press and the leading men Of
| all parties, all over the State, have
instructed, exhorted, written aud
talked. The election has come and
gone, and who knows the will Of the
people on the subject of the bonded
| debt? No man knows now any more
on that subject than he did before
the election, If Governor Marks
should, under his constitutional pre-
rogative, call the General Assembly
together and they should enact a
proposition to compromise at so and
4, we have not a shadow of doubt
such a proposition would be &C
guessed in by the people, and large
ly accepted by the bondholders.
And that it would be binding and
final there is no sort of question.
But this will not be done. Governor
Marks has not enough of Jackson
in him to do that thing.
The truth is. the election last
Thursday, coupled with the unwise
policy of submitting such question
to the people, have cut US loose from
our mornings, and sent US out into
tae open sea rudderless, before
thickening storm. The State still
owes a debt Of over $4,000. T.;
and this debt is increasing at the
rate of over $4,000 per day; and
there is now no proposition pending
from any source to settle it at less
than dollar for dollar. Meantime
the avenues of prosperity are mainly |
closed against us-not because Of
the magnitude of the debt, but be-
cause of the chaotic uncertainty into
which we have drifted.
We do not believe for a moment
that the people of Tennessee intend |
to stultify themselves with repudia
ton. We do not beIieve it aOiU be
possible for any State IN the american
Union at this day to rep,tdiate a just
debt. There is too much of CON-
mercial integrity among the Ameri-
can people for them to allow so base
thing. They can prevent it, at
least by an amendment to the Con-
stitution of the United States, and
we have not doubt they would do
so if Reputation element were to
grow strong in Tennessee. or in any
other State, 50 that, all legal ques-
tions out of the way, reputation
party could not succeed even if such
a party were in the majority. Bot
we DO not believe the question will
ever assume this shape.
But we are now just where we
stood several years ago, except that
we are more deeply involved in debt,
and have not quite 80 fair reputa-
ton abroad. There is this other
So far as party lines are
in Tennessee, they are
likely, in the immediate future, to
be drawn upon this particular ques-
lion, rather than on any other.
AS we see this whole matter, there
s just one way out of it, and only
one. That is this: Let the people
or once discard the average cross
Dad politician. In every county
here is some man who has never
mixed in politics-who has sterling
rood sense and ability, and who has
shown by his course of life that he {
8 q safe man and an honest man.
We remark in parenthesis that if he
spires to the Legislature or to Con-
.ress, he is not the man we mean at !
lD. Let the people in each Sena-
orial and Representative District d
D the State select such man as we '
ave attempted to describe, and send .
i'm to represent them in the And t
eneral Assembly, and this whole
latter will be settled. They may Fl
lus. through their representatives, a
title it for themselves. If they do 81
1t SO settle it, others we fear may is
Ell called upon to settle it for them. R
IT
Il