The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-02-27
LET IS BE HONEST.
One Of the People, Sprung from the
People, and Believe in the
People.
Speech of State Senator ROb't Byrd.

the batterln2ram district, and am
farmer. l am a democrat of tn
strict Jeffersonian type. | am on
of the people, sprung from the peo
pie and believe in the people.
have their rights and interests a
much in view as has any member OF
f the floor of the Senate. NY inter
ests and those of the great body o
the people are identical, and in leg
islating for their interests l feel tha
L am legislating for my own. wa.
taught from youth up,sir, to be hon
est. and to look upon honesty a.
one of the essential, cardinal acts
II is not only right to be honest
but polite also. The straightfor
ward course is always the best, the
honest course always the most prof
liable, not only for Individuals, but
also for States. Nor do l recognize
a code of morals applicable to tie
tone case that would not be so foI
the other; What is State, sir
but a collection of individuals, and
how can they violate or disregard
the canOns Of morality, and yet
Ehope to escape the consequences OF
1 their action? IF an Individual able
to pay his debts were deliberately
to repudiate them, he would re
celve the merited scorn and CON
tempt of his fellows. Such a man
could not prosper long. The dis
honest man, in the very nature of
things, must 60 to the wall sooner
or later, and the same unvarying
law that forces him there acts in a
similar manner upon communities
aud States. BY pursuing such a
course they but heap up wrath
against the day of wrath, and forge
the instrument for their own de
struction.
Now, sir, not wishing to commit
suicide or rush blindly on to ruin,
L am opposed, heart and soul, to
the policy that will Inevitably lead
to that result. l am for honest
men, honest measures, and honest
government. am no reputation
ist, nor can | see how true demo-
crat, one who adheres to the faith
inculcated by the immortal Jeffer-
son, and the hero of the Hermitage,
can be so base as to advocate any
doctrine looking to the disavowal of
an honest debt. Why, sir, Old Hick
Ory would have suffered martyrdom
ten thousand times before he would
allow such a stain to rest upon his
escutcheon and that OF his State;
and for my humble self, proud of
following in his footsteps, would
sooner have my right arm severed
from my body than to see my State
take a step that would certainly
consign her to dishonor and re
proach, and l say here that if my
State should be guilty of this act,
l, at least desire my skirts to be
clear. When l am lying stark and
cold in the mountains of East Ten
nessee, | don't want passers by to
point at my grave and say, "there
lies damned old repudiationist."
l believe, sir, that the State owes
the full amount of her outstanding
obligations which were created when |
every man of lawful age was al
lowed to vote. They were created
by Legislatures elected by the peo-
pie of the State. They were created
by Democratic administrations and |
Wing administrations. The issues
arising out of the whole question
were discussed before the people on
every stump from Carter to Shelby. |
The people did not go into it blind
ly or unadvisedly. The issuance of
the bonds was not the result of
hasty or ill considered action. !
Every point was carefully and elab-
Orately discussed. The more trust |
ed and honored men of the State;
the captains of the two political |
parties-such men as Jones and |
Polk, the Browns, Trousdale, Camp
bell, Harris and Johnson-all took |
part in the discussion, and threw |
the weight of their names and infu-
ence on the one side or the other. |
The people made up their minds,
after careful and mature delibera |
tion, to issue the bonds for the pur-
poses for which they were issued.
They made up their minds to go |
into business of internal improve !
ments. They thought that the rail
road and turnpike enterprise would |
be a good investment. They want
ed to exchange rapid transit for the
slow methods of earlier days-pal-
ace cars that take a man from Mem
phis or Knoxville here in a day, for |
the old white horse and wagon that |
brought us the same distance in |
about ten. Every other State was
adopting these improvements, and |
the volunteer State could not afford |
to be behind in the great march of |
progress. That was the way the |
people felt about this matter, and |
they voted accordingly. They elect !
ed their agents to the Legislature |
to vote the bonds necessary to build |
up our magnificent system of rail
ways and turnpikes, and their |
agents obeyed them and issued the
bonds Then came the terrible |
civil war, with it's train of death, de |
population, destruction of property |
and other ills. L hen came "hard |
times" and with it discomfort.
Demagogues, seizing upon this dis
content, and hungry for power and
place, began artfully to disease the
public mind, and persuade the peo
pie that the debt was unlawfully
contracted, and that there was no
obligation, moral or otherwise, on
their part to pay it, although they |
were getting the advantage OF the
highway systems that the bonds
were issued to establish;
and although they held title to the
Hermitage tract, and their repre-
we're every cay sitting in
this Capitol to buy the one and
tuild the other of which, some of
these very bonds were created. And
yet these demagogues assured the
people thsre was no obligation on
their part 20 pay these bonds, and
this, too, after guardians and trus
tees had been expressly authorized
by statute to invest the means of
women in these very bonds. Is this
Ia, NJ Snaalrpr iS If inst pr - I