The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-12-04
coUNTRYMAN's AMBITION.
Why BE Seeks the Berth Of State
Lawyer. AN Open Letter to
Col. Savage.

L
be singing know ledge around, but
| really need some help from you
Beasley has been telling a whole
lot of fellows, confidentially, out in
franklin county, that you was go.
ing to be the next Governor. And
l thought l would write to you and
ind out whether or not it's So
because Beasley, you know, talks a
good deal "with his mouth" Now
if you have made up your mind to
take it-ProVided ga majority OF thS
people are willing"-you can be o
great service to me. II you decide
to be Governor, of course you viii
want to resign as Estate lawyer, y
and ! want the place. You know !
amt much lawyer, bus there amt
u man in our party that needs
the money incident to iG' more
than do, Besides, it don't take
much lawyer. The Supreme Court
Of the United States has done deci
ded that the State owes the money
and must pay 1t, and has settled all
the questions in the case, aud ali
that the estate lawyers" has to do
is to see that Judgment is properly
entered. When It's all settled and
pre- arrranged that a fellow is to
lose a lawsuit, why ! can do that as
well as anybody. It's sorter like a
fellow wrestling with the under
standing chat he is to be thrown,
and all he has got to do is to pick
out q "soft place" and "fall easy"
Well, / am one of the best hands al
that you ever saw. l think the
Governor-he always had streak
of fun in him snyway-recognized
these facts when he appointed you
and Wilson. But if you decide to
be Governor, will you pay back
part of the fee you have already
drawn? Because il get the office
of Lawyer" l want all that be
longs to the Office. Now, some OF
these dissatisfied fellows have been
criticizing you and Wilson for crea
ting the Office of "lawyer," and It
does look to me like some men ex
pect a statesman just TO live on
craftsmanship. Don't it to your
Now, if they would try that awhile,
they'd get hungry, wouldn't they
When you decide to be Governor,
don't you go to recommending the
adjustment OF the "ofIice Of law
yer" on economic grounds. There
is nothing we ought to "set our IA
ces against" as against this grow
ing impolicy to abolish Office.
don't know if l would not ego agin'
q majority of our people on this
proposition.
Our party has a good record nov
on this principle" and we mus
keep it up. You know when the
Governor said that he didn't want
any private secretary, didn't need
any, had no use for one, our folk
in the Legislature told him that
che was mistaken" that he did
neel one. That is the correct prin
ciple. Never abolish an office; it
has the cohesive power of holding
our people together that is perfectly
wonderful, amt it? The very mo
ment you go TO abohshing office,
you strike at the root and founda
ton OF our party. (Ain't the office
Of lawyer a sort of easy placer
1 was looking into the Constitu-
ton the other day about the right
of the Legislature TO appropriate
money for lawyers fees, and i
didn't see that the Constitution
said expressly that the Legislature
should have that power. / don't
want the "ofIice of lawyer" if ther
is any doubt about the pay. But
YOU don't reckon that any serious
questions can be raised as TO the
constitutionality of the power of the
Legislature to appropriate money
to pay lawyers, do you? Because
YOU see it don't stand on exactly
the same footing with a bond, for
in the one case its paid, in the
other it's just a promise To pay, and
that, you say, is "bill Of credit,
and therefore unconstitutional But
we have done settled that question,
practically in Tennessee. il can't do
any more unconstitutional things
of that sort, for even IL It issued,
the "bilr" wouldn't have any
.'credit," would IL.
In looking around and contem-
plating the success that has crowned
the efforts that you, Wilson. Toliey
and Beasley have put forth, have
made up my mind TO become
statesman. l shall advertise IL
next week. have gotten up a
form, something like this:
ABE CoUETRYMAN."
professional Statesman"
"Will devote his entire attention
10 the practice of statesmaDship IN
this and adjoining counties, and
every body is invited TO avail them
selves of his services"
L have sent a fellow out on a
mule, aud within "A few days l will
know how a majority of our people
stand on every question, and as
soon as / can "compi!e the stats
tics" l am going To make them
speech. They came very near
catching me the other day A rail
road IS projected here, and our Deo
pIe are badly divided on it. The
railroad has asked the country To
give it $40. 900, 600, 900, 100000 600.
and it was hard TO tell how the
people stood. They called on me
TO express an opinion. Well, that
was kinder embarrassing, you
know, but thought Of your speech
in the late convention, 50 l told
them:
"a railroad IS sometimes neces-
slty. and sometimes an unnecessary.
1t sometimes does good and some
times don't. If il will benefit the
country 1 am for il; il not, 1 am
against it. II the people OF this
county decide TO give to the railroad
ali his money, / am in favor Of II.
IN they decide 10 give half, l am in
favor OF that. II they decide TO
give nothing, am in favor OF that.
Don't matter a d-n with me, so l
am with you"
Well, sir, it took like wild-hre.
There wasn't a man in the crowd
that didn't agree with me. It's so
| 900 IN ne a statesman when you