Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-12-18
THE CHIEF INTERVIEWED.
Politics In Tennessee, ana Other
Things. .

Politics In Tennessee, and Other
Chicago Times.
"Well, have you been inspecting
Chicago, for the purpose of finding
what sort of place it would be in
which TO hold the Republican Com
vention?" queried a Times reporter of
Hon. William Rule. of Knoxville,
Tenn, member of the Republican
National Central Committee, at the
Palmer House, on last evening.
sNo, not exactly. 1 had never seen
Chicago, and as I had heard good
deal about it thought would see for
myself #s aaGesF 8
"WeI?n
"Well, I think that it is really the
typical American city. There seems
to be such a liberality, and such a
grand way OF doing things about it,
and such hearty,open welcome to ali
to come here, and start on an equal
footing with those already entered in
the great race, as l think can be found
in no other city. l think, too, that it
is well suited for holding a National
Convention, as it is provided with ex-
cellent hotels, and everything else that
be needed to make the delegates com :
| Portable. II it is great gain to q city
to have the Convention, why /
BELIEVE IN PASSING IT AROUND,
and if it is great disadvantage, I can't
see any good reason why Cincinnati
| q ha n 81
But if I can be convinced that any
material advantage can be gained to
| the party by holding the Convention
in any other city, / will vote in favor
Of having it held in that city, even in
preference to Chicago
"What is the present political situa-
| ton in Tennessee ?"
I'm my Congressional District,
| whichis in East IL nnessee, the Repub
licans are largely in the majority, and
have be en- for the last twenty years.
There are but few negroes there, anC
party feeling does not run high. In
the State generally the great question
/ which agitates the people ia whether
the State debt, or at least, that portion
of it contracted in tie construction o
railroads, shall be paid.
THE STATE DEBT
amounts to over $24, 100000, and nine
tenths of this Is railroad debt. 1t wa.
for the most part created prior to the
war. The majority of the Democrat
are opposed to paying this part of tn
debt, and claim that it was illegal,
contracted. The railroad debt wa
contracted under the Internal I'm
provemcnt act, which passed the Stat
Legislature in 1858. The people of tn
State were almost unanimously il
favor of giving the aid to the railroad
companies at the time, and do no
think that there were fifteen countie
in the State that would have sent rep
, resentatives to the Legislature VIII
were opposed to extending the desire
: aid. The leading Democrats who hav
control of the party machine are OF
posed to reputation, and of course
, hostile feeling exists between these
who call themselves State credi
men, and the repudiators, who ar
pleased to be called low tax men
The present Governor has managed
give offense to the State credit men
: and this has not tended to bind up tn
party wounds. IF in the next Demo
, cratic National Convention the Demo
) Gratis should adopt straig ht-out, re
| ePCCtRuAO SdC btCoS
will be rendered wider still. It is pos
sible that the party leaders may, by ar
: pealing to the party loyalty or the low
tax men, manage to induce them t
stay with the party, but If they Shout!
: fail in this we Republicans expect t
: be the gamers by their disagreement.
"Have you any knowledge of pc
liticsl affsirs in any of the other South
ern States ?'
"Yes; am well acquainted with tn
state of affairs in Georgia and Ala
bama, aud few OF me others, but c
Louisiana, / know no more than wha
learn from the papers. Everythin
! appears to be quiet in those 5 ate
now"
as there any truth in the storit
told of ostracism of white Republi
cans?n
"Well, yes. At Atlanta speak G
; Atlanta because it is considered one c
the most go. ahead and civilized place
: in Georgia, or even in the South, All
: its people delight to call it the Chicag
of the Soulful know a white Re
, publican who is doing business there
and he has told me that he dares no
| take an active part in politics, rs
J would be almost certain to ruiz hi
J business, and that he Is very careful 1
! say as little as possible about icing
. Republican. have never found an
I of the hostility shown SO myself, an
publish the only Republican dali
D paper in the late Confederate State.
3 Democrats subscribe for my paper au
patronize it ia other ways"
t "Have the white Republicans Of th
South lost any of their hostility I
Hayes Southern policy ?'
!, Eyes, l think they have. We q
: first felt it to be quite hard to bear, bu
! it ia now quite plain that it was
THE PROPER COURSE TO PURSUE,
| and the only one which could be sue
q cessful in the end. The hostility {