The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-02-19
FROM THE STATE CAPITAL.
LETTER FROM " CLINCH"

FROM THE STATE CAPITAL.
LETTER FROM " CLLNCH"
NASHVILLE, TENN, Feb Il. 1879.
To the Editor of the Iorristown Gazette:
RETURNED.
Everything in and about the capitol
city, including boarding house keepers,
are looking cheerful again since the re,
turn of the "Legislatur fellers" | was
very much rene1ced myself by meeting
my East Tennessee friends, and enjoy
ing square meal" and their company
at the same time, at the aforesaid Ne.
10, Cherry street.
PERSONAL AND EXPLANATORY.
The Hon. Messrs. Cunningham and
Anderson, who spent part Of the recess
at MoTristOwn, express themselves as
! greatly pleased with both the people and
the country about your town. They call
| Tom Cain the Cleverest man in TennCs-
see, and say "you bet Tom lives at
home, and boards there too" AS
Gum" was complaining yesterday of
his domestic disasters, brought about bv
my reference to him in former letter,
| won't say anything about him III this
one, more than this: 1t has leaked out
down here that the young man is not a
young man at all, and has better half
at home; consequently the fair, hand
some and talented young Senatorial
! Clerk has supplanted him az "beau par
! excellence" to the lady bOarders, and
while the brilliant gentleman who is
Long, and not long, can bask in the IA
diant smiles of the fair sex, Gum" and
| his tat friend, who is too muscular to
peTsOnate, must appear in the roll Of
wall flowers"
r. L. Blevins, Sheriff of Hawkins
| county, and Sam l.. Chestnut, of Rogers
vile, are in the city for few days
| They brought down three cOnvicts for
| Cherry, O'COnner s. Co., to take care Of
a while.
LEGISLATIVE DIZZINESS.
Iwould write you few items Of leg
| islative dOings, if there was any to be
found worth writing, but as the expert
enced reporters for the city dailies can
get nothing worth writing from the Cap
itol, it would be useless for a tyro like
myself to attempt it.
THE STATE DEBT-GEN. PRYOR's PROPO-
sITION.
Gen. Roger A. Pryor is at the capitol,
q AeAA EJOAG AO4 VI GL1C lIOlNt-
ers Of our State bonds, and is authorized
to compromise with the State; but, from
every Indication, no settlement will be
reached. A working majority of the
legislature are in favor of pOstpOning a
settlement, of $nUeStlgat5ng, and | believe,
of ultimately repudIating the bulk OF
the State debt. 1T may be true that a
large portion of our State bonds were
irregUlarly issued, but past legislatures
have made them legitimate and funded
them and taken them in payment Of
debts and dues to the State, and they
are, many Of them, held by honest peO-
pie, citizens of our State, who bought
them in good faith believing the State
of Tennessee would redeem its pledges
1t is also true, as l am informed, that
most holders Of our bonds bought
them at a discount; therefore, with
these considerations the holders can
we'll afford to make a prOpOrtioDate dis
count in compromising with the State
and l understand that Gen, Pryor will
make liberal propositions to the legisIa-
ture, offering terms which the State can
afford to accept if it aojH, and which will
brand with dlshonor not only the name
of the State but the name of a Tennes-
sean if not accepted by the present leg
islature. 1t may be true, and | have no
doubt of it, that in paying the debt the
taxpayers will suffer to some extent
from the inefticiency and dishonesty of
some former legislatures, but they were
nevertheless Tennessee legislatures, and
the debt made by them is Tennessee debt,
and we, as IennesSeanS, if we can get
anything like reasonable terms can bet
tel afford to suffer a little by the acts of
our former legislatures than to bring
the scOrn and contempt of every other
State upon US by pleading the "pauper
act" and repudIating.
THE PENITENTIARY-A PROFITABLE CON-
Germ FOR THE STATE.
There are few, an insignificant few,
members of this General Assembly try
ing to lay up a fund of electioneering
capital for future use, bowling "Peni-
Tertiary ring ~ on all occasions; they
want Investigations, and some don't
know what they 90 want. If they don't
know, most of the people do, that the
PenitentiaIy is paying the State the
largest clear profit derived by any State
in the Union from the same source; that
the conVicts are better fed, clothed and
cared Tor and allowed more kindness
and privileges that any other States
prison on the continent. Why just think
of it, Cherry, OConner & Co. pay the
State SO, 500 rent each year, pays all
the transportation of prisoners, pay all
the guards, foremen and clerks, feed, |
clothes and lodges the convicts-while, |
under former management, the State |
had to make annual appropriations to
carry on the institution. The leasing |
of the Penitentiary to the present lessees
and the appointment of the present Su- |
and Warden, has benefited |
the State more than any legislative or |
executive action within our borders |
since Gov. Senter's administration. l |
think Gov. Marks entertains the same |
opinion of penitentiary matters express
ed above, and that he will make but
little if any change in its present man
agement.
THE OUT LOOK FOR 1880 GLOOMY.
Some of our longest-headed Democrats
are talking very blue about our presi-
Dental prospects in 1880. While we
have already got a majority in both
houses of congress, and sufficient ma
iority of the popular vote to elect pres
dent. it begins to look as if our party is
determined to commit political suicide
oy splitting up on every little trlt1e.
Now we have Hard Money VS.. Soft
Money" Democratic Union VS.. Con-
State Credit VS..
Democrats-and the thuD-
Ter of tits, every faction wants to be
the Party;" every joint on the dogs
all wants to wag the dog to suit itself"
I'm a Democrat my self, and am willing
o fellowship with any and all Demo-
rats who are as conservative as / am.
had rather sacrifice a favorite hobby
# my own, any time, than my party
md If Democrats throughout the coun-
ry don't imbibe little more of the
anne spirit before 1880, they alone are
a blame and will he 10 blame when