Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-02-02
THE EFFECr OF BADFAIIH.

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vile american has an edi,
toral, in which it sets
forth in a truthful manner, the
effect which in Tennessee bad faith
towards our creditors will have up.
on the Democratic party. The
editorial is interesting to Democrats
and will have weight with men Of
that party. But we have no partic
ular care on that phase of the ques-
ton. Reputation under Demo-
cratic rule is certain to prove de-
structiVe to that party. If it were
attended by no other results we
would welcome it. We have not now
never did have, nor never expect
to have any sympathy with the Dem
ocratic party. We view it as a
loathsome excrescence on the body
polite and would rejoice at its final
overthrow. IF we ever had had
sympathy for Tennessee Democracy,
we could have none now, in the
difficulties into which Gov. Marks
has plunged it. The leaders of the
party have taken him with their
eyes open, that is if they have half
the common sense for which
we have given them credit. They
knew what he was, whenever they
read the windy platform of last year,
Of which he was the author. Some
of them knew he was reputation
ist. He said to Col. John IL. Saw
age before the Democratic Conven~
ton was held, substantially, ooh
no, let US not pay any of the State
debt now. just let it run along ff-
teen, twenty, thirty, or forty years,
until we get able to pay it." Col.
Savage, one of the Democratic
leaders, who has been willing to pay
one-third of the debt, as we under
stand him, knew that this meant re-
pudiation, and if he didn't tell his
Democratic friends, and warn them
against Judge Marks, who wanted
to be Gov. Marks, he ought to have
done so, and a large degree of the
responsibility for the present state
of affairs rests upon him. lie can't
plead ignorance.
Neither can others. In his can
vass, Gov. Marks studiously avoids
ed explaining what he meant by
I" an equitable adjustment " of the
State debt. But even after all
that, his party supported him. He
was triumphantly elected, and
the Democratic papers heralded it
with flaming head lines and growing
ROSTERS as a GLORIOUS triumph of
Democratic principles"
We say, after all this, even if we
had ever entertained any sympathy
for the Democratic party, we could
have none in this emergency. They
have Gov. Marks, he is their
Governor, and now let them make
the most of him. But we are gov
erned by higher considerations than
these. We would be willing, if
it would save the credit of Tennes-
see, to enter into a contract, that all
the offices in Tennessee should
be held for the next ten years by
Democrats. We are glad to see the
American holding before its Demo
cratic readers the effect that repu-
diation is to have upon
the party, for some men will
be influenced in no other
way. But we are looking to the
blighting, blasting, whitening, dis
hOnoring, disgraceful influence that
this most wicked policy, which
seems to have been deliberately
marked out by our present Cover
nor, is to exert upon our material
welfare as a State. It's folly and
wickedness can not be described in
strong enough language, and we are
utterly at loss to conceive, how a
man of Judge Marks good charac-
ter and ability can make up his
mind to such ruinous course. We
can already begin to see some of
the better fruits of our refusal to be
honest, but what we now see is only
slight foretaste of what is to
come. Endless litigation, hopeless
poverty and irretrievable ruin are