Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-03-14
FRIDAY, MARCH IA, 1879.
TRUE GREATNESS.

There have been few Legislative
bodies in this great country that
could boast of so many superla,
lively great men as the present
General Assembly of Tennessee.
The preparation of measures for the
settlement of great questions, in
volving the exercise of high order
of craftsmanship, usually requires
time, but not so with our Legisla-
ture. Last Thursday a resolution
was adopted in the Senate, direct
ing the Finance, Ways and Means
Committee of that body to bring in
a bill for the settlement of the State
debt. On Tuesday following the
bill was brought in and its authors
are immensely satisfied with its
perfection. It's provisions have al
ready appeared in our special dis
patches from Nashville.
But before giving these great
statesmen full credit for promptness
and dispatch, it is necessary that all
the facts and circumstances be
taken into consideration. As a
matter of convenience, the major
itY of the committee was originally
selected with special reference to
this action. The repudiationists
combined, with a secret understands
ing that they should elect Speaker
of the Senate, who would give them
control of this committee. In or
der to make their scheme easily
consummated, and give certainty to
their plans, the man whom they de~
cided to elect Speaker did not show
his hand. He was elected, and APP
pointed a Committee on Finance,
Ways and Means, composed largely
of repudiationists, the chairman be-
ing, next to Gov. Marks, the most
rabid repudiatiOnist in the State.
Only one Senator was put on that
committee from East Tennessee, and
he a Republican, Mr.. Samsel, of
a., Senatorial District
Having been appointed to prepare
bill embodying the views of the
most extreme repudiatiOnists in the
State, the committee had nothing
else to do but to carry out their
part of the contract. Their minds
having been made up, and their pc
sition understood and aYowed, they
were not under the necessity of
listening to any arguments, or
of considering the wishes of
the honest taxpayers. The way
to repudiate is to repudiate they
thought, and they went directly to
the point, with only aslight circum-
locution, to give to their operations
very faint appearance of deeency.
Now that the bill has been pre-
scented, time will be saved, and the
majority of the Senate will suffer
nothing in the estimation of honest
men, if they will put it through on
its third reading under the opera
tons of the previous question. If
any one coneeives that. the honest
taxpayers of the State or the
States creditors have any rights
which these great statesmen are
bound to respect, he is laboring I'M
der misconeeption as to the true
greatness Of the majority of this
Senate. IF there is any delay at
all it will be to give the prOIx Saw
age, or the long>winded, gascOnad-
ing, self@complacent Tolley an OPP
portunity to air their matehless
rhetoric. If they are pregnant
with Websterian conclusions, they
must be delivered. To obstruct
such a deliverance might result
in the most serious consequences.
After this is done, let the bill be
put through under whip and spur.
Samsel had the temerity to present
a minority report, but he is a fogy,
-laboring under the delusion thatthe
State ought to be honest with. its
creditors. Let him and all who