Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-03-07
TR v EVIDENCE
Taken Before she Com a,titee InyesiI.
eating the FRIidI V OF the
STATE Debt
Another Batcn of DspOsiiIOHs Take n
which Give nc Fresh De-
VefOpme0 =
DORSEY b. THOMAS.

I
before committee of the Joint
Committee appointed by the Gen
eral Assembly to investigate the
bonded debts of the State, the
frauds or legislation in connection
Herewith, the said subcommittee
being composed OF 3. +. wilson,
Chairman of the Joint Committee,
| and J. NJ. Driver, member on
| mari of the House. The said wit
| ness being sworn by the Chairman
| on Feb. l, 1879, on being Intercepted,
| answers as follows:
CUES. Were you, at any time, con-
nected with the state government of
Tennessee, occupying official position;
| if so. tate when and what position
Ans. | was member OF the Sena
tori / branch of the General Assembly
of the State Of 1869 20, and was
Speaker of the Senate.
Q. Was there auy threatened move
meut on the part Of any one, or party,
during the session or term OF the
General Assembly looking to the re-
construction OF the State; and if so,
did YOU, as a member or Speaker of
the Senate, take any action to prevent
the same? If you did, or made any
statement, official or otherwise, at
any time which were published, please
refer the committee to the papers Ia
which they were published.
A. There was movement made and
started here to be carried out at Wash
ipgtOn, which, Immediately after the
adjournment of the first SESSION, be-
came formidable and alarming 10 the
people, TO reconstruct the State. In
company with Mr.. Perkins, Speaker
of the House, L went to Washington
to aid, if possible, ia avtrting ii. The
remarks and reports We made to The
Reconstruction Committee at Wash
iuglOn are here referred to, and they
will be fOund published in the Nash
vile Union and american of March
llth or Il h, 1870; and the Nashville
Republican Banner Of March 25th,
1870, also contains an interview she'd
ding some light upon the subject of
our visit to Washington and action
before he Rec COMMITTEES.
These reports and remarks published,
by no means contain all that was said
or done IN connection with the subject
of our labOrs.
q. You were fully in the midst of
the situation in which the State then
was, conVersaut with the antecedeuts
which developed that situation, and
the agencies being used to bring about
reconstruction, aud The specific and
peculiar powers upon which the agen-
cies were brought TO bear. What then
was your opinion as to the danger of
reconstruction
y. l was then confident that recon
structiOn was imminent, and, while
not a particular regarder of special
prOVideuces, If there ever was a case
of its intervention, l believed il inter
case. In other words, cur accidental
arrival at Washington as soon as we
did, aud getting "a hearing before the
committee, as We did, almCs. as acci-
dentally, checked The rapid progress
of the movement. The Repub-
lIcan gentleman from this State at
Washington laughed at Us, and as
suTed us reconstruction would come.
The delegation in Congress from this
State, except Senator Fowler and
Isaac II. Hawkins, were in favor of it.
O. Your visit at Washington was
after the adjournmsnt of the first ses-
son of the General Assembly of
IS69-7O?
A. 1t wa.
q. Please sta if Investigations
made by your senate Committee into
the bonds Issued 20 railroads was not
y
fore your visit to Washington?
a. The Committee of Investigation
had been appointed aud the invc3tiga-
ton inauguraled, az | remember, but
it was allowed TO sit during the recess, !
amt was then carry ng on its work.
q. Please state, - a matter of fact, |
If TumOTs of TecOnstTuctiOn, and the |
for reconstruction, did not |
become more rife and more active i'm
medIately after or about the time
the Committee of Investigation was
raised and the nature and design of its
work became known? In other
words, did not reconstruction assure
more active preparations after 1t be-
came known thar your General Assem-
bly, contemplated the investigation
involved in the duties of the cOmmit-
tee?
n. l can state, as a matter of fact,
that, as | rememUe the date of the ap-
pOinLment of said com mittee, t e
for reconstruction did as
sure more active preparations after tue
com mittee was appointed, but l can
not state that the appointment of the
committee was the prime cause of the
l know that Republicans
aud others, favOring anu urging recon-
used it as a lever; that we
BrOWnlOW's action
and the Liabilities incurred by Brown
lows administration, and, hence, all
through our remarks and action before
the Reconstruction Com miltee, we're
tried TO make t prominent that il was
our intention to restore and protect the
credit of our State.
@ Please state your opinion as TO the
position of Northern holders of bonds
nd H. a
construction Did you meet any one
at Washington v no gave you any in
formation in this regard; and if so,
what was it?
"A. My impression and belief, then,
from Information and all the surround.
ings, was that the foreign as mons
resident holders of our bonds, were in
favor of reconstruction. My belief
was based upon what Col. T.. NJ. Me-
Ghee told me while at Washington.
He come to Washington, / think, from
New York, while MIR. Perkins and |
were at Washington. He was quite
solic,tOus to avoid or prevent recon- |
struction, and told me that he had |
seen a number of bOndbolders in New |
York, and urged them TO use their in |
luence TO prevent reconstruction, but |
that, he said, they rather favored il, |
for If We were reconstructed that, |
aud under the force of the |
United States Army aud its power |
axes would be levied, and they would |