Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-02-08

vague feeling, which the Dem
Q Gratis would be glad to see growth
5 into vigorous belief.
: SPEECH Of HON. ROBT. BYRl
In Ths senate of Tennessee.
Mr.. SPEAKER 81 hail, sir, froi
the battering ram district, and al
a farmer. / am Democrat of I'll
strict Jeffersonian type. / am on
of the people, sprung from th
people and believe in the people.
have their rights and interests g
much in view as has any membC
on the floor of the Senate. My III
interests, and those of the gresi
body of the peopleare Identical, an
in legislating for their interests
| feel that | am legislating for ~,
own. / was taught from youth W
sir, To be honest, and to look upol
honesty as one of the essential, ear
/ tlinal virtues. is not only right to b.
honest but politicalsO. The straight
forward course is always the best
the honest course always the mos
profitable, not only for individu
| ais. but also for States. Nor do
recognize a code of morals appiiCa
BILE to the one case that would no
! be so for the other. What is {
State, sir, but collection of indi
viduals, and how they can violate ol
disregard the canOns OF morality
and yet hope to escape the c0nse
quences of their action. If an indi
Vidual able to pay his debts were
deliberately to repudiate them, he
would receive the merited ScOrr
and contempt oil his fellows. Such
"a man could not prosper long. The
dishonest man, in the very nature
of things, must go to the wall soon
er or later, and the same unvaryine
law that forces him there acts in a
similar manner upon communities
and States. By pursuing such q
course they but heap up wrath
against the day of wrath, and forge
the instrument for their own dis
tructiOn.
Now, sir, not wishing to commit
suicide or rush blindly on to ruin, !
am opposed, heart and soul, to the
policy that will inevitably lead to
that result. / am for honest men,
honest measures, and honest gov
ernment. | am no repudiationlst,
nor can ] see how true Democrat,
one who adhpreS to the faith incul-
Gated by theimmOrtal Jefferson, and
the hero of the Hermitage, can be
so base as TO advocate amy dOctritr
looking to the disaVoWal of an hon
est debt. Why, sir, Old Hickory
would have suffered martyrdOm
ten thousand times before he would
allow such stain to rest on his es-
cutcheon and that of his State and
for my humble self, proud of fol-
lowing in hls fuutstep5, / would
sooner have my right arm severed
from my body than to see my State
take a step that would certainly
cOnsign her to dishOnOr and re
proach, and l say here, that Ii my
State should be guilty of this act, /,
at least, desire my skirts 10 be clear.
When / am lying stark and cold in
the r. Nlntains of East Tennessee, |
don't want passers by to point at
lily SIGtN Z alllO AbNAC AANo a.
damned old repudiationist.
| believe, sir, that the State owes
the full amount of her Outsta ding
bonded obligations which were ere
ated when every man of lawful age
Was allowed to vote. They were ere
atad by Legislatures elected by the
people of the State. They were ere
ated by Democratic administrations
and Wing administrations. lie
issues arising out of the whole quPs-
ton were discussed before the peO-
pie on every stump from Carter to
The people did not go into
it blindly or unadVisedly. The
issuance Of the bonds Wus not the
result Of hasty or ilI-considered ac-
ton. Every point was carefully
and elaborateIy discussed. The
most trusted and hOn0red men of
the State. The captains of the two
political parties-such men as Jones
and Polk, the Browns, TrOusdale,
Campbell, Harris and JohnsOn-ali
took part in the discussion, and
threw the weight Of their names
and influence on the one side or the
other. The people made up their
after careful and and ma
ture deliberatiOn, to issue the bonds
for the purposes for which they
we're issued. They made up theit |
minds to go into business of inter
nal improvements. They thought /
hat the railroad and turnpike on (
-ePprise would bea good investment. /
They wanted to exchange rapid /
transit for the slow methods Of |
earlier days-palace cars, that take /
l man from Knoxville or Mem /
0his here in a day, for the old
white horse and wagon that brought
Is the same distance in about ten.
Every other State was adopting |
hese improvements, and the Vol
lnteer State could not afford to be
behind in the great march of pro-
rress. That was the way the people
elt about this matter, and they
voted accordingly. They elected
heir agents to the Legislature to
yote the bonds necessary to build
lp our magnificent system of rail-
ways and turnpikes, and their
agents Obeyed them and issued the
bonds. Then came the terrible
.ivil war, with its train of death,
destruction of prop
.rty, and other ills. Then came
hard times" and with it discon-
ent. Demagogues, seizing upon
his discomfort, and hungry fOrpOW-
n and place, began artfully to dis
,ase the public mind, and persuade
he people that the debt was un-
contracted, and that there
vas no obligation, moral or other
wise, on their part to pay il, although |
hey were getting the advantage OF
he highway systems that the bonds
themselves were Issued to establish;
md although they held title TO the
tract, and their repre-
were everyday sitting in
his Capitol to buy the one and
,uild the other of which, some of
hese very bonds were created. And
yet these demagogues assured the
people there as no obligation on
heir part to pay these bonds, and
his, too, afterguardiansa and trustees
lad been expressly authorized by
statute to invest the emeans of W0m-
IN in these very honds. Is this
manly Mr.. Speaker, Is it just, or is IL
.0wardly and disgraceful in the eX-
RENE? ! am frank to say 1t Is the
after, and no measure looking to
he repudiation Of this debt shall
sver receive my sanction.
But, sir, while ] believe all of
his debt now outstanding was hon