Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-03-08

Rinxs and uhe Debt.


cry OF those VINO desire to prevent
the payment Of it has been rings
and the iHegality of the bonds.
Proofs of these things have never
been offered, though their authors
have been repeatedly challenged to
bring them before the courts for the
purpose, but by mere iteration they
succeeded at last in intoxicating in
the popular mind the firm convic-
ton that the whole debt was lille
gally and fraudulently incurred and
ought not to be paid.
Well, at last the burden of proof
is thrown on them and all facilities
for collecting materials for il farn-
ished to their hands. A committee
has been appointed to investigate
each subject, the rings and the debt,
and these committees are empow-
cred to call for persons and papers,
and on their reports they have
bound themselves to rest their case.
We ourselves have been very spar
ing of our comments upon the
proceedings in State Assembly up
to this point, knowing that we had
nothing but assertions before us and
knowing that the proofs, if discov-
cradle, were to be produced. So we
awaited the reports these are now
at hand-the reports, that is, not
the evidence taken before the COM
mittees on which they are grounded.
We know that our readers are eager
to hear what Is proved, but we see
no prospect of laying it before them
this week, as it will be near OuI
time for going to press when the
proof arrives, and if 1t makes any
pretense of sustaining the allega-
tions of the reports it must needs be
so voluminous as to make it impos-
sible to read it even, much less tC
epitomize it.
But it will be expected that we
should at least epitomize the report
while awaiting the evidence; thai
we should give the allegations
pending the arrival of the proof
Kind reader, spare us, or rather
spare yourselves. The whole report
from beginning to end, reads like
repetition of one of Col. Savage
speeches, such as he has been max
ing for three years all over the
State. You must have heard them
or, if not, must have read one of thu
printed copies Of it which were
scattered among US as thickly as thu
snow-fiakes of last January. Well
the report is one of those speeche
over again, and we have no stomach
for going over again the facts anC
arguments repeated GdlauseGnl dur
ing the recent political contests
Refresh your memory on the ole
speeches, and that will give you tn,
report; when the evidence arrive:
we shall be able to give you som'
idea how far the Oft-repeated allega
lions are sustained, but even thi
will have to be done piece-meal, 70
no one issue can analyze the half o
it. But let US anticipate little b.
considering what in some items tn
Just conclusions will be if we gran
the premises.
The ring committee plainly ant
frankly acknowledges itself a fail
ure. If ever a court was organizes
to convict, this was. Half of tn
case which the regulators hav
been urging against the bondhOld
ers depended upon the exposur
of these rings, whose rascality wa
said to have cOncOcted the fraud
which Vitiate the bonds. The repOr
commences with a n0iUe avOwal Q
perplexity from not having an.
instructions what they were to in
vestigate. In their perpleXity the.
send for Mr.. T. Atcheson, the editO
of the Banner. Surely he mus
know something about rings; tn
Banner has been filled with thei
alleged iniquities for months, aye
years. Well, Mr.. AtchisOn, tell u
what you know about rings. w,
quote the words of the report: "Mr
Atchison, after being summoned
testified that he k7ael0 nothing of act
Of corruption, bribery and fraud, Q
his Oirn knOlCIed9e, but gave tn,
committee the names of various in
dividuaIs who, IL tCds 6eliered, coulC
and would DISCLOSE" etc., ETC., etc
These witnesses were then called in
and Major Thomas O'Connor (wht
seems to have been charged in gen
eral terms with being a peniten
tiary ring or some segment of one
was confronted with them, and
according to the report, theevidenct
utterly failed to criminate MaiO
O'Conner or either of the lessees o
the penitentiary with the perpetra
ton of bribery, fraud or corruption
Unhappy committee! They have
to tall back upon the old Galloway
receipt, which has been trotted Ou
again and again whenever scanda
against the railroads is wanted
This simply proves that said Gallo
way, who happily has long since
ceased to edit the Memphis Appeal
was bribed by the Memphis &
Charleston railroad company to
bear certain railroad bonds at q
time when the company wanted tC
buy them up to use in settling with
the State Government. The mi
nority report adds to this that there
was evidence to throw suspicion
upon Thomas AtchisOn, their first
witness, of having been bribed by
the bondhOlders' committee at the
last session of the Assembly to adj
vocate compromising the debt at
fifty cents. But the minority COM
mittee does not pretend any more