Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-03-13

! my own observation, and my intimate con-
Dection witt the members of the general as
/ semby Of 1854, which passed on of the
most important OF these bills, that they were
| as far from engaging in corrupt legislation
! superlnduCed by the various corporate bodies
( interested in securing aid from the State,
| az any member of that commit tee. The PEG
! ole of the STATE, and not 1.-The corporate
| bodies" demanded that they should grant
this State aid. If the policy was vicious, II
was the peoples policy. As an evidence OF
this they reelected Andrew Johnson gov
| ernor, after he had In his inaugural and 10
! his message IN 1853, advocated the policy.
! Every member from East Tennessee and two
| thirds from West Tennessee, participated in
| this vicious policy and corrupt legislation.
| VIII this committee say that Harris OF
| Washington, Odell of Sullivan, Bullen Of
| Greene, Brown Of Monroe, Cock of M'Minn,
| Bailey and House OF Montgomery, Cheatham
/ of Robertson, Erwin of Maury, Buford of
| Giles, Thorpe of Henry, Cavott of Weakley,
| Greer OF Madison, Wood of Hardemau,
| Holmes and Harrington of Shelby, Hawkins
| of Carol, Lucas of Humphreys, and many
/ others IL the house, whose names
do rot now remember; and Dam
| lap of Shelby, Reid of Davidson,
Perkins of Williamson, Reagan of N Mimi,
| IN the senate, and Edward Polk, speaker of
! the senate, and VIM. Il. Wisener, speaker of
| the hou e, all of whom were the authors, aid
ers or aJettors of this corrupt legislation, !"
were not equal, in point of ability and of in
tegrity, to the men who make this charge I?
Things were not done loosely at that session
OF the legislature. Governor johnson had
issued one hundred and thirty bonds to the
East Tennessee ard Georgia railroad COM
pany. A member of the house, favorable to
the railroad bill, introduced a resolution to
| censure Governor Johnson for issuing those
bonds. He did not propose to declare
them void. He had too much sense for that,
but his resolution required and lntructed the
attorney general to bring suit against the
railroad company for the value of them, If
sold, and if not, TO epjoIn their sale. He
knew what he was doing, for he was good
lawyer. The subject was fully discussed in
the house. 1t was shown that Governor
Johnson had taken the advice in writing Of
the then attorney general Of the State, aud
had IN ali things complied with the law.
After full discussion Governor johnson was
sustained IN house which had fifteen
Wing majority By majority of seventeen.
This shows we were not doing things loosely.
AT this same session, the legislature, upon
the recommendation of Governor Johnson,
created the office of railroad commissioner,
whose duty it was to 60 upon the various
roads, examine the work, and see that all the
requisites of the law were faithfully per-
formed. To this Office Governor Johnson ap
pointed r. q. Payne, of Columbia, whose re-
ports show how truly and well he did his
duty. No man was ever more cautious than
Governor Johnson IN the issuance of bonds,
and this committee cannot convince the peo-
pie of the State that he was not. After all
the facts were known, the people reelected
him governor in 1855, and the people were
then, presume, equally as wise, as honest
aud as cautious az they are at the present day.
In 1857, after we had issued over skim lion
Of dollars of State bonds to railroad compa-
MES, the legislature, then, perhaps, as pure
and upright as the members of that commit
Zee, elected him to the United States senate.
Ia 1857 Governor Harris took possession of
the gubern&torial office and appointed
II. +. CCmnIins as railroad commissioner,
who did his duty to the State in that Office
as well as any man ever did, as his report
now On file shows. 1t Is unnecessary for me
to say that Isham @. Harris never violated
| the law, and g thousand sach reports as the
one under consideration would never make
the people Of Tennessee believe he old. He
also issued over six million of State bonds to
railroads, as the law required him to do, and
the intelligent people of Tennessee, Your
fathers, your brothers and yourselves three
times elected him governor when all the facts
were fresh in their minds. The coml4lGtee
say: "In response to the fourth command of
of the senate resolution, we say that with
scarcely a single exception: the eleven thou
saaG tR0 hundred and twenty outstand-
ing bonds amounting TO eleven million two
hundred aud t%enty-cne thousand dollars,
issued before and SINCE the war, under tue
act Of 1852 aforesaid, and its amendments,
as aids Hereunder to railroads, IceFe issued
On. sold, o.. both, III UioIation Of its conditions
and restrictions. Hence their payment. set
tlement or adjustment rests, or should 90
so, not upon the assumption OF their legally
authorized contract validity, nor upon any
ethical sanction, but GF2a the determination
and conclusion of a wise State policy. NOW
IL l. AIs,E H., era N V n
lation OF law and are not protected 10 the
hands of innocent purchasers, Who are, &C
c9rding to this committee, bound to know
that the law has been violated, what princl-
rle Of wise State policy" would demand
their payment, either in whole or IL part !!
WIN this committee sag that the people
should pay bonds illegally ISSUED iIsgaily
sold and illegally held? Would this oe wise
State policy? ,,,o-o
| INVESTIGATION OF THE STATE DEBT RE
PoRT-HAvE WE a SPANISH INQUIsI-
TToIi.?
EDIToRs APPEAL-The very worst feature
Of this committees report remains to pc seen.
They have acted as did the spanish -nqulsl
| ton in days of old. They have gone about
| over the country taking testimony to assail
| character and not giving the parties lmpll-
I lated an opportunity to cross examine the
Witness One of the most sacred principles
of the law Is that the accused shall be
brought face to face 18th BIS accuse 1I5, ana
with the witnesses against IN w noe
character, either mans or woman's, Is Saie
against sucd proceedings as these? The er-
! paTte testimony Is taken and publ shed to the
w3rld by a legislative committee at the peo-
PIES expense, and then, say they, the men
or women who are assaiied may defend
themselves. 4 man may be condemned and
then he may show his condemnation Is
IL = ID l. L.. ,l,E,r r.
| tees are organized for, and paid cat of the
peoples money? Must the funds of the
State be taken to publish electioneering docu-
| ments to sustain particular views? L know
not whether these parties implicated are
| guilty or not, but know they are entitled to a
! fair and impartial trial, and to meet the wit
| nesse5 against them face to face, and cross
| examine. All this testimony was taken IN
! matters not al all pertinent to the issue, for
| if the facts stated be true, and the bonds lille.
| galy issued, they have been recognized, and
| most OF them actually paid and cancelled.
| 1t is an attack upon character without giving
| the accused the legal right of defense. This
| Is a more important question than even the
| payment OF Reputation or the State debt.
| 1t involves the rigat Of every man and every
| woman III the land not to have their charac'
| tiers assailed in secret by witnesses OF whom
and of whose testimony they may know
| nothing. If character be dearer than prop
| eTty, tneG the course OF this committee Is
| most reprehensi6.e and most dangerous to
| society, if tolerated or even excused. II the
| statements contained in this report be true,
then the character of our State is more dam
aged than it would be by the open repudla'
ton Of our public debt, even If it were hve
times as large as it is. Surely this commit
tee did not know the effect of the course
they were adopting, and the damaging result
to the public and private reputation OF all
I I [
tempt to escape the force Of their own lam
| guaaa. If the governors and other public
| men of Tennessee have, with scarcely a
| SINGLE exception" violated the law in the
issuance OF bonds, and the people, directly
and through their representatives., have sus-
tanned them in such acts, truly ours Is la
mentable condition. Read this report care
fully, and see if this is not what they say
either directly or by inuendo. They may not
have meant It, but they said it if the English
language has any meaning, To vindicate
the character of our honored statesmen