The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-09-08
and cOn1ince. | shall appeal only to
youfssense Of honor, your love of truth,
and your enlightened consciences.
IIIcrrnI,N- AZ TILE IoIaIan.

knOwledged that she (the State) owed 1t
and promised to pay it, and then affixed
her great seal, and plighted her sacred
faith to its payment.
He showed that the constitution of
1884 solemnly enjoined on the legIsla
ture of the State the duty of encourag-
ing internal improvements in the State.
1t was made part of the constitution,
so important was it considered by our
fathers. 1t was recommended by every
Governor, Wings and Democrats, in
Guiding Cannon, Polk, Jones, A. V.
Brown, Neill S. Brown, VIM. Trousdale
and VIM. B. Campbell. Many of the
bonds were signed by Andrew johnson,
and seven millions by Isham G. Harris.
The laws under which these bonds were
issued were voted for by the best and
purest men which Tennessee had in her
borders-by such men as w. B. Bate,
Judge Guild and others, and who dare
accuse them of fraud or dishonesty?
Subsequent to the war, the accumulated
interest was taken up by the issuance Of
other bends-a simple change in the
form of the obligation. About six mil
lions of these were originally issued, but
four millions of them have been paid,
and only about two millions remain.
About thirteen millions of other bonds
were issued, with which to raise money
to refit and rebuild railroads which had
been torn up and destroyed during the
war. These were issued at the request
and solicitation of leading men of the
State,
MOSTLY DEMOCRATS.
and the roads were rebuilt and put in
running order There may have been
improper uses made of some of the
money raised by these bonds, but the
purpose of their issuance to refit and re-
build railroads was effected. Of these
bonds all have been paid off except about
| So, 246, 900. Warren county, the home
of Col Savage, got $400, 900 of these
Brownlow bonds with which to retft her
railroads. Lincoln and Franklin got a
large number, and SO with other coun-
ties. The Great Northwestern railroad
has got some. It has been charged that
frauds were committed in the purchase
of bonds by the railroads with which to
discharge their liability to the State.
But the fact is that all the bonds of the
State were sold and purchased at the
same figures as shown by the sworn
Of ryiFnoococ ID
Gov. James D. Porter.
THE RAILROAD SUITS.
Another difficulty suggested by our
boiling candidates is that suits are
pending between the creditors and rail
roads, seeking to make the latter liable
for the whole debt. Well to that
say, and my friends say, let the suits go
on, we are not disposed to interfere
with them, or delay them, or stop them.
They had right to go into the courts
and test the questions raised, and we
propose to abide the decision, let 1t be
what it may, and in good faith carry it
out to all its legal, logical and equitable
conclusions. Will my two competitors,
Wilson and Edwards, do the same? Let
them answer this question. We are
willing that the courts or other Impair
tial tribunals may decide the whole
question of liability, but neither of my
competitors will agree to this. 1 asked
them on former occasions and they re-
fused to agree to this. l suppose they
are of opinion that courts are as corrupt
as they say legislatures are, They ought
to know how this is. They have both
been members of the legislature, and
one of them (bIr. WILSON, is now mem
Der.
LEGAL AUTHORITY TO ISSUE.
Mr.. Wilson says, if 1 understand him
correctly, that the State had no legal au-
thority to issue any bonds before or
since the war, and he says this notwith
standing the constitution of 1884 was
plain on that point, and our supreme
court have repeatedly held that the State
did have the power. Some of your
purest and most eminent judges, such
Judges Green and Turley, have so held,
and am willing for the people to de-
eide which is the better authority,
Greene and Turley on the one side and
S. F, Wilson on the other.
The Democratic party, whose cOnven-
ton at Nashville nominated me, said we
must show and exercise
GOOD FAITH.
By that they meant to say, let us by
get the best terms we can
honorable to the State and satisfactory
to the creditors, and settle the debt and
remove this incubus from the State and |
take the distracting question out of pol
tiles. This means if we can't pay, we
will at least be honest enough to &C.
knowledge the debt, and pay if we can
ever get able. This is a sound principle
as between man and man and between
State and people. Why was not this |
question of fraud, this cry of illegality, |
heard before the war, when the bonds |
which my opponents wish to repudiate
were being issued? Did any of you
hear of it then? The present Democrat
ic party is composed of the best ele-
nents of the old Wing and Democratic
parties. You of Robertson county were,
believe, mostly Wings. Don't you
know that the Democratic legislature
rad been engaged i'll the issuance of il
egal and fraudulents bonds, the Wings,
iuch as Bell and Jones, and your pres
mt representative men, would have
ound it out and told you of it, and if
he Wings had been engaged in such
frauds as Mr.. Wilson and
Edwards say they did, would not some
cunning Locofoce Democrat have found
out and told you of it? You remem-
Ter how fierce and hard were the battles
between the Wings and Democrats.
BOTH PARTIES RESPONSIBLE.
The fact 10 that hofh partias We'd with |