Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-11-06
STATE AND NATIONAL LEGTSLA-
THON.

gently Win every IeNuhisiS PAcoA
dental election. This question may
be stated as follows: How shall
necessary state legislation be dis%o-
eiated from the complications and
exeitements of national politics.
That these complications arespecial-
w adverse to the calm and delibe-
rate handling of state pOlity Is a
truth which we think will be ques-
toned by nobody, unless it be by a
class of politicians who look upon
politics as a game, partly of chance,
partly Of skill, and in large meas
ure of fraud, in which the players
stake their chances, their reputation
and their conscience for the chances
of winning offices of distinction and
emolument. To such politicians
this argument Is not addressed; in
deed the CHRONICLE is not edited
with a view to either the interests
or the appreciation Of such men. Its
only relations with them are those
OF implacable hostility, holding
them as it does to be the worst enc
mics of the solid interests Of the
people. We write, on the contrary,
for those who are interested in poll
tics only as means for the judiciOus
transaction of the peoples business.
Let us go outside of the state for
our first illustration of the evil of
which we are complaining.
Indiana a few weeks ago held an
election, the ostensible purpose Of
which was the selection of men
competent to deal with her interests
as a state so far as these might re-
quire legislation. Will anyone ca
pable of a moments thought say
that the circumstances of that cleo
tiOn were favorable TO the selection
Of men and the consideration Of
measures conducive to the local
interests OF Indiana as a state?
Large numbers Of the ablest pOliti-
clans OF both parties, from every
part of the United States, bounced
down ON the state of Indiana like
birds on a newly plOwed wheat
field. These gentlemen commenced
a series of agitating harangues on
both sides, and soon produced con-
ditiOn of intense excitement among
the people. And what was it about?
Anything relating to the local affairs
OF Indiana as a state? Not at all
they knew nothing and cared moth
ing for the local affairs of the state;
it was all in reference to the presi-
Dental election and the issues of
federal policy. Now we admit that
the policy of the nation is of greater
importance than that of any state,
at least under ordinary circum-
stances, but this is state of things
which sets aside the interests of the
state altogether. We know not
what sort of state legislation will be
carried on in Indiana this year, but
if it is good and salutary and well
adapted to the needs of the state,
that will not be result of the can
vass which preceded the election of
last month in that the state inter-
ests of Indiana were scarcely heard
of.
But now let US consider this SUBJ
jeet as applied to Tennessee. This
state has for five or six years had
question of state policy hanging
over it closely identified with the
honor and welfare of the state. OF
course we speak of the bonded debt.
The complications and perplexities
of our state politics for the last six
years have been entirely due to the
alternative which was before us of
sacrificing state to federal policy, or
the reverse, the two being incom-
patible. In 1876, for fear of of jeOp-
ardizing the federal interests of the
democratic party, it was decided
that the state-credit and lOw-taX
sections of the democratic party
must adopt a platform as regards
the debt which both could agree to.
OF course this implied a platform
which meant nothing, for the posi-
tions of the two sections were irrec-
oncilable, and either nothing must |
be stated or something would come
up to which one or the other section
could not agree. As much as posi- |
bic, therefore, the platform was so
devised as to commit the party to |
no policy in reference to the debt.
1t was not declared that the pay
ment of interest should be suspend
ed, but it was provided that, whether |
that interest should be provided or
not, the rate of taxation should not |
exceed 40 cents on the 500. 1t is
well known that the legislature |
which was elected on that platform
put il down to 10 cents on the 800. |
The method of the canvass by which
this legislature was elected was such
as to make this result inevitable. |
The state-credit candidates all pur-
sued one course. They first con-
tended that the interest on the debt
should be paid, but then added that
If 1t should be found that tax high
enough to pay the whole of it could
not be raised, then the tax should
be reduced to the lowest estimate
which could provide for the Ordi-
nary expenses Of the state without
paying any interest on the debt.
This was virtually a pretext for the
state-credit party to under-bid the
lOw-tax party, and it was so used
with the legislative result already
specified.
In 1878 the additional concession
was yielded that whatever arrange
ments might be made for the liqui-
datiOn of the debt, should not be
valid unless confirmed by a refer
ence to the people voting on it at
the ballot-the most fatal concession
ofall.