The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-09-15
5. Gov. Neil S. Brown, in his message
of October, 1849, says:

of October, 1849, says:
"The subject of internal improve
| ments is one which is exciting more In
terest at present than any, perhaps
| which viii enter into your deliberations,
and it is gratifying to witness the spirit
which now pervades the different Sec
tions of the State with regard to it.
| Although the State debt is now con-
! siderable, yet 1t is not such, in my opln'
| ion, considering the amount OF our
means, as to deter us from still further
| appropriations of the public credit IN
aid specific objects. etc.
6. Gov. VIM. Trousdale, in his mes
sage of 1849, says:
81 know of no subject which is en-
titled to more Of your deliberations than
that of a system of internal improve
ments. If you should be satisfied that
our credit would not suffer by an in
crease of our debt, cannot too strongly
impress upon your minds the import
ance of providing with certainty for the
payment Of the accruing interest at the
same time you provide for contracting
the additional debt"
2. Gov. VIM. B. Campbell, in his
message of October, 1851, says:
mo State has more to promise itself
from a we'll regulated system of internal
improvements than Tennessee. Rivers
and railroads beyond our borders turn
the current of travel around and from
US, directing to other fields masses OF
capital and skilled labor in search of
employment. 1t does seem to me to be
a high duty of the State to loan her
credit. at least toward ironing and
equlpping the roads after they have
been prepared for the iron, upon ample
indemnity by the individual stockhOld-
ers against loss, and to any needed eX-
tent which will not seriously embarrass
the State treasury or cripple the credit"
So far from the turnpike and railroads
seducing the State into the system, it
will be seen that TIE State herself first
proposed it in her Constitutional con-
Yention of 1884, and that every Cover
ner from that time down to 1851-2,
whether Whig or Democrat, advocated
it in the strongest terms.
CONSTITUTIONAL ENDORSEMENT OF THE
ABOVE.
The Constitution of 1884, article xi,
section 8, ordained that:
"a well regulated system of internal
improvements is calculated to develop
the resources of the State and promote
the happiness and prosperity of her citi-
zens; therefore it ought to be encourag-
ed by the General Assembly"
This clause of the Constitution is en-
dorsed and expounded by the Supreme
Court as follows:
These bonds were all issued under
laws enacted by Legislatures deriving
their power from the Constit uticn of
1884, and on this very question our Su-
preme Court uses the following Ian
guage:
''The Constitution of 1884, declared
that q well regulated system of internal
should be encouraged,
and for such purposes the Legislature
has often appropriated the revenues of
the State, and further, loaned the credit Of
the State to the ertent Of large sums. The
p0aoer to do this has 7aeoeT been questioned
X =. Upon this declaration Of the
Constitution the LegisIGtatTeS hGCe from time
to time freely acted. The State was with
out railroads. 1t was regarded as q pub
lic necessity that the roads should be built
by corporations, in a sense private cor
POIStlOus1 y0C 80 ~ "aS U0lAC'0u In"'
the resources of the State would be
thereby developed and the public pros
perity promoted, they were regarded as
public Improvements and to be encOur-
aged" Knoxville and Ohio Railroad
VS.. Hicks, Sept. term, 1877, citing a case
decided by the Supreme Court of the
United States, reported 90 Wallace S6.
We have no comment to offer. The
seven voices above seal the matter that
S. F. Wilson is guilty of ignorance, or
desire to deceive the people.