Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-09-25
WHO OWES THE BONDED DEBT
OF TENNESSEE

In two former issues of this paper
we discussed the question whether
the railroads owed this debt, and
think we proved the negative be-
yOnd the possibility of refutation.
The question then occurs, if they do
not owe it who does We snail be
compelled in answering it to go
over again some of the ground then
traversed. We will endeavor to do
so as briefly as possible.
Our position, which we now I'M
dertake to establish, is that the peO-
pie of Tennessee ol0e the debt IN ques-
tiORj and being of the people OF
Tennessee ourselves, we are opposed
to shOuldering it upon any who do
not owe it, whether it be the rail-
road companies or the bOnd-holders.
Legally, morally and equitabIy the
people owe it, and the railroad COM
panies do not.
How does an honest man determ.
inc, when his note. is presented for
payment, whether he owes the
money or not? The two questions
are, "Did 1 sign that note ?" and
did receive the stipulated consid-
Grafton for it?"
1t will not be denied that the
bonds were signed by the officer
authorized by the people of Tennes-
see to execute deeds in their name.
They have the signatures of govern
Ors of the state, authenticated by
the broad seal of the same and au-
thOrized by special acts of the legis-
lature of the state, elected with the
distinct understanding that they
were to confer such authority upon
the governor aforesaid.
Nothing more opposite to the
truth can be imagined than the
statement now made that it was
through the corrupt influence of
governors and Legislators and judges
and railroad rings that these bonds
were issued. A person who is not
utterly ignorant of all that happened
during the ten years that preceded
the war, must know that the legis-
lators and governors of that period
only executed the will of the people
expressed in unmistakable terms
when they loaned the credit of the
state to the railroad companies in
order that they might have prompt
communication between different
parts of the state and between this
and other states. Even the Brown
low bonds, so loudly spoken against,
if they were issued by the carpet
bag government of that day, were
issued in compliance with the ur-
gent demand of men of all parties
in order that the railroads which
had been destroyed by the casual
ties of the war might be refitted.
Have our people forgotten that both
the bridges on the Louisville, Clarks-
vile IL Memphis road had been de-
stroyed and its rails torn up, and
that rebels and Union men, demo-
Gratis and republicans, united in the
petition that the bonds might be
issued and the bridges rebuilt. Yes,
red-hOt fire-eaters forgot their ami
mostly against the Brownlow legis-
lature and petitioned and lobhied
in its halls for the issue of bonds to
the railroads. Not only for the L.,
G. Il NJ. II. r. was this done, but
the Tullahoma and McMinnVille
road was rehtted in the same way
at the urgent demand of the citizens
of McMinnville, with John Savage
in their midst, and nobody has yet
heard that ]. S. had a word to say
against it.
We are discussing this question
on principles of plain honesty and
common sense. We are no lawyer
and we are not writing for lawyers.
An honest and sensible man knows
whether he owes adebt or not, and,
if he gave his note for the amount,
intending to bind himself for it,
then if he is really honest he does
not want a lawyer to come in and
tell him "there is a flaw in this
note, and if you will put the matter
in nv hands III fix 1t so that they
can't collect It from YOU" We say |
that Am honest man will not employ |
4 LAWYER ON sueh works the Ques-
tion with him IS not s.can this debt
10 collected but "d0 I owe the
we are far from admit
49, tbat the special pleading which /