Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-09-09
that power Of expressing their will,
away from them. [Applause.]
THAT CHURCH BUSINESS.

favor Of, there will not be enough
grace left after the campaign is over
to save half dozen poor sinners.
Applause.
! The people have a right to instruct
the legislature at the ballot-box how
to vote, | have been able to make
the people see the distinction between
that and the people voting directly,
but somehow can't &c: it through the
brain of my friend the correspondent
of the
NASHVILLE AMERICAN.
1t is the business of a convention
to carry out the will of the people /;
and when that is acknowledged, | must
bO recognized as the regular nominee
of the democratic party. Applause. ]
They talk about split, and deplore
its consequences, when they know that
on them lies the blame. We got down
on our knees and prayed them to let
this question alone aud we would sup
port anybody. 1t was with this un.
derstanding that | carried my delega-
tiOn for my opponent three times. He
was very willing then to be governor,
and let the state debt take care Of
itself. [Applause.] But no, they
wouldn't do it, and now they talk
about split and honesty and repudia.
tion. They pretend to believe that
the state debt is Just; they know the
state could pay it, and yet they higgle
about compromise. No compromise
has ever been offered except the COG.
Now suppose the bondholders, in case
Judge Wright should be governor,
would insist upon
A FULL SETTLEMENT,
Can he refuse to pay it, standing upon
the platform his heel now presses?
Judge Wright tells you that tax of
only forty cents will be required, when
| tell you that at the lowest compro
mise that could be made tax of sew
enty cents would be levied. It's no
use to say that the legislature will
settle that bonded debt for you. If
you pay it, you have got to settle with
the tax collector. shall issis5 upon
the people paying every dollar of their
just debts and making the railroads
pay theirs p llApplause.] Judge
Wright says nobody ever discovered
before that the bonds were fraudulent,
when am fully prepared to say that
no record can be shown from 81 down
wherein the people were expected to
pay those bonds. Andrew johnson
in speaking of this very question,
damned corporation as a thing with =
out body to be damned or a soul to
be saved. Every bond issued to in
tcrnal improvement companies
throughout the state is fraudulent ex-
cept one as shown in the report of an
investigating committee.
uprx, ann r,NrpDpnr,-
| What the constitution meant by
encouraging railroads and other inter
nal improvements was simply to grant
| them certain franchises and not
to tax the people for a
private. corporation, for railroads
are private enterprises. Judge Wright
says many prominent democrats we're
in favor Of issuing those bonds. Be-
cause a number of democrats favored
the issuance OF such bonds, and the
creation of such debt as would ad-
vance their own private property,
must the people be taxed? l am in
favor of paying the interest on the
| bonds issued for the purpose of pur-
chasing the Hermitage, because the
state owns the Hermltago, and if the
state owned the railroads, would be
willing to pay the interest on those
bondsi" prolonged applause. My
honorable competitor wants me to tell
you IL | would advocate that the ques
tion be submitted to the courts to
settle. | answer that would sub
NIT it tn the highest and most impair
Gsl tribunal on earth, that of the peo-
pie. [Applausc.l Judge Wright has
said he owed debts and could not pay
them, but would die acknowledging
them. Is he more honest
than the people of Tennessee
He goes ca TO tell a joke
about an old negro who said he would
pay a debt of fifty cents if he could be
, made to member it, but didn't think
he could be made to member it. He
applies that to the people of Tennes-
t see, which is virtually throwing upon
them suspicion of dishonesty. II
} the people owe an honest debt don't
they know it? Those extreme, con-
5 ceited men say; Damn the people
! they don't know anything about this
debt we fellows only are capable oil
running this machine" Now, if that
. is the case, you had better invite
I A SPANISH PRINCE
over here to take you across his lar
D and spank you whenever you dou't
2 mind him Applause and cries 0.