The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-09-08

preventative system of government
should be broken down and destroyed
1t did not originate with the people. 1t
orig mated with men who, being IN the
legislature, were afraid to vote till they
found out which was the strong side. 1t
did not originate in respect for the will
of the people, but in slavish, craven
fear of the popular will and an over
weening desire to be on the strong side.
Such men are not safe representatives of
free and intelligent people. 1t would
be both expensive and highly inconven-
lent.
WILSON'S RECORD.
When did my competitor get to be so
strong friend of the people legislating
for them, instead of himself legislating
for them? Fortunately for US all, my
competitor has record on these ques-
tions-not large record, it is true, but
still a record on the question of the debt
settlement and on the question of sub
hitting legislation to the people. In
| 1879 he voted for an appropriation bill
which paid six per cent. interest on
bonds issued by Gov. Brownlow to pay
war interest. He voted to pay interest
! on 352 railroad bonds belonging to vari-
our charitable and educational institu-
tious-37 of these bonds were for war
interest, and were of what they call the
''odious Brownlow bonds" He voted
| to paw Mrs. President Polk the full in
terest on her $29, 900 worth of bonds, and
voted against including other widows
and orphans, and then voted against the
bill not as he said because he objected
to the principles of the settlement of the
debt at &c., with graduated interest at
4, and per cent, but because OF the
| amendments. These votes will be found
recorded in house and senate journal,
extra session, 1877, pages 106-109.
In same book, page III, he signed a
report with Phelan and Gregg, faVoring
a fair settlement of the State debt, all
kinds of bonds included, and asked for
no submission to the people.
He voted for Phelan's amendment,
which was a settlement st 80 per cent,
and no submission to the people prOVid-
ed for. He voted for senate bill No. II,
page 115, which was bill providing for
a settlement al graduated interest, and
that no provision is made for a submits
sion. In senate journal, 1879, page COZ,
he voted for appropriation to pay the
interest on Mrs. Folks bonds, and also
for an amendment creating the office Of
state lawyer, and appropriating $4,000 Of
your money to pay said state lawyers,
and he voted for the bill and was in a
few days thereafter appointed state law
yer; and before a single suit was brought
against the State, took and receipted for
one thousand dollars of his fee, and has
it to this day. We hear nothing of that
proposition being submitted to the peO-
pie. Oh, no. You can report as you
did do, on your oath, that all legal RENE
dies had been exhausted as to the new
issue of the Bank of Tennessee, and in a
few weeks take fee of $1,000 of the
dear peoples money to defend suits in
cases in which you said, on your oath,
and responsibility as a representative,
all legal remedies had been exhausted.
Again, the constitution Of your State
SAYS: "NO senator or representative
shall, during the term for which he was
elected, be eligible to any Office or place
of trust, the appointment of which is
vested in the Executive or General As
sembly, except to the Office of trustee of
literary institution"
Was not this at least place of trust =?
Again, the constitution of your State
says that no person shall hold TIVE lucra-
tive offices at the same time, and yet
my competitor,
WILSON, HOLDS THE OFFICE
of representative in the senate and State
lawyer, both lucrative, aud is now
candidate for third one, that of COVER
nor of Tennessee. At former appoint
ment, my competitor said that power
was dangerous, that it was easily cor
rupted, and he asked his audience if they
had not noticed that if man held even
the office of justice of the peace, for
while, he soon got to wearing his coat
and hat differently from what he did be-
fore, and his intelligent followers ap'
plauded. Now if that be so what in the
name of God Is to become of my distin-
guished competitor when after holding
two lucrative offices at once he should
accidentally be elected governors With
three offices at once, how would he
wear his hat : Don't you think his head
would be too large for his hati
Again, l see it stated in the newspapers
of the day that my competitor was once
a real high credit, high tax man. When
Lee Head offered a bill to settle the
State debt at rs cents on tue dsllar my
competitor denounced him as a repudia-
tor, or his bill as a repudiating measure
and an outrage.
THE DOG TAX.
Again: After the supreme court had
on deliberate argument decided that the
dog tax was unconstitutional and void,
it was believed by some honest mem
bers of the legislature that inasmuch as
the tax, amounting to 1920, 900, was
wrongfully, unlawfully and unconstltu-
tionally collected off the people, that it