The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-05-18
WILLING TO WOUND And YET
LACKING COURAG ICE 10
STRIKE THE BLOW.
Knoxville Dispatch.
A certain pestiferous demaooou

-. mafkS, Is preparing 10 play
again the disreputable role of two
years ago. 1t was announced some
days ago, by leading Tennessee
journal, that Marks was laying his
wires to become "the Malone of
Tennessee" We took occasion then,
to point out the moral and political
impOssiblity of "Maboneism y becOm-
ing even temporarily successful in
this State, the conditions of public
sentiment being notably unfavOrable
to the triumph of any such deviltry.
But the success of one demagOgue
stimulates the hopes, and ambitions
of a dozen others, even in different
fields Of action. Malone, by a be-
trayal of his party and an assault
upon the honor of his State, sue
ceeded in landing himself in the
United States Senate and in the
cherishing bosom of the Republican
party. His bad example while it
has furnished a warning lesson in
all quarters where timely warnings
are needed, has nevertheless, not
been without its encouraging effect,
in Tennessee and elsewhere, to that
cOmmunistic agrarian and revolu-
tionary spirit that finds no rest in
state Of established social order and
recognized political honesty 1t
needed not the stimulating example
of Malone to devlop A. S MARKS
into an arrant demagogUe. After
his nomination for Governor, in 1873,
by methods that were pronounced
at the time, both disingenuous and
disreputable, he canvassed the State,
speaking to the people with a forked
tongue. He had, then no political
record by which he could be ac-
curately measured, and, under the
stress ST party pressure and Orgapi-
cation, he was elected The first
signal act of his administration was
the PRONUNCIATION of a message,
which, as a State paper, will re
main upon the records OF our Com
monwealth to his everlasting dis
grace He was the first, and'swe
trust will always be pointed to US
thu last, Executive of Tennessee
possessed ofsutficient official unman-
illness to invite the creditors Of the
State to appeal to the Courts for col
lection of their debts off parties who
had already paid them to the State,
upon the terms and in the manner
prescribed by the State herself. In
order to bolster up his outrageous
message, he was mainly instru-
mental in the organization Of the
notorious Smelling Committee,
whose chief business consisted in
the unwarranted defamation Of
private QharaptQF, Py an 81 PaJte
Star chamber proceeding. Failing
in this, he began to trim his little
sails to catch another breeze See
ing. as he thought that the 50-4
proposition would be popular, with
characteristic instinct, he sought to
become the champion of the settle
ment of the debt which he had 50
farcaly donpunced, upon the basis
Of that proposition. The measure
failed, however, and with its defeat
by the popular vote, Marks again
subsidized t2 take further observa-
ton OF the currents of public opin-
ion When the last Legislature met,
he had not sufficiently determined
under what flag to enlist so, under
cover Of . sinister letter, he inglor.
iously retired from the field, though
not without hope that, as heretofore,
intrigue might bring HING to the
front as a candidate tor Senator In
this be Waa again doomed to humil-
i9ting disappointment, for it now
appears that there were not a dozen
men, Ofany shade Of opinion, wiling
to cOnfde again II him public
trust, He was hardly heard Of, or
thought Of, in connection with the
Senatorship.
Wcl, the dekt Was settled at
least the Legislature passed a bill to
that effect, and we doubt not it will
be carried out, in good faith By the
people Of the stats.
Tho aspirations of Marks were |
for the time completely "snowed !
under by this settlement, and we |
next hear of his ostentatious return
to '.the practice Of law The rest |
less spirits ofsuch leaders as Savage, |
Wilson and BeasleY and ]
others were not 2prqased, however. {
ELey were not ready to be laid |
calmly and submissively Sin their !
little beds, and we find them still I
in the field endeaYQring to keep up |
their wicked aGitations and resorting |
to every possible device u break
down public confidence in thqstabili-
81 Of the recent settlement. A few /
can make a great
noise, and the ear Of the demagogue |
is ever liable 10 mistake ! f4c,ious /
3lElAqn fGr 'stAQ VOICE of.tho people"
Fhe new tempest in a teapot has
already sounded to the disconsolate
Marks like the voice Of a popular |
lRgTicaGea and stFa{ghtwaY Ae again
proposes To place himself in a posi-
ion to be waited into prominence
md official station. To accomplish !
his, he addresses the following
characteristic note to a committee Of
low takers in ShelbyviIle, and it
.pears in the Conlmerciat of that
lace, a paper that has been, from
he start, a laoal population organ
MANCHESTER, april lF.-Mr. T. S. h
and others. Ny dear I
iEs Your letter. came while ] Twas on ,
AGED ia a., exciting criminal trial. t
t was concluded yesterday, and IL ID
IN quite broken down | start to +
Nashville to day, and have but lit i
e time to write You, I THANK you G
u yQqr letter, and Though you /
eturn thanks to my friends who i
ent the communication. l have not !,
me to go into details but tia pres v