Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-03-26
DOINGs IN THE CAPrrAL.

OF the states creditors by the house
of representatives at Nashville as
sembled. So on Monday last l once
more started for the capital.
To a man behind the curtain, the
acting of the political drama seems
a strange hotch-potch, and never so
strange as On Monday and Tuesday
last. A man could see there the
strange spectacle of Legislators pre-
pared to vote against a measure
which they earnestly desired to pass,
and Others who felt themselves con-
strained to vote for il while they
ardently desired its defeat.
The democrats speak of those
who were elected upon the platform
of last years Nashville convention,
recognizing no other as democrats
desired, as they have all along de-
sired, the passage of the bill and the
removal of the debt question from
politics; but many of them had
made pledges during the canvass
the literal Interpretation of which
preeiuded them, as they thought,
from voting according to their judg-
ments.
On the other hand, the republicans
have good reasons for thinking that
the continuance of agitation on the
debt question is a healthy thing for
them, in a party point of view, and
many Of them accordingly would
like to e the proposed settlement
break down, and yet are ~precluded,
by their own long-continued and
noisy protestations of devotion to
the credit and honor of the state,
from voting for it.
/ do not propose to discuss the
republican embarrassment; they
must settle their troubles their
own way; but / do feel called upon
to say a few words towards a correct
understanding of the democratic
position.
1t is well known that during the
last convention held at Nashville in
1880, great efforts were made, by
large concessions on the part of the
state-credit democrats, to avert the
division in the party which ulti-
mately took place. Many, indeed,
of the state-credit section, thought
that these concessions had gone
further than was justifiable consist
emily with state-credit principles.
We need not say that these conces-
siOns were made in vain, and that
the secession of the extreme low-tax
meu took place, and that they have
eve since been active antagonists
of the true democratic party-that,
indeed, in the transactions of the
present assembly they have mani
tested much more affinity for the
republican than the democratic
party. Now, had these concessions
been met by the lOw-tax men frank
ly and in good faith, undoubtedly
they would have been obligatory on
the state-credit men who made
them, but we know that exactly the
reverse took place; the low-tax men
would make no concessions them
selves nor would they be coneiIiated
by those of the state-credit men.
Morally we hold that this releases
the latter from adhering to conces-
sions which were rejected.
Among these concessions was the
question t0hether the coupons Of the
proposed neU bonds should be receiU-
able for tareS. Before the bolt took
place in the convention of last
August, a resolution was offered
adverse to their reception. 1t Was
very distasteful to a number of the
party, myself among
the number, but it was offered for
the purpose of keeping the party
together, in which purpose it failed.
Having failed, the question arises,
is it morally binding on those who
consented to it as a peace-Offering,
after that peace-offering was rejected
by those TO whom it Was prOtfered?
L am among the many who answer
no; it was not incorporated as a part
of the platform (sOme papers printed
it as if it were, but without author
ity for SO doing), and, as we view it,
would only have been obligatory as
an understanding between the state
credit and the low-tax men if it had
been accepted by the latter. Being
rejected by them, they are estOpped
from claiming oar adhesion to it,
and no one else is entitled to be
heard in the matter.
But, unfortunately, many of our
state-credit candidates made pledges
during the canvass of acting upon
this resolution so far as to oppose
any proposed settlement of the debt
in which the condition should be
made of the availability of the cou-
pons for taxation. Some of them
went further and undertook to OPP
pose any settlement of the debt
which assigned to the creditors more
than half the capital at an interest
of 4 per cent. The result shows the
ineXpediency and ruinous tendency
of pledges with such sharply defined
lines of demarcation. An offer is
now made by our creditors which
n%ine-tenths Of the voters who elected
our present representatives and SEN
atOrs would most gladly accept as a
final settlement of the debt. A pO-
tential consideration affecting the
stringency Of these pledges on the
members now in session is presented
by the contrast in the present posi-
ton with that under which the can
vass and election took place. At
that time everybody's antici-
patton was that the democratic party
would have the negotiations with