The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1881-04-28
THE 1908 LAW.
Opinions OF LoW-Tax Leader--Hon. ].
X. Beasley.
Nashville Herald, io.1

ion Of the present situation of
public affairs in the State of Ten
nessec
Beasley-I think it is the result
Of bargain, intrigue and corrup-I
ton.
Reporter-Between whom?
Beasley-Railroad officials and
prominent men in the Republi-
can and high tax democratic par
ties.
What was the object
of this intrigue?
Beasley-To procure the dis
missal of the suit against the rail
roads now pending in the SUI
preme court Of the United States.
RepOrter-When did this in
trigue begin?
Beasley-It began. in my opin-
ion; before the meeting Of the
democratic convention last Au-
gust; and the split in that con
vention was forced upon the low
tax wing for the purpose of Civ
ing the legislature to the republi-
cans, making coupons receivable
for taxes, and plundering the peo-
pie for the payment OF interest
upon a debt amounting to twenty
four million dollars, which is
railroad debt under the very
terms Of the law.
Reporter-Now that the l00-3
bill has been passed, will not the
people quietly submit to it?
Beasiey-No sir. 1t Will be the
leading question in the next can
vass, and we will have the fiercest
political storm which was ever
seen in Tennessee. Our greatest
trouble is a lack OF circulating
medium. France prospers under
immense burdens, because her
circulating medium is immense,
but in Tennessee we have only
about three million dollars,
while we need about fifteen mil
lion.
Reporter-What effect will the
passage of the 100 3 bill have up
on the high tax wing Of the dem
ocratic party 2
Beasley-It will make it a
stencil in the nostrils of heaven,
and send it to the grave Of eter-
nal disgrace.
Reporter-If the next Iegisla-
ture has majority of low tax
men what will they do?
Beasley-Repeal everything
the present legislature has done
in relation to the bond question,
and make no appropriation for
the payment of interest.
Reporter-Would this prevent
coupons from being receivable
for taxes?
Beasley-No, sir; this would
not; but another bill could be
passed prohibiting tax collectors
from receiving them, and thus an
issue would be made up to be
tried by the supreme court of the
United States.
RepOrter-But has not that
court decided in the Virginia
case that the coupon bill was n
contract, and no law could be
made that impaired itG
Beasley-It is common thing
for supreme courts to oyerrule
their own decisions. Greenleaf
published a large book containing
cases which had been overruled.
The provisions in the constitution
Of the United States which pro-
hibits the impairment of con-
tracts does not apply to such a
case as this. The idea is absurd.
To say that it does is to say that
the people Of any state in the
union may be perpetually enslav-
ed by a cOmbinatiOn-between
thieves in the legislature and
thieves out Off Buff the court
should say that the passage of
such a bill creates Il contract,
then it must be governed by the
rules applicable to contracts, and
one of these rules is that fraud
vitiates everything. The court
must have lost sight of this point
in the Virginia case. Everybody
believes that the 100 bill was
passed by fraud, and for the SUI
preme court of the United States
to sustain such a bill as this is to
do all that it can to destroy re-
publican institutions. The ablest
modern legal writers upon this
subject, as we'll as some of the
most eminent judges of the SUI
preme court, have set their faces
sternly against such a monstrous
doctrine, and insistthat legisla-
ture has no power to do anything
which destroys the sovereignty
of the state. We must fight it
if we would win. Those who