The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1882-10-11
Tho Roiters' Last Address.
The Bolt and the New Bonds
Both q Failure.

1
allied Central Committee of the So
allied 8" sky-hlue" Democracy. in appa-
ent anticipation of its inevitable fate, a
week or ten days since delivered
engthy address. The paper assumes to
a comprehensive statement of all
the facts and reasons comprising the his
tory of that inexcusable and Inflated
It seems to have been the
work of several hands, as it is not posi-
BILE SO yariegated and composite a docu-
ment could have been the emanation of
any single brain. The master of the
turgid and stilted style of the opening
paragraph, and the dealer in poetical
quotations, and classical illusions, and
q ivory sceptres," and painted robes,
cannot be the same person; and neither
can be the Dry-as-dust who wrestles
with figures of the State debt proper. :
The four-mile plank and the whisky-tax
paragraphs show the effort OF special
expert. The concluding portions, which
picture the perils- to the National
Democracy to result from the triumph
of the regular Democracy of Tennessee,
we surmise to bear the impress of a SEN
atorial hand This article, however,
does not propose to criticize its literary
features, or review its points in detail,
and we dismiss it in general with the
remark that it presents nothing new or
forcible that has not been as well or bet
ter said before; and certainly nothing
that justifes the movement it is intended
to defend. One or two illusions will
bear brief comment.
The address grows hysterical over the
sentence in the Democratic platform de-
claring that g the Democrats of Tennes-
see, with their majority of the popular
vote, are the rightful guardians of the
honor and good name of the State. ?
Mr.. Bailey's original manifesto in July,
and Senator Jackson's speeches both
characterized this as a political heresy.
On what ground, and how Their ar
gument is, that as a question of admin
istrative policy the settlement of the
State debt is peculiar and sacred, and
lifted above the atmosphere of politics.
This is not true, or it has no force, and,
is only suggested by the attitude the!
boiling Democracy happens to hold to
the Republican party in regard to the
60-3-4-5 and 6. Both of those gentle
men, and every one who was engaged in
the preparation of the paper in review,
have for years been urging it as al
special duty of the Democratic party to
adjust and provide permanent legisla-
ion for the pavmentof the debt. Nay,
more, for several years past they have
been. and even now are engaged in
abusing the Democratic party becauseit
has not done SO. The phrase which has
70 shocked them as un-republican and
ln-democratic says nothing more, and
means nothing more, than that it is the
province of the Democratic party, as
he majority of the voters Of the State
for the administration of
State affairs, to take hold of the debt
question, as they might any other, and
dispose of it; and it does not violate
or truth when it assumes
hat the mode of such disposition will
rightfully guard the honor and good
lame of the State" That is precisely
What the Democratic party is now in
arrest about doing, and this cavilling
hat the debt is holy non-partisan
natter and too pure for politics, is cant
f the most puerile kind.
Speaking of the proposition of 60-3-4l
IS, the address says that Hfessrs. Eu-
enc Kelly. Peter Geddis and John T.
Jerry, constituting a majority of the
Sondholders' New York Committee,
represent toawJtths of the whole State
ebt." And now comes Treasurer Polk
f the Funding Board, who has been
aonths in New York City with thenew
'onds under the 60-3-45-6 adjustment,
aboring to induce Messrs. Kelly, Ged-
is and Terry, and those whom they
epresent, to exchange old bonds fer
hem, and confesses that only oneJffh
f the bonds have been funded, and the
'unding Agency is about to close its
flee and retire. Now, one of two
hings is true: Either Messrs. Kelly,
ieddis and Terry did not have authors
to present that proposition on behalf
+ four-fifths of the creditors, or those
entlemen and three-ffths of them have
ecanted the proposition and refused to
omply with their contract. At any
ate, the 60-3-4-5-6 is confessed abor-
ion The bondholders have come to-
Understand the acceptance of that prop
sition by the Legislature last May was
'ithout warrant of a majority of thei
eople, and that new sixty per cent. !