The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-07-07
Tennessee Renndiati0n.

K K.
Two years ago minority of the Dem
ocratic Convention in Tennessee were
"low-ta tax" Democrats who withdrew and
put up boilers ticket when they found
they were too weak to control the action
of the regular organization. Both of
the Democratic factions were beaten and
Alvin Hawkins, Republican, was elected
Governor. On Wednesday last it was
the g debt-paying' Democrats who went
out Of the convention and took measures
for nominating boilers ticket, leaving
the "low-tax" men, regulators and re-
adjusters in possession of the party
machine. Such is the progress made by
the Democrats of Tennessee on the road
of dishonesty since 1889.
The State debt amounts in round
numbers, with interest, to So, 1000, 900.
The Legislature elected in 1880 passed
a bill, chiefly by Republican votes,
which was approved by the Republican
Governor, called the 1908 bill, for the
settlement Of the debt by the issue of
bonds for the full amount of 100 cents
on the dollar with interest at 3 per cent.
The Democrats procured an injunction
against the issuing of the bonds and the
case went to the Supreme Court of Ten
nessee which gave partisan decision last
winter declaring the law unconstitu-
tlonal because it made the interest
coupons receivable for taxes. Two
of the five Judges dissented. The
creditors then made a proposition
to settle by taking new bonds for
so per cent of the amount due, with
interest for the first five years at per
cent, and afterward increasing to 4, 5
and 6 per cent. An extra session of the
Legislature was called and the 60-3-4 5,
6 bill was passed as an acceptance of the
bondholders' offer, and this bill in turn
was approved by Gov. Hawkins.
It was earnestly hoped that this action
would be accepted as final, and the most
anxious men about it, unless it might be
the bondholders themselves, were the
intelligent Democrats outside of Ten
nessee. They saw clearly enough that
their party could not afford to make an
issue on the settlement as agreed upon
or keep up any further agitation in favor
of repudiating the debt. The outside
leading Democratic newspapers, too,
notably the Louisville COm'jer-JournaI,
took the same view and urged the breth-
rem to drop the bond quarrel and go to
work in harmony to whip the Republi-
cans. a
But physicians were In vain for the
Democrats of Tennessee, and good adj
vice was thrown away. The call for a
State Convention was cooked up by the
wise old nurses Of the party and signed
by the Chairman OF the "low-tax" com
mittee and also by the Chairman of the
+" debt-paying" committee. A full con-
vention assembled at Nashville with the
expressed purpose above all things else
of curing the breach in the party and
working together in the campaign. But
the regulators would not subside.
They made platform in condemnation Of
the go 3D. SO settlement, which they
will manage to keep from going into eff
feet until after election, and fell back
upon a compromise among themselves
in favor of paying 80 per cent. of the
debt in new bonds bearing 3 per cent
interest.
Of course the Democrats who retained
some sense of the obligation to keep
agreements, TO the extent, at any rate,
of respecting compromise that had al
ready received legislative sanction, could
not countenance this breach of faith,
and SO they withdrew and in conference
resolved to call nominating convention
of their own for July II.
The Republicans will undoubtedly
nominate Gov Hawkins, and his re-
election in November is tolerably GER
tain. In 1880 he received 102, 500 votes
to 1871 for Wright, the regular or
debtpaying Democratic candidate,
and 81, 424 for Wilson, the Glow tax "
Democratic candidate, the plurality for
Hawkins being BITS.
Bate, the regular or "Iow-tax " Dem
ocrat, and his "debt- paying" fellow
Democratic candidate will hardly poll
more votes this year than the two Dem
ocratic candidates received in 1880, and
there is good prospect that the people of
Tennessee will enjoy the advantage of a
full Republican administration for an
other term. Detroit Post