Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-08-19
HON. r. N. RHODES ABLE DEFENSE or HIS
LEGISLATIVE RECORD.
Facts Which Every Citizen of Montgomery
County Should Reqd.


Facts Which Every Citizen of Montgomery
County Should ReGd
Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Con-
yention:
Two years ago, without solicita-
ton or any political ambition on
my. part, was called upon by the
Democracy of Montgomery county,
to be their candidate for a seat in
the lower house of the General As
sembiy of Tennessee. My personal
friends urged me not to enter the
giittering arena of politics but, at
great personal and professional
sacrifice, yielded to the demands
of my fellow-citizens, and gave to
the canvass all my time and atten-
ton, and what enthusiasm and
energy and talents that possessed.
In addressing the Democratic
Executive Committee, by whom /
was nominated, Immediately after
the honor conferred upon me, L
distinctly aVowed that l was a
Democrat in national affairs, for
being Southern boy, / could not
as yet forget or forgive the Republic
can party's Outrages upon liberty,
and its cowardly trampling upon a
PROSTATE people during the dark
days of reconstruction ; and that in
State affairs, Democrat or no Demo-
GRAFT, was in favor of the ''strict
maintenance of the public faith,
and the preservation OF the public
honor"
l further avowed that did not
believe the creditors, after their
proposition in 1879, to fund at SOD,
our outstanding bonds, would or
could in equity demand more of the
people of Tennessee and that if I
should make the canvass, l would
advocate a settlement of the public
debt at figure notexceeding, at the
uttermOst, sos. This was satisiac-
tory to the Committee. and ac-
copied, in an evil hour for me per-
sonally, the great trust offered me
by the Democratic party.
Immediately, the very next day,
l opened the canvass. ! repeated
my declarations made to the conf
mittee, and gave more fully the
reason for the faith within me. !
said to the people, and | said
it honestly, that il elected l
would not exceed, in settling the
debt, 0cents on the dollar, l argued
that 80 and was the practical fig
ure, but when specially called out
by my competitor, l declared l
would go rs high rs + per cent. In
terest to settle the debt and remove
this incubus from my State. l urged
that the creditor had proposed to
compromise ut 5O-4, that Gov. Marks
in 1879, had SO stated in his prOcla-
nation that the creditors were
not idle spectators or uninterested
witnesses of our contest in TenneS-
see, where payment and reputation
of their debt, $27 ,0O0,000, were in
hand to hand combat ana that not
having Withdrawn their PROPOSE
ton to compromise at 5O-4 before
party lines were drawn for the great
struggle, that after my election it
would be too late to withdraw it.
Such was my position on the stump;
such was my pledge to the people OF
Montgomery county, based upon
the aforementioned facts, or what l
conceived and believed then to be
facts. | was elected, triumphantly
elected. l refer to the Iact with
pride, that / received more votes
for Representative than any cam
didate for that position has ever re-
ceived in the history of MontgOm-
cry county. l thank you to-day,
fellow-citizens, for that evidence OF
your confidence in my ability, my
honesty and my patriotism. l
thank the people OF my county for
it. Since then have been criticized,
abused and maligned for my adj
ministration OF my high office, as
your representative and servant.
Misrepresentation and SANDER have
struck ut me but thank God, that
it has never reached my ears that
any man in Montgomery county,
of any creed or party, has ever
charged me with dishOnOr. The
smell of corruption is not upon my
garments; men, honest men, many
of them think | made great mis-
take. l may indeed have erred,
may err again; but if my errors in
the future shall I've as my errors in
the past, I shall always err honora-
bly,, honestly and intelligently.
But let's see to this. On the first
Monday Of January, 1881, / took
my seat, in the Capitol at Nash
vile, as your representative; soon
after the organization Of the two
Houses, a resolution was introduced
into the Senate, by Senator Duggan
of East Tennessee, calling upon
Gov. Marks for his vouchers, viz:
the propositions of the creditors to
compromise lit SOL, upon which he
had based his proclamation of May
1879, providing for Il special election
in August, for the ratification or
rejection of 50-4 by the people. Gov.
Marks was to go out of Office on
January 18th and Gov. Hawkins
was to be inauguratcd. So a very
short time was there to pass the
resolution and obtain the vouchers
1t could however have been done
but for the opposition and tillibus-
tering OF Gov. Marks friends in the
legislature. The resolution failed
to pass in time; but the fact was
developed that the proper number
of creditors, undcr the Act OF 1879,
had never proposed to accept Sol.
Mr.. E5tell, Gov. Marks private