New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-04

favor of enfranchsinp the rank ana NE tnen, anu
shutting out only the leaders. But other couns"ls
prevailed. and these men wero embittered and Kept
away from us by seeing their former slaves 60 to
the ballot-box, while they were excluded BIT as
we have grown farther and farther away from the
war. these prcjudices havo subsdcd, and new
questions have como up. Tennessee ia
State of immense mineral wealth, and the atten-
ton of the prople has been drawn more ana
more to questions affecting their material interests
Here the influence of the old Wing doctrines began
to make itself felt in favor OF the Republican
party. majority OF the people OF Tennessee are III
favor Of protective tariff that shall be wei ree'l-
lated; four-flths of them are Republicans to-day
on Tie question of q National currency all parties
there are in favor of internal improvements. On
these and kindred questions the people find the
Republican party much moro to their liking than
the Democratic party.
"The Democrats have been weakened too. by the
steadily diminishing confidence of th, rank and file
of the voters in the ABILITY of the leaders to win
Presidential election. This has been emphasized by
the fact that the party is iuhamonious on all these
material questions. while the Republican party is
far more consistent on all Of them Up to the time,
however. that differences arose in the Democratic
party Itself on the debt question. the process
of change was slow. 1t took coed
deal of courage for men 10 leave the party
and come over Terrible pressure was brought and
is vet to keep men in the party 1t is still taught
thai il Is not quite respectable to be Republican,
though that is becoming an obsolete argument.
When the Democratic differences were well de-
veloped. the stage of rapid change was reached,
and every year has shown an increased Republican
vote until in 1850, Garfield received nearly
1OS 600 votes. against 900 for Hancock. Many
men are coming over now who have hated the Demo
q. l.. trft
had no good excuse for leaving it, The preference
for Confederate soldiers has made trouble i'll Ten
nessee, as in Kentucky. The Tennessee plan has al
-yays been TO nominate x-Confederates in the sure
Democratic districts, but to give the Union men
chance in the doubtful districts, where the Demo-
Gratis could not win without the votes of Union
men.
THE Reputation party in Tennessee, or the
Low Tax PARTY as ii is called really took definite
shape first in 1874. The Legislature Of 1873 had
refunded every dollar Of the debt with the accrued
interest the Republicans sOlidly supporting the
project and one payment of interest was made
But in 1874 the Democratic State Government de-
faultcd on the second payment, though there was
SAID to be enough money in the Treasury, which has
never been satisfactorily accounted for since, to
make 1t. In that year and the following, the Low
Tax party began to develop considerable strength
a
connection with it. Though the Democrats con-
troed several Leg slaturcs they never made any
provision to pay the interest on the debt All that
they did do was to submit to the people a PROPOSE
ton for repudiating one-half tho debt and
funding the other half at four per
cent interest. This defeated by the
votes of the men who were not willing to repudate
any part Of it, and the men who wanted to rcpudi-
ate the whole of it, BY 1879, this repndiating ele-
1nent was well organized. The Democratic party
had always had a repudiating element-in favor
even of repudiating the National debt In the Leg
islature of 1870 the Low Tax party was formally
organized. and by the following year the quarrel
between the factions had gone far that tho party
was in hopeless confusion. The Low Tax mon had
only two hundred delegates in the Democratic Con-
yentionOut of twelve hundred because the influences
of the railroads. etc, all OF the side of State
Credit but the Low Tax men seeded and their
candidate for Governor received $4,000 votes, 10
70. 900 for the State Credit candida e. But that
vote doesn't represent the party as 1t IL majority
of it is for repudIaion. WHAT helped the STATE
Credit Democrats to cast their large vote was the
implicit faith of Democrats generally that Hancock
was to be elected They wanted To be IN harmony
with the Democratic platform, and they particn- |
larly wanted to be in harmony with Hancock Ad-
mnistraton. When the campaign began, the Low |
Tax candidate. IN my judgment, had t"o-tmIds ol
Governor Hawkins our candidate received a
of snch as were tired of the Democratic party,
and will continue 70 vote with us. Many OF them |
were Union Democrats-men who had fought III the |
[ Union ARMY IT had brothers i'll II. great
many causes are working together for the Republic
can parry in Tennessee. The defeat of Hancock has |
disgistcd and dsEcartened many Democrats, who |
are saying now that the party can never carry |
Presidential election. and It Is OF no use 10 Keep up
the organization. The sentiment OF all honest |
people is with us on this debt question, and as the |
Republican party has taken The leading position III |
The fight, will inevitably gam votes |
among them. And right here let me say |
that the decision of the Supreme Court II |
il was q political manTuyrc was a great mistake |
for the Democrats. The Law funding the debt had |
taken the debt question out of politics, and the |
Democratic party wOud have been far stronger to-
day if It had been kept out. The decision revived |
the controversy and split The Democratic party III
two again Then. as | said before, the growing
anxiety of the people of Tennessee TO develop their
immense natural resources inclines them to the
Republican party, which Is the only party OF a pro-
tectiye tariff ana u National currency, and makes
them eager to 90 anything that viii bring in North
ern capital. You will find the Tennessee |
papers full of complaints that Northern capital |
is pouring into other states, but not INTO theirs,
and telling the people that TINS Is what
people Tennessee will not only in my opinion elect
a Republican Governor this fall, but with proper |
help from the parry in the North il Will give It's
electoral vote to tho Republican candidate III
1SS4."
Tennessee Democrats IN Congress do not show
much anxiety TO discuss the situation IN their state.
They assert in a general way that the decision OF
the supreme C0ur viii have the effect Of reunlting
have held that the State had equities" III the
matter of the debt. These equities" are found on
inquiry to consist in the argument of the Democrats
that because the bonds sold below par the State
ought not TO pay the full amount. D. D. L.