Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-02-14

it much stronger They will doubtless
adhere to their platform and advo>
cate the Reputation of the entire
debt except "the State debt proper
the amount of which is given above.
To accomplish their dishonest pur-
poses, the INSCRIPTIONS leaders of
the party viii appeal to the ig>
norrance, passions and prejudices OF
the voters
State credit Democrats, who can
not be deceived nor bulied into do
ing that which their honest judgment
condemns, have a grand opportunity
before them in this crisis. All de-
ponds upon their action. Ii they
stand firm, there is hope for Tennes'
see yet. It will take Spartan cour
age in some parts of the State fol
them to withstand the Establishments
of the repudiationists, and in others
their threats and prescription. They
have the power to save the State
from impending dishonor and dis
grace, and there are thousands Of
them who are ready for such con-
test.
What shall the Republicans do!
There is only one course left epen to
them, and that is, to pursue the
even tenor of their way. They can
do no better than to make the can
vass of this year, upon the same
platform upon which they made the
canvass of 1880, so far as it relates
to this question. Ills embraced in
the following resolution:
Resolved, That the bonds Of Ten.
nesse, heretofore deliberately recog-
nized by both the Democratic and
Republican parties as legally issued
and valid, is an Indebtedness binding
in law, and in morals upon the prop
erty and conscience of all her citi
zens; and that any attempt to impair
the obligations of that Indebtedness,
on to readjust it or scale it, or in any
other manner to change the letter
and spirit of the contract, without
the voluntary consent of the bond
holders previously, fairly and under
standingly obtained, is downright
reputation and an act of high hand
dishonesty.
Anything short of this is repudi-
alton, and wherever the
Republican party in Tennessee goes
back upon the past honorable record
On this question it is doomed to the
disgraceful defeat it will so richly
merit. Whenever the debt is scaled
without the voluntary consent " Of
the creditors; it is Reputation tc
that extent and if we repudiate at all
let us make wholesale work of il
and steal the whole. The Repub-
licans have nothing to fear in a con
test based upon the principles pro-
! claimed in the above resolution. anC
if they had, we would rather an hun
dred fold, suffer temporary
defeat on platform of IN
swerving honesty, them to gan
temporary victory by pandering tc
the dishonest demagogues who lea(
the reputation movement In Ten
nessee. The decision of the Supreme
Court does not affect our position il
the least. 1t gives encouragement
to the vile hypocrites and igno
minious time-servers, who would
drag the State of Tennessee dow
from the high plane of honorable
dealing into the mire of Reputation
dishonesty and open robbery, bu
it does not relieve honest mel
from the performance of thei
sacred obligations as citizen
to preserve unsullied the fair nam
of the Commonwealth. Men of infu
ence and distinction may weaken all
give way in the face of popular clam
or; Supreme Judges may soil tn
judicial ermine in the cess pool C
party politics and attempt to obtai
office through popular decision; dis
sensions and strife may prevai
among the people, but honest mer
brave men, men of principle, wi
stand firm and unmoved by all thes
things, ready to do their whole dut,
atwhatever sacrifice. The State debit
still unsettled. It is our duty a
Republicans, as Democrats, as Ten
nesseeans to see that it is settled a.
promptly as possible, and settled il
such way as not to leave the stair
of dishonor on the fair name of on
| Commonwealth. This is the para,
mount duty of all Tennesseeans, ant
to this task we should at once adj
dress ourselves.