Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-07
A REPUBLICAN VIEW
or the Situation in Tennessee-The Call
for a Convention in April Endorsed
Vigorous Contests in
August and November and Upon the
Question Of Holding a COnstitu-
tiOnal Convention.

Washington Letter to the New York Tribune,
April Sd
The decision OF the recent conference oil
Tennessee Republicans at Nashville TO call a
State convention for the 9th OF April Is an
important one, and cannot fail to have a
powerful influence on the immediate future
Of politics in that State. The decision OF
the Supreme Court declaring unconstitu-
tional the law under which the State debt
was refunded left a situation which was APP
parently almost hopeless. 1t was felt by the
Republicans that it was useless 10 attempt
any further adjustments Of the debt by legis-
lation. when there was no certainty that, be-
fore the law could be fully executed, 1t might
not be repealed by a Legislature of low-tax
Democrats, or declared unconstitutional by
Supreme Court which is so universally
regarded as committed to reputation that
Tennessee papers openly denounce it as
the Central Executive Committee of
the Repudiators" 1t was felt that the
only course open under these circumstances
was to put a law for the honest pay
ment of the debt into the constitution of the
State where neither Legislatures nor courts
could disturb it. This was the policy de-
cided upon at the Nashville conference. For
tunately the last Legislature passed law
providing for the submission 10 the people
at the election in August, when local officers
are chosen, of the proposition TO hold a con-
stitutional convention. IL the vote is in the
affirmative, the delegates Will be chosen at
the general election in November. The Be
publicans called their State convention Tor
this month in order to beg in their campaign
at once.
THE REPUBLICANS WILL NOT REGULATE.
There need be no fear that they will favor
any compromise with Reputation. Ii the
0f tho
resentatives constitute pledge, their party
will stand as it has always stood-for an
honest payment of the whole debt. They
will have three opportunities to argue their
case before the people and educate them
thoroughly upon this question-during the
August campaign, the November campaign
and when the constitution is submitted to
the people for ratification. With the Demo
cratic party divided upon this question and
the Republican party a unit, there ought
not to be any doubt of the result,
especially as the facts are overwhelm-
iugly on the side of those who claim
that the debt is valid and must be paid. The
Tennessee Iepudiators have no such pretext
for refusing TO pay the debt as that put for
ward in States where there were corrupt car
petbag governments, and large quantities of
bonds were improperly issued. The Tenues-
see bonds were issued to pay for the building
of the capitol, the lunatic asylum, deaf and
dumb asylum, the turDpikes-which have
been of vast benefit to the State and the
railroads-and it is mentioned as an illustra-
ton of the "pure cussedDess" of the repudia-
ton sentiment that it is strongest in those
parts of the State that have received the
most benefit from the improvements for which
the debt was incurred, while those sections
which have received much less benefit have
always favored the payment of the debt.
While some irregularity has been charged by
Democrats respecting the disposition OF por-
ton OF the money, Democratic legislature
have time and again affirmed the legality Of
the bonds.
THE DECISION OF THE SUPREME COURT.
Some of the circumstances attending the
decision of the Supreme Court are likely to
help the Republicans in the November cam
paign. The three judges who declared the
law unconstitutional, Mcfarland, Freeman
and Turney were all rebel soldiers and old
States Rights Democrats, and there can be
no question that their political prejudices
had much to 30 in shaping their decision.
The two Judges who dissented, Judge Edward
II. Ewing and Chief-Justice James w. Dead
rick were original Union men, who fought
secession earnestly, and though they never
took up arms against it, never took them up
for it. This clear distinction between the
old rebel and regulating element on the
element on the other, is expected to make a
deep impression on that large class of voters
in Tennessee who fought for the Union, but
have since -hy-vs-;~---~-~~s Nc
Democratic party in spite OF some strong
natural sympathies with the Republican
party. This impression will certainly not be
diminished by the recollection of the manner
in which the decision was obtained. The
original Injunction which began the litigation
was granted by Judge Williamson, judge
of one of the inferior courts, after the low
tax Democrats had made a long search to
find Judge willing to make an order which
both the bar and the people regarded as
frivolous in law and purely partisan act.
On demurrer the injunction was overruled
by Chancellor Merit, and the law declared
constitutional. "The whole proceeding" says
a well-known Tennessee Republican, twas
regarded as farce. No one supposed for a
moment that the Supreme Court would de-
clare the law unconstitutional. But the agi-
tation went on, and the newspapers of
the party became divided, and there was
no presidential election TO lose, and there
were more people that did our own rail-
roads than did, and fnrore arose that made
it political lawsuit. One OF the judges
who voted that the law was unconstitutional
is said to have advised its passage and TO
have suggested the very feature which he
afterwards declared to be unconstitutional
that of making the coupons receivable for
taxes"
THE PROPOSITION FOR A CONSTITUTIONAL
CONVENTION.
The Republicans seem to be confident that
they can carry the proposition for a consti-
tutional convention and elect a majority of
the delegates. Men who have studied the
statistics of such movements say there is no
case on record in which the party that called
a constitutional convention failed to control
it. The Republicans are equally confident
that they can elect their candidate Tor gov
ernor, repeating the success OF 1880. In the
present condition of politics in that State
they ought to do more-they ought to carry
the legislature and elect United States sem
ator to succeed Isham q. Harris. Tennessee
Republicans are claiming that their State is
quite as likely to go Il publican after a fair
effort hes been made as Indiana, and are say
ing that they think they are entitled to some
thing of the same help that is extended 10
close and doubtful States in the North. They
asked it in 1850 of the Republican Congress
sionaf Committee, and got only rebuff for
their pains. Yet the returns of the vote for
members of the legislature show that the
Republicans elected ten out of the twenty
FIVE senators and thirty seven mem
bers of the House, TO thirty-six Democrats
and one Greenbacker, with one seat vacant.
They had at the opening of the session forty
seven out of 100 members on Joint ballot.
4 gain OF four would have given them a
majority, and they could have elected a SEN
ator whose vote would have made the United
States Senate Republican. There are five
Democratic members of the Legislature
from East Tennessee whose combined ma jor-
tiles fell below 100 votes. There are eleven
Democratic members from Middle and
Western Tennessee, none of whom had as
much as 100 majority. Inasmuch as a
United States senator must be elected by the
Legislature to be chosen this fall, these figures
are worthy of attention.
WHAT HoUK SAYS.
Congressman Houk, who is regarded as
one of the most active and energetic of the
Republican leaders in Tennessee, was asked
on his return from the Nashville conference
to give his reasons for believing that Ten
nessee could be carried for the Republican
ticket this fall. "To do that" he said, = !
shall have to begin with a little ancient his
tory. You must remember that Tennessee
was an old Union aud Wing State. The
people gave majority of $1,000 against
secession, which was afterward reversed
by a fraudulent election held under
the supervision of $1,000 Confederate sol
diers. 1t sent 10000 men into the Unior
! army 1t is essential to remember these
things in considering the political changes
that have come over the State In the pas
ten years. One great mistake was made,
think, at the close of the war, when the ques
ton of readmittiDg the ex-rebels to the RICH
of voting came up. good many men hac
| gone into the rebel army who did so I'M
willingly, forced to it by one cause anG
another, and many of these men, whose
Svu, xuero really with the ITniOn anC