New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-04
BOURBON DISINTEGRATION.
REPUBLICAN PROSPECTS IN TENNESSEE.
IMPORTANT ACTION TAKEN by THE NASHVILLE
CoNFFRENCE--AN EARLY CONvE>TIoN AND AN
INCnMpRoMIsING PIGHT FOR STATE HONESTY

REPUBLICAN PROSPECIS IN 1ENNfoobb'
IMPORTANT ACTION TAKEN by THE NASHVILLE
CoNFFRENCE--AN EARLY CONVENTIONS AND AN
UNCoMPRoMIsING Plight FOR STATE HONESTY
THE REPUBLICANS CONFIDENT OF SUCCESS.
fFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE 1RiBuNEl
| WASHINGTON April 3-The decision of the recent
| conference of Tennessee Republicans at Nashville
TO call a State Convention for the 9th OF ApTl ~
| an important one and cannot fail To have power
full influence on the immediate future OF poitlcs IN
that State The decision of the Supreme Court de-
| caring unconstitutional the law under which
! the State debt was refunded left a situa-
ton which was apparently almost hopci'ss'
1t was felt by the Republicans that 1t was useless 10
attempt any further adjustments OF the debt by leg
islation when there was no certainty that, before
the law could be fully executed, it might not he re-
| pealed by Legislature of Low Tax Democrats or
| declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court which
is so universally regarded committed TO rcpndia-
ton that Tennessee papers openly denounce it as the
| Central Executive Committee of the Repudiators."
II 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 il. This was the policy decided upon
! at the Nashville conference. Fortunately the
| last Legislature passed law providing for the
submission to the people at the election III August
when local officers are chosen of the proposition to
| bold Constitutional Convention. If the vote is
in the affirmative, the delegates Will be chosen at
the general election in November. The Republic
cans called tn ir State Convention for this month
in order to begin their campaign at once.
| There need be no fear that they will favor any
compromise with reputation. If the statements
Of the Tennessee Republican representatives CON
siitute pledge. their party will stand as it has
-. 81 homo Of
debt. They will have three opportunities to argue
their case before the people and educate them
thoroughly upon this qnestlon-duiing the August
campaign the November campaign and when the
Constitution is submitted to the people for ratlfica
ton. With the Democratic party divided
upon this question and the Republican
party n unit, there ought not TO be
any doubt of the result especially as the facts are
Overwhelmingly on the side of those who clam
that the debt is valid and must be paid. The Ten
nessee Regulators have such pretext for refns-
ing to pay the debt that put forward III states
where there were corrupt carpet-ba GoVernmehtS'
and large quantities of bonds were Improperly
issued. The Tennessee bonds were issued to pay for
the building of the Capitol, the Lunatic Asylum,
Deaf and Dumb Asylum, the turnpikes-which
have been of vast benefit to the State-and
the railroads. and it is mentioned as an IL
ustration of the "pure cussedness of the rcpudia-
ton sentiment that if 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 portion of
the money Democratic Legislatures have time and
again affirmed the legality of the bonds.
Some of tho circumstances attending the decision
of the Supreme Court are likely to help the Repub-
Icans in the November campaign The three judges
who declared the law unconstitutional Mcfarland,
Freeman and Turney all Rebel soldiers and
oil States Rights Democrats, and there can he no
question that their political prejudices had much TO
do IN shaping their decision The two judges who
dssented. Judge Edward II. Ewing and Chief-Justlce
James W. Deadrick were original Union men, who
fought secession earnestly, and though they never
took up arms against it, never took them mp Tor IT,
This clear distinction between the old Rebel and
pudiatng element the side, and the Union
and debt-pa wing element on the other, is expected
TO make deep impression on that large class OF
voters in Tennessee who fought for the Union, but
have since been kept by various causes in the DEM
ocratic party in spite of strong natural sym
pathes 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 long search 10 find a 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 oyerrulcd by Cham
cellor Merit, and the law declared constitutional.
"The whole proceeding" says we'll known Ten
nessee Republican, WAS regarded as farce. NO
one supposed for a moment that The Supreme Court
II. C,,.1 PIT ha
agitation went on and the newspapers of the party
became divided and there was no Presidential cleo
ton to lose and there people that did not
own railroads than did, and furOre arose that
made it political lawsuit One of the judges who
voted that tAe law was unconstitutional is said to
have advised its passage ami to have suggested the
very feature which he Afterwards declared TO be I'M
constitutional-that of making the coupons receive
able for taxes"
The Republicans seem to he confident that they
can carry the proposition for Constitutional Con-
ventiOn and elect majority of the dele
gates. Men who have studied the statistics
of such movements say there is no case
on record i'll which the party that called
a Constitutional Convention failed to control it,
The Republicans equally confident that they
can elect their candidate for Governor repeating
the snccess of 1880 In the present condition of
politics In that State they ought to do more-they
ought to carry the Legisl; ture and elect United
States Senator TO succeed Isham G. Harris. Ten
nessee Republicans are claiming that their State is
quite as likely to go Republican after fair effort
has been made as Indiana. and are saying that
they think they entitled to something of the
same help that is extended to close and doubtful
States in the North. They asked it in 1880 Of the
Republican Congressional Committee, and got only
rebuff for their pains Yet the returns of the vote
for members of the Legislature show that the Repub
cans elected 0 out OF the 20 Senators and 81 MEM