Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-01-20
THE TRUTH ABOUT TENNESSEE.

"a reform association has been organ
lied in Nashville. 1t is time. The diff
Guilty will be, however, to find enough hon.
est men, so far as State affairs are concerned,
! to give it a numerical respectability."-
Commercial Gazette.
The qualification does not save
this from being such unjust criti-
cism, as no community in this
country is good enough and pure
enough, and itself free enough from
the graVest faults to be able TO
make of another. The affairs of
Tennessee have become matter of
national importance, although local
in their direct bearings. A brave
and noble people have been dealt
with very unjustly in most of the
comments, for the lack of "put
yourself i'm their place." General
effects have been looked at, and the
crime of Reputation not too harshly
denounced, for it corrupts public
and private morals, prevents whole
some, moral, and intellectual pro-
gress, destroys that bond of faith
which is the binding tie of society,
Injuries public and private credit,
and seriously retards material pro-
gress. But the people of Tennessee
have not experienced all these effects.
They are yet wrestling with the
evil, and only beginning to under
stand it wherein they do not differ
from other people, and but follow
in the footsteps of Pennsylvania,
Maryland, and Illinois,. and other
States. If any American cOmmu-
nifty thinks it can cast the first stone
at Tennessee, lett beware lest some
one write in the sand some grave
fault of its own, which will send
it away abashed, leaving Tennessee
to WreStle on with her own faults.
No State ever heard the voice of
demagogues or adopted a false pol
icy under circumstances more pro-
vocative of wrong policies. This
is no excuse, and the policy is to be
condemned upon every moral, pO-
litical and material ground, but no
people ever had greater excuse. A
large amount of money had been
invested in railways; war destroy
ed these, crippled the State, impov-
erished the people, temporarily de-
stroyed the labor system, and al
most broke up the social fabric. |
New bonds were issued by Repub-
lican government for the repair of all |
roads and in aid of new ones. These |
were applied for by Democrats,
moved by communities clamorous |
for transportation and the reha bilita-
ton of ruined lines. 1t was at the |
corrupt period succeeding war, and
the government was corrupt and
oppressive, and only favored the
people where legislators could turn
an occasional dishonest penny.
Many of the expenditures were
necessary, many were corrupt,
all at great cost on account of low
credit. 1t was joint affair, but
evil there was lay in a Republican
government. The roads were wisely
sold by a Democratic administra-
ton, because they were costing the
State, every year, almost their full
value at that time. AS the purchas-
ers of the roads could pay in bonds of
any series, the Brownlow bonds be-
ing lowest in market, were paid
in and Cancelled, except about three
millions still outstanding, many of
them in the hands of colleges of the
State, on which it pays full interest
at par. This left outstanding the
present debt of old bonds, sold gen.
orally above par, and none below,
Just at this time, when all was
going on reasonably well, not
ideally we'll or with absolute sound
ness in any quarter, but just as
usually go when they are
at their best, the panic of 1873, with
a terrible local drought, fell upon
the State, just as it had completed
the funding of all its past due bonds
and interest at par, and the pay
ment by the railway sales of about
twenty million, leaving twenty
millions of unimpeachable bonds
excepting three mill
ions of BrOWnlow bonds, as to some
Of which doubts may exist. The
drought and panic were the Oppor-
unity of the demagogue, with a
people already impoverished and in
iebt. More than this, some able
md pure men in public and private
ife declared the people could not F,
ind should not pay. b
Regulation was limited at first as
| prize against the corrupt and tyr n
lnical Brownlow government in
S67 again by demagogues in the
Democratic Legislature of 1869, but
/ had made no impression, and 1
eally found no serious Judgment
Until after the panic and drouth OF
1873. But the first serious blow