Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-10
tOm me nt On.the Tennessee SIT.
nation.
Courier Journal. 8.

courisr-JouraAl. s.
The oifense Of Colonel Polk is oulJ
heightened and intensified by his ori.
in, his experience and his surround
lngs. IL is q hard thing to believe,
nd a still hardet thing to say, but
be conclusion seems inevitable thai
he was a thief at heart His wit, his
breeding aud his assumptions are ter
ihle Witnesses against himself He
was a rufisd SHIFTED Southron OF the
SJuthrons; keen, polished and false. |
There cannot be tourd the smallest
oretext Tor his crime ag~ inst bis order
and the State. Personal courage be
had in pleny aud large personal
Do nt,rin aud a VFeatS mans; and he
might have de6ed, COMPOUNDED and
catered the corruptionists, who in
tested the capital Of Tennessee. He has
not SO much as the poor excuse of
debauchery to plead in behalf Of his
complete moral dissolution, and,
though he must h~eneeiortb, wherever
he abides, in or out Of prison, behold
himself the most famous criminal Of
the South, he has NOT, for all his pluck
upon the battle field, the courage to
end a lie OF no further use to himself |
md thoroughly disgraced in the eyes
Of those who loved him best.
The question presented us last sun
mer was. distinctly, whether we shodld |
support Bate and save Tennessee to
the Democratic party, OF Russell and
give it to the Republicans. The local
debt question had fallen into evil con-
e%itions. No party was proposing honest
liquidation. There was a confusing
Squabble over details. Out of this
chaos Of public integrity and domestic
contention great national interests
Ioomeu; the unity OF the Democratic
party on the threshold ofa Presiden
ial election; twelve electoral votes TO
determine, perhaps, tae result Of that
election, aud the political complexion
Of a great State tor many years ahead.
We could not hesitate, and we did
not We should be unworthy the
confidence Of Democrats if we had
We relocated the debt question to the
custody Of those immediately con-
cerned, aud went in for our party and
its nominee, who, thanks to the good
seDse, the patriotism and fidelity OF
the people Of Tennessee, and to the !
Lord OF Host to whom all glories are
vas tTiumphantly elected, the State
wrested from the Republicans aud the
sovereignty Of the people restored to
them.
All this was plain enough to every.
body except tie little ring of opera
tors, beaded by the man who, at the
moment when he and they were de-
nouncipg US with badfaith to the pub
lie, had hundreds Of thousands of
dollars Of plumber in their pockets,
and we're engaged in hurting ~anathemas
against reputation and corruption
from mouths fed by theft, lips moist
ened by theft aud stomachs stuffed
with the stolen money OF the people !
Reputation lisa great deuoralizer.
But, in this instance, it is not the
much abused "low takers" who have
brought this ruin and shame upon
Tennessee II is the financial ohiefofI
the SO called debt payers" AS far as
We have been able to learn, no low
taxer uas made a fortune gsmbliRg in
Tennessee bonds. All the money
made, and all the devious ways fol
10 owed, have been with those who
hawled public credit. whilst they
were robbing the Treasury