The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-09-24

present election laws fairly admins
tered. On the law itself there is no
issue between democrats and repub-
licans.
t. State Debt.
The business governor, who did not
settle the state debt during his first
administration, or make any provis-
ions for settlement of the same, was
elected to succeed himself in 1912 At
the beginning of his second term he
organized the legislature by certain
well know agreements and combina-
tions. On the 10th day of February,
as the states Indebtedness was ap-
preaching maturity, bill was intro
duced by Senator White providing for
the funding of that Indebtedness, and
which passed both houses and was
signed by the governor on the 21st
day of February, 1913. This bill pro-
vided for the sale of per cent bonds
maturing in forty years for the pur-
pose of redeeming the per cent. set
tlement" bonds, the penitentiary bonds
and the redemption bonds above re-
ferred to. The bill also provided that
neither the principal nor the interest
of said bonds shall be taxed by this
state or any county or municipality
thereof and that this fact be stated in
the face of the bonds"
The Hon. Charles T. Gates, at that
time attorney general for the state,
man of recognized reputation and abil-
ity as lawyer second to none in
this or any other state, as the legal
advisor of the administration, advised
that such provision as the one above
referred to, exempting the bonds from
taxation, was invalid and would not
be permitted to stand by the courts.
Notwithstanding this fact, under the
direction of the governor, friendly"
law suit was instituted in the courts
to test this question and friendly"
lawyers were employed by the govern
or at a cost of $4,000 to the taxpayers
to conduct the friendly law suit,
which resulted in an opinion by the
high court of the state upholding
and sustaining the opinion of Gen
eral Gates. =.
During the four years just preced-
ing Governor Hooper's administration
there was paid upon the states in
debtedness $2,O46,2 ,2S6.7S. For the
years. January /, 1900, the time the
sinking fund act went into effect. to
December 10, 1910, there was paid by
democratic administrations $5,019,S00,
or an average of $501 800 year. The
paying of this $5,O19,S0O worth of
bonded Indebtedness made saving of
nearly 100000 in interest per annum,
and although the states revenue in
creased $1,491 ,96S.33 during Governor
Hooper's first term over the previous
two years not one dollar was paid on
the state debt, and his last term is
rapidly drawing to close with that
debt increasing rather than diminished
and not settled yet.
i The democratic party declares for
the construction of good roads. and
in order to accomplish this end we
shall enact legislation necessary to
meet the requirements of the Shack
leford good roads bill. This bill
provides for a United States high
way commission and it is proposed
to create highway road fund by
Issuing and selling $500,000,000 of
United States bonds of the denomina-
tion of 500 each, these bonds to be
sold from time to time as necessary, |
preference being given to the cities of
the United States to purchase any or
all of them. They are non-taxable,
payable in fifty years and bear inter-
est at the rate of per cent per an
mum, payable annually.
This fund is to be apportioned and
credited to the several states accord
ing to population, assessed valuation
of all taxable property, and the total
of public roads in the state.
In some of the counties in my ju-
dicial circuit we have been building
good roads with county convicts and 4
where the workhouse law has been
administered and the work.
house commissioners have given the
matter their attention these institu-
tions have more than self-sustaining,
while the prisoners have been well
cared for and have rendered valuable
service to the country in the building
Of roads.
Continued on page eight. II