Weekly Clarksville chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 185?-1857, 1857-06-26
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pa" The personal difficulty between
Harris and Hatton has created no little
feeling with their respective friends, and
has given rise to vast amount of mes
representation, in the effort to exculpate.
Every prudent man must regret the spirit
of bitterness which partizan folly has en-
Genderod; and upon the press must be
charged the demoralizing tone which poll
teal discussion has assumed. The time
was, when gentlemen could differ, and as
gentlemen, discuss the points of difference.
But progressive democracy has unhinged
the whole politico-moral code, and it's
corps of editors, with few exceptions,
seems to have been selected with view
to disregard of those principles which
should control the acts of the politician,
as well as the man. This dangerous ex-
ample has infected the stump speakers,
and the contagion has spread until the
highest and lowest grades of partizans do
rot hesitate to propagate falsehoods,
ISLANDERS and Misrepresentation as legi-
innate means Of political warfare.
We charge these things upon the demo-
cratic party because we honestly believe
the charge to be true, and whilst some, in
the old wing party, and some in the Ameri-
can party, may be amenable to the same
charge, yet years of accurate observation
have taught us that the rapid decline of
public morals, the waning patriotism of
the masses, the disregard of national faith
and the blind subserviency to party may
he accurately dated from the organization
of modern democracy. Courtecy, fairness
and truth are obsolete ideas, and, in their
stead, violent abuse, gross misrepresenta-
ton and vindictive persecution have be-
come the instruments Of party warfare
so true is this statement, and so palpable
is this truth becoming, that politicians
must cease to be gentlemen, or gentlemen
must cease to be politicians; and in either
event, the Lord have mercy upon this cor
rupt Republic, fastening, as it is, to its
dounfall.
But to return to our text. Our readers
are aware that great efforts are being made
by the locofoco press, of this State, to
exculpate Harris by throwing all the blame
upon Hatton. Now what are the facts p
llatton, from the beginning of the canvass,
has denounced the doctrine of alien suf
irage as Infamous; and if this constituted
personal insult, Harris tamely submitted
10 1t, until he reached Lincoln county. the
stronghold of locofocoism. There, he
suddenly become sensitive and pugnacious
and scufflc was the consequence. Mutual
friends Of the bolligerents decided that
denunciation of doctrine is no insult to
its advocate. This decision, if correct, is
a condemnation of Harris by his own
friends, and this condemnation acquires
additional force from the fact that Harris
had hobitually submitted, as all reports
confirm, to, what he conceived to be,
personal insult. And since the recountcr.
without acknowledging the justice of the
decision of his friends, the same insult, if
insult it be, has, again and again, been re
peated, and again and again, he has heard,
without resenting it.
These are facts which none will deny
and yet the locofoco press utterly ignores
them in its efforts to vindicato Harris,
whose position before the public is one
which no minded man can envy. If
Hatton's dcnuciation of alien suffrage is
m insult to his competitor, il was no less
ono at Cambden than at Fayetteville, and |
h@s not ceased to be one since the discus
sion at the latter place, Yet it was sub
5.sitted to, before, aal has been submitted
:" since, without one word Of apology or
explanation from the offending party. Ifl
ne did not consider it an insult on former /
occasion, why his sudden change of opin-
ioh'O Did ffbuds pesuHse him that Hat
ton intended to insult him? If no did
considcr6v am tr>ult Mt Fayetteville what
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