Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-05-07
rGy- Under the talented, patriotic and


tablished the most perfect government in
the world. Under the selfish and I'M.
scrupulous leaders, of the present day, the
people are tearing down the beautiful fabric
reared by their ancestors and substituting
lawless mobocracy. By comparison of
these two facts, we learn the important
lession that tho few, and not the many,
practically govern, and that however per-
feet the theory Of our political system, its
practical workings are in the very face of
that theory This, VIC presume, no honest
man. who is not a fool, will deny.
What, then, are the conditions essential
TO the preservation of the purity of the
government? An intelligent constituency
and an honest representation in all the
departments of the government. To OBJ
tain these desiderata, the omnipotcnt power
of the ballot box must be confded to those
who have substantial interest in the
government, and who, through the in
fuence Of that interest, will be prompted
to seek only the honest and capable to
guard their dearest rights and advance the
common veal. It is fact which can not
be successfully controverted, that the ex.
tension of the right of suffrage to the
paupcr and the alien, equally with the man
of means and the native-born, has taken
the government out of the hands of those
most deeply interested in its wise admins
tration and placed under the control of
the ignorant, vicious and venal who con.
stitute fully two-thirds Of the voting popu-
lation Of the country.
Now, laying aside the specious, but false
theory of perfect equality without regard
to social condition, every man of sense will
perceive the deep injustice, and radical
error, Of confding the protection of pro-
perty to the penniless and the vagrant
the preservation Of order and good morals
TO the vicious and lawless and the honor
Of the nation and the stability of the
government to the ignorant and reckless
Yet such is the present condition Of things
and hence the rapid drifting of the govern.
ment towards the vortex of anarchy
Ignorance and vice are in power, and as
the dispensers of patronage, have corrupted
the more plant among those who have
talents and love Office until the overwhelm
ing majority enlisted against virtue and
patriotism have established the popular
belief that dishonor is no disgrace, aut
virtue is beggarly sort of ANTICIPATED
humbug, by which none but fools ar,
cheated. Falsehood's trade is profitable
whilst that of truth impoverishes.
The remedy, and the only one, for thes
dangerous evils is restriction of the RICH
Of suffrage to those who are substantially
interested in the government, and the re
moval Of every branch of the Judiciar
beyond the debasing influence of popula
elections. A venal government, represent
ing majority that has nothing to repre-
sent, is fatal perversion of all legitimat
government, and political and partiza
Judiciary, periodically eligible by tn
populace, is necessarily inefficient, and to
often grossly corrupt When the right {
suffrage was thus restricted, and tn
judiciary thus removed beyond the contrt
of popular prejudice and caprice, the go,
ernmcnt was administered, not for part,
but for the best interests of all, and I'll
laws were rigidly enforced Then virtu
was at n premium, and knavery, whethC
social or political, was not only despicabl
but brought sure punishment upon u
knave. And as similar results can onI
follow like causes, it is folly to hope
reform the government, or give a prop,
tone to public morals until we return
thc policy originally adopted. An irr
sponsible mob can not long rule witho,
bringing ruin upon the country aud the
is nothing in tho theory Of governmcr
that eontemplates tho subsection of veal
and intelligence to tho control Of power
aud ignorance. Such a policy subver
the true ends of government, and wit
holds protection from the Very intcrcs
which make governments necessary,
tho crudest efforts of barbarism to organi
system for aggregate and individual pr
toction, the rights of property are co
sideratons Of the first importance al
nowhere, but in this Republic, are tho
rights placed at the mercy Of those W
have no interest in their due protection,
no. Soc tho Advertisement of Bue
Vista Springs, d, Joifries, proprietor.
those who have visited that agreeable watt
inn nlacn. We mood saw nnihinn &C thn n