Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1867-04-05


FREE We offer II % our opinion, tbst ri
there was ever time when truth and Its
undsguised expression, was both right and
expedient II is now. To oppose evil to evli
never resulted in anything but mere tempo
rary advantage, and ia this mode Of war
fare, the "Devil' generally beats honest
meranyway; and who doubts that he is
Fighting on the side Of the Radicals Of Tenn
essee2 In the discussion Of these questions,
either at home, or upon the stump, we need
not conceal or soften the fact, that had our
arms been victorious, the black man would
now be slave instead Of freeman. We
need not conceal or soften the fact, that we
were opposed to giving him the right Of
suffrage. We need not conceal or soften
the fact that 1t has been given him by the
Radical party. We need not conceal or
soften the fact, that we do not now, and
never will consider him our social equal
We need not disguise or palliate any Of the
views we have and still entertain about him.
From the impregnable fortress of truth we
can bid defiance TO all the assaults Of our
sdversares. From this "coigne Of vantage"
we can dispei, as with Gods own sun, the
fog of dirty lies and ISLANDERS, in which
Brownlow and his satellites have hid the
truth from the colorcd people, and putting
the scorpion whip of Justice in their hands,
we shall see them clash Hypocrisy naked
round the world" By such frank and man.
ly acknowledgment Of the truth, we shall
have no difficulty in winning their implicit
trust in all the pledges that we make them,
Pledging them faith that they know was
never yet broken, we can relieve them Of
the apprehension these miserable adventur-
ers insidiously instill, that we will revoke
their right of suffrage when we have the
power TO do so. We need only gain theil
confidence to conviace them that their pros.
perity and happiness is identical with our
own, that our impoverishment and Their
poverty are synonymous, and the withhold
ing Of our own political rights works to
their own loss, in order to induce a deaf eaI
to the deviish suggestions Of the misoreants
who seek to gain it, by appeals to their low.
est instincts. Let those who doubt the po-
teney of virtue against vice in any fair and
well contested field, remember how virtue Is
lord of the ascendant, in spite of the selishness
that is common to all mankind in a greater
or less degree. Let them remember, how il
some meeting, where q vice which all men
had been guilty of, was denounced by the
lips OF eloquence, that the universal hear
throbbed in unison with the orators glowing
sentiment. Thus an memorable public opiu-
ion rs established, that conforms even the
the most depraved natures to the demands
Of the Divinity within us all. Such pub.
lie opinion can be made to WELD its auto.
cratic scepter over the colored race, and
damn to everlasting shame, the man who ]:
base enough to appeal to the vilest instinct;
of that human nature, which they share in
common with ourselves. Our people need
not fear then to boldly uphold TO their scorr
and contempt the inducements of giving
them our property, which the Radicals now
insll. them with offering.
Bnt, I see, Mr.. Editor, that this article ha.
ly far extended beyond its prescribed
'!rp WITH after all, but the merest super.
/. ! treatment of the many and importan,
subjects it has embraced. Such treatment
is, however, unavoidable in any newspaper
discussion Of topic involving so large a
field of inquiry. The sum of our own con.
victions is, then, that the one hundred and
Fifty thousand dsfranchised white voters oil
Tennessee, should consider tl,emselvesa CON-
mittee of one, to enighten the colofed voter
upon the true political issues presented t.
him. II an appeal is made TO him in tb
way we have indicated, then defeat may en-
tail upon us disaster, but not disgrace. To
those who may doubt the wisdom of such
efforts to battle our enemies, we would sug-
gest that the battle has already been Joined,
and that however proper it is to wrangle
about plans of attack or defence beforehand,
no man should hold back, because he mis-
trusts his leaders or their strategy, after a
general engagement is pealing its thunders
along the whole line.
CITIZEN.
April 3, 1867.