Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1868-12-18
wep,ibrIsh' today as Ittlllol, of dc

.~xs.m<-r.zs--.>s-~>--rsa~
.wE.p,ibIIsh to day as mitch OF titc
Bresidenl'S Message ~ we can end
room for, and as much of 1t as is OF
general interest TO the Southern
reader. II Is n scathing robuke OF
Radical legislation, and the highest
cornplimenttoits force and truth is to
be found i'm the angry anil indeco-
rous manner of its reception by beth
Houses of Congress. AZ a parting
blow st Radicalsm, 1t would fail with
tcllihgf6roc ,ipon any but q people
Blinded by ignorance and passion and
controlledlby designing knaves. ~ aiI
Pie hue and cry raised against the
President upon the assumption that
lie fav0rs liquidation, proves two
facts: the ono Is the aptness of tho
Radicals for lying, and the other IS
their trepidationi lest the people,
when understanding how little the
government realized for it's bonds, by
the gold standard, and that the bond
holders have already received, ingold
iptepest,. moro than they paid for the
bonds, will demand that the debt be
paid In kind, or berepudiated. When
bhis is fairly understood and npprcci-
ated by the masses, with the addi-
uonal fact that the laboring men pay
tax uponall they own and NIL they
consume, whilst tie bondholdor is en-
empt from taxation upon his thou
sands and millions in bonds, and the
debt still increasing, the people will
zee that the debt must be paid in
greonbaclts or repudiated; or ruin
must be ffe result. Tho President
toresecs this result, and because he
would'ayert it by patriotic and wise
legislation, the Imercenary knaves
who hold the reins of power peryert
his honest and truthful admonitlons
intoadvooacyofthe veryevils against
which he warns them. Nothing, In
the future, Is clearer to ourmind than
repuHation, uniess,it be averted by
measures which have the sanction OF
justice and are demanded Ivy the best
interests Of the country. Look at the
facts as they will come to be under.
stood by the people! .rrr
Tn the first place, the Holders o
hpnds are q favored class, paying nc
tax upon.their often ill-gotten wealth
whilst the laboring men pay upon al
they are worth and then pay all thai
should be exacted from the favored
class. In the second place, these ia.
vored few have their dues paid i'm gold
whilst the representations are fore,
ed to take deprecated paper in pay.
ment OF any debt due thom, even
.L-.--t-Ai-- h~.rs. v,.rr rUi ssvr,,. rsrvri,
third place, the government received
for a large amount of its bonds but
forty cents in the dollar, yet is re.
qtrired TO pay dollar in gold for the
forty cents, and gold interest on the
dollar instead Of on the forty cents
actually received. In the fourth
place, the enormous debt Is as much
the result Of cmbezzlement by dis
honest officials as of the actual ex,
pendituros necessary to the prosecu.
tionof the war, and, in the fifth place
in spite of tho enormous sum derived
from tPNation since the war, the debt
has gradually increased because o
the wasteful extravaganza of u sec
tional Congress, and the unrebuked
thiovlng Of irresponsible agents.
These are the facts that plead in favol
of population, and enlightened JUS
rice will, everywhere, recognize then
AZ ample Justification OF n measure o
redrcss prompted no less by the in
stinct of selr-prcservation than by tn
spirit Of fair dealing between the gov
crnment and the citizen. 1t Is Con
gress, not the President, that Ia paw
ing the way to reputation, and that
ny acts more convincing than logic
by acts that will drive the people e
choose between ruin and the repudi.
alton Of debt nowhere sanctioned
by the Constitutional debt trebled
by theta debt increasing through
fraud and lnconrpctency aud from the
payment OF. which the bloatcd wealth
Of the bondholder is exempt whilst
the hard earnings Of the laborer ar,
mortgagod for generations 10 conc
for the payment Of hi1 proportion us
we'll as that Of his exempted and IA
Norcd neighbour
------s - -
THE Lcglslatrchas passed, through
Its FIRST reading, resolution calling q