Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1870-07-30
THE ELECTION.


The Chronicle Will not again reach
its readers prior to the election, and
at the risk of being considered inn
pertinent, we will remind them that
suffrage is not mere right, but like
wisea sacred duty, and that no one can
fail to discharge 1t, intelIigently with
out inflicting injury upon the best in
terests of the country. There is, we
fear, a proneness on the part of very
many to make 1t subservient to per-
sonal interest, or to prostitute it to
individual friendship, or to other pri-
vate claims which the individual
voters hope to satisfy by casting the
burden from their own shoulders and
imposing 1t, as n supposed public
debt, upon the shoulders of the peo-
pie.
When the people were disfranchis-
ed by their Radical tyrants, they, no
doubt, resolved that when again en-
franchised, they would so use the
sacred privilege of voting as to rem
edy the evils of which they so justly
complained. 1t was then that they
felt the need of honest and competent
men in office, for then they saw their
hard earnings crammed into the pocll-
cts of thieving officials, elected by
the bayOnet, inaugurated by hireling
soldiers, and protected by II corrupt
dominant party against the indigna-
ton of an outraged people. Has this
lesson been forgotten? and will the
people, upon trivial pretexts, stay
away from the polls when the last
decisive battle is to be fought for the
civil and political rights of the whole
state? The Judiciary Department
Is the great bulwark of civil and re-
ligious liberty, under every well con-
stituted government, and wherever
and whenever the judges have be-
come corrupt, despotism has reared
its hideous head and liberty has
been crushed.
II, then, upright and able judges
are so indispensable to the preserva-
ton of our rights and liberties, let no
man delude himself into the belief
that integrity and competency are
not essential qualifications for every
Office, however humble. Let every
man go to the polls and, before de.
posting his ballot, ask himself If he
is about to discharge his duty to his
country and his conscience, or wheth.
cr biassed by some improper motive
or mistaken view of that duty, he il
not about to wrong the government
to which he owes allegiance, or the
people among whom he lives. 1t is
toa neglect of this important duty
that the country, primarily, owes the
evils 1t now suffers, and we can hope
for no lasting prosperity, as a people
and no enduring honor, as a govern.
mcnt, until men have learned to ap
precate the responsibility resting
upon them, and to meet it in spirit o
patriotic devotion, unhagglng zeal ant
unllinching integrity. Let the men o
age, intelligence and experience set
worthy example to the young and in
experienced, by suffering no ordinary
consideration of comfort or convent
cncc to keep them from the polls.
TIE nomination, by the Radicals
OF a full ticket for the Supreme Bench
ought to admonlsh the people tina
ltadfcaIism is not dead, and tcacl
them, ut the same time, the DANCE
of discord in the Conservative ranks
Wearc now, more than ever, couvinc
ell of thewisdom of those who urge,
the necessity for the late Conserva
tive Convention, in Nashville, an,
pointed out the suicidal policy a
those who sought to defeat il and thu
create the dissention for which tn
Radicals are 80 earnestly and hope
fully maneuvering. Not until all tn
offices of the State are filled with com
pctcnt men and the enemies of con
stitutional liberty elected thercfrom
can the people feel secure in thei
rights. DScord is not the short roa
to this object, and indeed, nothin
but harmony of feeling and unity ,
purpose can bring about the wishe
for contamination. To secure thi
harmony, there isno agency sopotcl
as Conventions, and they will be il
dispcnsiblc SO long rs every tent
man wants an Office and believes tn,
lac alone is competent To MI it'll,
he alone deserves 1t for services, re,
or imaginary, and the non-rendoreiu
of which would have stamped him
selfish drone, or u worse than wortl
less citizen.
THE wheat has been harvested
Northern Texas and the yield
large; the corn and cotton are mu,
better than last year, while Vcget
hlcs, grapes and fruits are abundou
rNn hundred thousnnd hpnl of palt