Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1871-06-24
Eor the t,hrnnicle.

MEssRs. EDrroRs: One hundred
years ago, to-day, the author Of the
"I~ttersof Junius" felt the necessity
of preserving the secretof his identi-
ty, while at the same time he admin
istered merited castigation 10 corrupt
officials ii high places. The great
cases Of 1.-THE King vs. Woodfall; the
same against Wilkes; with such cx-
pouders and Judges as Lord Mansfield
and Sir William Blackstone, threw a
Judicial halo around the age which
the letters Of Junius intensified In
that age, and through the instru-
mentality of Junius' writings, the
liberty of the press, which was but
nominal before, was now practically
assured; and the daring of Junius,
with his scalpel pen, laid bare the
fact that men might be great and
good, IN the eyes of the confiding
public, while moral dissection
would reveal diseased spots in the
apparently most healthy form. In
his preface Junius says: "With re
gard to structures upon the characters
Of men in Office, considerable lati-
tu,le must be allowed in the discus
sion of public affairs, or the liberty
Of the press will be no benefit to So
ciety. They who conceive that our
newspapers are no restraint upon bad
men, or impeachment to the execution
of bad measures, know nothing OF
of this country. The liberty of the
press Is our only resource. 1t will
command an audience when every
honest man is excluded"
Nominally taking this great writer
for our prototype, we desire also to
impress upon the public mind the
above quotations from his pen, AS the
only apology we have to offer for
presenting the truth through the
newspaper press. tits not necessary
to say that the century that has
passed has simply strengthened the
language. We concede that the
truths of which we write are not SC
important as those In the time o
Lord North that the fears of assas-
ssination are not the same, nor the
pen of the writer a death dealing in.
strument as was the pen Of Junius
But the truths of which we write
are of the greatest Importance; fears
of assassination do not Influence us
to adopt an impersonal signature
while at the same time we have rea
sons, sufficient to our own mind, why
we should not he known too easily
and finally, while we do not essay
the keen thrusts, the polished irony
or the classically pure style of the
"Junius of Great Britain" we ex-
pect to state che truth, and nothing
but the truth" even should our out
side position keep us from knowing
"the Whote truth" We also expect
to tell enough truth to bring re
Spouse, although some Of the Boart
have agreed that they "wouid no
notice the articles in the papers.
So much for exordium-now for thu
trial. We wish to know, from tn,
| pnord of nirartorS how unanv N
them are legally qualified to sit ii
the board, through the ownership o
stock In the road, "three months be-
fore said election" as required 10y
law. or the remaining legal mem
bers we wish to know how many cal
morally hold seats in the board b,
virtue of not being interested in tn
second mortgage bonds of the com
pany. OF the few that are left, W
wish to know what you are doing
that is to say, we do not wish to know
so particularly what you are doing
as to know the fact that you are do
ing something. We are aware tina
you sit with closed doors, and w
have it, from one of your members
that it was considered necessary L
enforce secrecy. or this we do no
complain, If it were not for the fac
that, instead of keeping secrecy, /
has TRANSFERRED that you have me
twice and nothing has been done ex
cept to vote that "Roslii should b
again made a stopping place." Tru
ly monies pdrturiunt-ridicuiu
mus" Fifteen leading men decid
that DR.. Carter and the Messrs Broad
dus may get on and off the train
when they wish at Rosln. Is it 70
this the Star Chamber meets? Trul
the amount of business would hardl
justify the secrecy, and do. you re
member Junius once said, chad ther
been no Star Chamber, there w0ul
have been no rebellion agains
Charles the First" But, seriously
Is there not financial skill, and goo
sense enough In this board Outside {
bondholders) to keep this road fror
going out of the hands, and, as
consequence, from the control of thl
people.
The State proposes to take 81, 700
900, from this people, and for thl
amounti in bonds to place such part
in the same credit relations with tn
road, and with the creditors as tn
State now occupies. No doubt tn
State would take 81, 500, 900 in bond,
The interest on this would be 800, OO
a year, or $1,000 per month. If Nj