Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-01-25
OUR ONLY HOPE.

The political writers and speakers
of the South have, with great clear
ness and boldness pointed out the in
iquity and tyranny of the present
dominant party. Radiealism in all
its horrible dishonesty and oppression
has thus been fully exposed. But if
any Of the people of this section
have imagined that these exposures
of Radical outrages would influence
public opinion at the North, SO as to
bring about an abatement of the
wrongs which we have so long endur-
ed, we trust that they will cease to in
dulgesuch ahope. Our oppressors act
upon the idea that might Is right.
They deride our arguments I; and
will continue to do 80, as long as we
are in our present powerless condi-
ton. Nor is this contrary to human
nature, however much we may dis
like to make the admission. We are
a conquered people, and must expect
to be treated as such by our conquer
ors. At the close of the late war, al
though our leaders were not executed
or sold into slavery and our vanquish-
ed armies cause to pass under the
yoke, according to the customs of
ancient times, yet a more refined
cruelty and torture were inflicted. All
of our readers know too well what
we mean. The Southern people
have borne it all with great forti-
tude, and they will, We fear, be forced
to suffer much in the future
long, depends entirely upon them
selves. Let Us look into the prospects
of this section:
/. We have been conquered but not
crushed, vanquished but not ruined.
We are exactly in the same condi-
ton that Germany was, when Napo-
leon the Great overpowered her peO-
pie with his victorious legions. But
in little more than half a century
Germany arose in the majesty of her
strength and attained greater power,
grandeur and immunity from op-
preston, than she had ever enjoyed
before. So may we, If we will only
be true to ourselves. The late war
was conflict between q people, on
the one hand, who had long devoted
themselves to the acquisition of ma
terial resources and physical strength,
and section, on the other hand, the
masses of whose people had been en-
gagged almost exclusively in agricul-
tural pursuits, and whose educated
classes had neglected the natural
sciences, and their practical applica-
ton, for the study of the ancient and
modern languages, moral philosophy,
political economy and the law. Too
much attention had been given to
the mental and theoretical, or not
enough, at least, to the material and
practical. 1t is in our power to cor
rect this mistake. Virgil tells us
that it is right to be taught even by
an enemy. So the people of Ger
many thought, and SO let us practice.
The Germans wisely concluded that,
what had rendered France great,
would do the same for their own faith
er-land. And now, if constant and
careful attention to material inter-
ests, if manufactures and internal
Improvements have strengthened the
North, by the same means the South
may secure lasting and solid ad-
vantage.
2. Wehave genial climate, fertile
soil, vast treasures of undeveloped
mineral wealth and population
whose adversities in war have only
energized them to seek in peaceful
enterprise what they failed to obtain
by a conflict of arms. With a proper
use of these elements of strength We
can surely attain an independence
a, ID material wealth and prosper
itv " -hich will also deliver US from
the nolit cal evils that so previously
aff,ict us We have tried argument
and entreaty, We have tried armed
resistance, we ha 'r'ed every
means to secure our ,'gnts ih I'LL"
Union founded by our ia. oefs anu
we have tried all in vain. He' US
now try productive labor in ma a"-
factories and in improved cultivation
of the soil. And there must be no idle
waiting for something fortuitous to
happen, for foreign immigration, or
for anything else than an energetic
effort on our part, unaided if it must
be, to work out our country's saliva
tion by complete development Of
our material wealth and power. The
lark had no fears that her nestlings
in the wheat field would be disturb
ed by the farmer, so long as he wait
ed for help from his neighbors and
friends; but when he resolved to reap