Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-04-12
COOPERATION.

erful agency for the accomplishment of
the ends proposed Its power for
evil, is illustrated in the crushing tax
alton to which the people are subject
ed, the imperceptible diminution of
the public debt and the damning cor
ruption attendant upon love of money
and place, when the restraints of moral
and statute law are no longer felt By
government and people. The admin
istration, itself, is cooperative swind-
ling machine and, by its creation of,
and cooperation with the manufactur-
ing, Railroad Iron. Banking and
every other political ring, keeps its
self in power by the mutual action and
reaction of those dangerous combi-
nations. The people. meanwhile, in
sensible to the dangers impending over
their future political condition, and
learning no wisdom from the wrongs /
already inflicted, quietly aequiese in
the course ofevents, or activity partic-
pate in the work of oyerthrowing the !
government and, with it, every security |
for popular liberty, and every barrier
to the advance of imperial despotism.
Recently however, there appears to
be an awakening of the agriculturists,
not only to a consciousness of their
power to save, as well ascontrol feder-
al and State governments, but to per-
ception of the necessity for combin-
ed effort on their part, to stay the pro-
gress of corruption and tyranny and
to bring themselves, once more, under
the protection of the Constitution.
The South is powerless to defend itself
and the North against the inroads of
usurped power. But since the farmers
ofthe North and West are forming CO.
operative associations to make war upon
dangerous and oppressive monopolies
there is ground for hope that libertyand
prosperity may be restored to down
trodden people, and the government
brought back TO its Originally purity,
when political honesty shall become as
general and as profitable as moral de-
pravity is now.
To forward the growing cooperative
movement against public corruption,
much can be done by local associations
for the advancement of local prosperi-
ty. The farmers, of every county,
should combine to resist railroad dis
ordinations and extortiOns as well as
to save for themselves the profits made
.bymiddle men, upon farm productions.
The various vocations in towns should
organize for mutual patronage and CO.
operate for the purpose of introducing,
no matter how small the scale the man
ufacture of all the articles essential to
home comfort and agricultural thrift.
The Mechanics Loan and Building
Association, in this place, has demon
strated how much good may result from
small beginnings and how easily and
certainly success, in all cooperative
efforts, may be secured by judicious
management and earnest zeal in their
membership. Two other cooperative
associations are talked of here, the
object of both being the accumulation
offunds, by voluntary contributions,
which fund is to be applied in the flu
ture, to the erection of such establish
ments as may most contribute to the
growth and prosperity of the town.
The membership to all these associa-
tons ought to be enlarged by the
accession of every good citizen,
with Jealous determination to do his
part towards the promotion of useful
enterprise. By this means immigra-
ton will be invited, habit of econo-
my and system impaired to the citi-
zens, and hence will follow industry
and morality, together with an en-
lightened public spiritso much needed
throughout the South. In proportion
to the multiplication of such associa-
tons and spread of their benifcent
influences, will the people be prepared
to take care of themselves and to re-
sist the corrupt combinations against
liberty, public virtue, the honor of the
government and prosperity of the peo-
pie.
The idea which once held good, that
advantages of location and commercial
facilities, sufficed to build cities, must
be abandoned by our citizens and the
theory, taught by experience, adopted
in lieu-that the builders of cities are,
mechanical skill, public spirit and ac-
tive enterprise. These cordinal ele-
ments of commercial growth, where
ever they abound, will develope growth,
population. and wealth, and hence the
wisdom of cooperation in the varied
pursuits of business life; by it the
above cordinal elements can-and we
hope WILDE developed and future
of prosperity secured to our town,
which offers so many inducements to
the skilled mechanic, manufacturer
and merchant. Looking upon the CO.
operative associations, just mentioned,
as the dawnofa better day, we earnestly
commend them to popular favor, and
hope that they, by their success, will
develope others in town and county
The plea of inability is cheating OF
conscience, for the smaller the means
of accomplishing great ends, the
more urgent the necessity for a begin
ming that the end may the sooner en-
large the means.
THE election returns from various
localities in the North, are very fiat
tering to the liberals and democrats
Democratic majority for Governor OF
Connecticut, is put down at four thous-