Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-05-31
MOST HAsTE-LEAsT SPEED.

It seems that West Tennessee is
claiming the right to furnish the next
Governor, as we'll as the United States
Senator. Itcan, doubtless, furnish men
competent to fill either position, and
the same may be said of Middle and
East Tennessee. We, are however, too
cosmopolitan in feeling, to make local
ity consideration in the selection of
State officers. What we want is hon.
esty and capability in order that the
government may be wise and efici-
ent enough to secure to the people free
dom from heavy burdens and promote
their contentment and prosperity. If
such men are indigenous only to GER
tain localities, then that consideration
should control the selection. Ifother-
wise, to insist upon locality as evil
dence of fitness is simply to null
tiply pretexts for that discord which
foreshadows the defeat of Conserya-
tism and the consequent success of
Radicalism.
Its three grand divisions constitute
the State of Tennessee, and to foster
antagonism between them, upon issues
wholly immaterial to the aggregate
welfare of the people, is both unwise
and unpatriotic. Suppose that each
division put forth, and stick to, its own
candidate for Governor, what will be
the result? Simply the election of a
Radical for every elective Office in the
State. The time was when State
convention was not only the final arbi-
ter in all such cases of local disagree
ment, but the cement which bound the
discordant elements together, if not
in harmony, at least in concert of ac-
ton. But this arbiter of conflicting
claims and bond of party unity is no
longer available. The war upon con-
ventions, last summer,-the ingenious
device of Radicalism to divide and
conquer Conservatism-instead of Sc
curing a substitute for conventions,
only introduced them as a new element
of discord and widened the field for
the devilish Vaccinations of able, but
selfish and INSCRIPTIONS demagogues.
Were the popular mind settled in
the conviction of necessity for con-
ventions as the efficient agency for set
Ting conflicting claims for Office, there
might be some show of wisdom in can
wasting the merits of individuals in
advance; but, in the absence of any
such court of last resort, the earnest
advocacy of local favorites serves no
otherpurpose than to inauguratea heat
ed, perhaps an angry, controversy for
the settlement of which there is no
common umpire. Colonel Haynes
would, no doubt, make a good Cover
nor, but who is to decide whether he,
or some Middle, or East Tennessee
man shall be the candidate? A pri-
mary election for the State, would be
inconvenient and its tendency, to ere
ate sectional rivalry and animosity; the
two defeated divisions might raise
the cry of fraud and unite against the
successful one, thus defeating the party
in all three, and giving to Radicalism
the entire control of the State both in
its local administration and Its federal
relations. Primary elections will an
swer a good purpose in counties and
districts, provided the people in each,
be true to their own primary decision,
butts as thousands were known to vote
last year, at the polls, against the men
nominated by the primary vote, this
agency for securing harmony, is made
unreliable. The only hope of party
success is in the old system of conven-
tions. But even this must fail when
opposed by apathy and ignorance I'M
der the leadership of knavery. And
until the people resolve to do their
own thinking, to understand the ma
ture and extent of their rights and
learn to appreciate and maintain them,
demagogues will continue to run the
machine for their own advantage, re-
gardless of the rights and interests
of their deluded victims.