Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-10-24
UNITED STATES sENATORsHIP.

Since Mr.. johnson is making des-
perate effort to succeed Brownlow in
the Senate, as Brownlow succeeded
him, as military Governor, it behooves
the people of the State, to inquire into
his merits and canvass the justice of
his claims to that high position. Here
and there, we find some would be wise
man who proclaims Mr.. johnson to be
the greatest statesman of the age, but
the times are too critical to authorize
an implicit reliance upon his, or the
say-so of those whom his cunning may
have beguiled into false estimate Of
his intellectual greatness.
Therefore, we demand again, the
proofs of his craftsmanship. After
long years of Office holding, his friends
can, surely, be at no loss to furnish in
Vulnerable instances ofhis broad COM
prehensive wisdom, but we ask for a
few only, as a guarantee of his peculiar
fitness for the position he so ardently
seeks. Some will cite us to his views
on the funding bill, but his logic on
this point, is more than refuted by the
fact that, he sanctioned the funding of
the federal debt by which the people
were required to pay s54OO0,0O0, of
goldinterest. The distinction between
funding the federal and State debt
does not appear on the surface, and We
think there is none, so far as principle
is involved. But what does it matter
to Mr.. johnson, since it is just as easy
TO reppdiate funded debt as any other.
Others will cite us to his views on
the Penitentiary and his indignation
that convict labor should be brought
into competition with honest mechan-
les. We agree with him that this Isl
Objectionable feature in our system
ofpunishing crime, but does the great
statesman prescribe the remedy 3? IF
not, he is simply using an unavoida-
BILE evil as the means of humbugglng
the thoughtless and stimulating the
discomfort of constitutional disorgan-
izers. But how did the system work
whilst he was Governor? Hon. John
G. Brown furnishes the answer by ex-
hibitlng the record of the prison, for
1861, our great statesman's last
term of Office as Governor. There
were two hundred and eighty-six con-
victs who were thus employed: One
hundred and thirty-six quarried rock
work which might have been done
by honest laborers; one hundred and
twenty were engaged in mechanical
pursuits and only thirty, from some
cause not mentioned, were not brought
in direct competition with honest
labor. We cite this fact, with no in
tention to censure Mr.. johnson for
his management of the Penitentiary,
but to show that he does not possess
the craftsmanship adequate to the rem
edy, and that he isgrossly dishonest in
impeaching the present management of
the Penitentiary. But his account
with the management of convicts, is
not closed here. From 1853 to 1851,
the people were required to pay $685.
360,15 for the support of the Peniten-
tiary. Under Gov. Browns admins
tration, nothing has been paid on ac-
count of that prison, accept for debts
previously contracted, and since 1871,
the Penitentiary has paid the State
$4,000 per annum. Look at the two
pictures, and ask yourselves whether,
in this connection, johnson has dis
played the craftsmanship, or the hon
esty which entities him to your conf
dence, or fits him for the high position
he is thus trying to reach.
We shall probably, be told by some
of his friends, that Mr.. johnson dis
plays wonderful craftsmanship in his
effort to teach the people that the best
way to get rid oftaxes and debt-State
and federal-is to repudiate both, and
the wisdom of his advice is enhanced
by the fact that he aided largely in the
creation of the debt upon which the
tax is predicated. He signed a large
amount of the bonds issued in aid Of
internal improvements and in his mes
sage to the Legislature, endorsed and
commended the policy. He even signed
some bonds for which there was no
legal authority, and now, in the spirit
of uscrupulous demagoguery, charges
corruption in the creation ofthe bonded
debt and advises indiscriminate repudi-
alton. If there is wisdom, or honesty
In such advice we fail to see it, though
the reckless and discounted may think
they see it in the essence of enlighten
ed craftsmanship.
This wonderful statesman and cousti-
tutional Democrat proved his fitness for
high federal position when he deposed
southern Governors, elected by the dear
people, and in their stead, appoint
ed his own tools, inimical not only
to the people, but the best inter
ests of the States, over which they
were appointed to rule When he sus-
pended the writ of habeas corpus, in
time of peace, to prevent poor woman
from being tried by court of law af-
ter her conviction by court-martial
convened to convict. When he signed
the cotton tax bill by which Tennessee
planters lost millions of dollars.
But we have neither time nor space
to numerate acts and utterances which
90 to prove Mr. Johnson S peculiar I'M
fitness for the position of Senator, and
his unworthiness of the confidence OF
the people. Our object is to induce
those TO think and investigate, who
have forgotten his "damnasty" procla-
nation and other evididences of states
manship and constitutional Democ
racy. not only as military Governor OF
Tennessee. but as Booths President
g ,bo limited States. We know that