Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-03-28
A LETTER FROM ASHLAND.

LETTER FROM ASHLAND.
3 EDITORS CHRoNICLE:-Since oul
last the Dutch have not taken Holland
but the Changers have taken Ashland
City. On Thursday, the 18th, j. O.
Griffith organized Grange Of the
Patrons of Husbs ldry here. 1t is re-
markably strange what a wonderful
effect new associations will have upon
some men. Our first Impressions Of
politics and politicians are closely as
sociated with recollections of the
Union and American and j. o.
Griffith. And would you believe it,
when we walked into the Court House,
this same man, j. o. Griffith, was up
making a speech in which he was Civ
ing politicians particular fits; to all
which we heartily said amen, but could
not help thinking all the time, this is
"Beelzebu5 casting out devils"
His speech was replete with good,
sound, practical advice to farmers,
which if they will heed and act upon
will, doubtless, result in good. Some
Of his notions we did not endorse
some because we don't think they are
and others, if carried out,
will have the effect of arraying class
against class, which seems to be any
thing but desirable. One proposition
he laid down as a truism we can't sub
scribe to is this: He said farmers
sons had no business marrying any
one but farmers daughters, and farm
ers' daughters should only marry farm
ers; saying ye shall not be unequally
yoked, and illustrated his position by
telling the anecdote (recently publish
ed in the Chronicle) about the fellow
yoking himself and his yearling to-
yether. This was doubtless a very
illustration to the man who
had little sense enough to yoke him
self up with steer, but we could not
zee the point as he did not tell us which
the farmers son and which
The professional mans daughter. And
further, establish this as rule: that
Zach class, trade, profession or occu-
patton shall alone intermary, and ere
ong some innovating iconoclast will
begin to preach, that Methodists shall
not marry Baptists, nor Presbyterians,
Episcopalians. This.seems to us to be
lrraying class against class. He did
not assert this to be a part of the
Grange platform of principles, and it
certainly ought not to be; but perhaps
his was the speakers individual opin-
on upon such subjects, as perhaps he
could not reconcile it to his aristocratic
feelings that one of the hard handed
sons of toll should lead one of his
daughters to the hymeneal altar; or
MS son country lass, who can perform
,nly on a piano with one octave.
Again, he said man was created ex-
oressly to cultivate the soil and that it
vas part of his nature to earn his
living BY the sweat of his face. Some
low, it has always occurred to US that
n mans creation, God had a higher
lestiny in view for him than that of
making him mere drudge. We learn
ID in our catechism when a boy that
4od created man for his own glory.
Then it could not have been to make
If him a mere drudge, but then | don't
Know which is right the catechism or
Mr.. Griffith. But then the Book does
not say anything about sweat of face
Ind labor and all that sort of thing
until after the fall, when man is told
hat the earth iscursed fer his sake, and
hat it should bring forth thorns and
.histles and in the sweat of his face
ne should eat bread all the days of his
ife. So that it does not occur to US
hat this was any part of the original
plan or object Of man 5 creation. But
f men can be convinced that they
ought to sweat more in tilling the soil
han they do, it will have a wonderful
effect for good. We doubt not but
that the sweat of man and beast, prop
erly blended and rightly applied, make
The best fertilizer for all kinds of grain,
root and other crops. We will re-
mark, en- passamt, that if being a
Granger has the same reformation
offered upon all that it seemed to have
on our former political leader, what
,rea thing it would be for the nation
f Grant and bis cabinet and every
officer, federal and State, in the Union
we're Granger. We would soon get
back to the purer days of the republic,
when men thought it was as disgrace
rul to steal from the government as to
steal from individuals. We do not
mean by this to say that Mr.. Griffith
belongs to the class of politicians re-
ferred to (the dishonest ones } nay,
far from it, for he told us in his speech
hat when he conducted a political
Journal, he gave us the best paper he
could under the circumstances. but
that the trickery carried on behind
The scenes he never could do with a
good grace, but now he had found his
right place, and his whole soul was in
the work, and every lick he struck was
endorsed and approved by his con-
science.
He said there was no politics in the
Well, if there is not, it
is rather hard to see how the abuses.
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