Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-10-09

display the details ofthe great financial
problem we have to solve:
National Debt.-.........--. 81, 200. .OOO. .OOl
State - ..--.............-.-... 49,, 200. .0Ol
City 81 ...-...--........-.-.....-. 500. .O00, ,O0t
county ..........--.,.. ........-....-. lW ,UUO,OOt
individual .....--.--......--...-.. ,5O0, 0,UN
Railroad 1900 00G, ,00(
Grand Total. 50 6S 900 OOt
MEANS OF PAYMENT.
Total gold and silver In the sruf ..tt
country I66OO0 OOO
Annual specie productiofi.--. 360OOOdO
Total production of farms, or
chard and forest.... 800 600 600
Total number of farms, 100000.
Average size of farms in acres. l53.
Total number employed in agriculture,
6,0O0 900.
| deem it necessary as a preliminary
step to the discussion of this question
to remind you of some elementary
principles of government, which seem
to have been considered obsolete since
the year 1861. Like the buried walls
of Pompeii, the substratum upon which
rests the fabric of our government is
buried so deep that to reach it again,
we must dig down through debris of
war to its base. There are two theories
OF human right and government in the
world, and two distinct general forms
of government correspondent to these
two theories.
The one recognises all men as free
and equal by nature, the other recog-
nizes no such right, but substitutes for
it right of control inherent, inherited
or divine. atsfs' D.
These two forms of government may,
for our purposes, be designated the
Kingly and Democratic. Usually a
Kingly Government owes its origin to
the fact that, at some time in the his
tory of the people some one strong man
has gained the mastery over them, and
accomplished the overthrow of their
natural rights.
A Democratic Government usually
exists as such by reason of the fact that
the people have kept their natural
rights, and have united under system
of laws by themselves, devised for the
protection of each inSixiduaps, rights,
the maintenance of indftidual equal
ity, and the protection of the general
prosperity and happiness. Such a
Government is ours-Republican in
form, it is purely Democratic in prin-
ciple.
Widely as they differ in details, the
main essential difference is that the
Kingly Government is the Kings,
while the Democratic Government is
the peoples. The peril of Kingly
Government lies in the intelligence of
its subjects; the peril of a Democratic
lies in the ignorance of its people, and
the lust of power and wealth of those
to whom they intrust its administra-
ton.
Now, coming to practical issues, we
deny consistently with our origin, our
history, our Constitution, that the
Government under which we live can
enact or execute with any legitimate
sanctions laws which, in their natural
operation, defeat individual rights, in
dividual equality, or the general pros
perity. A very fair and rational test
Of the cOnstitutionality of any law is its
natural and legitimate working. Ii it
defeats individual equality if it exalts
one class and degrades another; if it
impoverishes the people and magnifes,
enriches and augments the power and
prestige of the Government, then in
deed the Government has usurped
powers over its citizens they never in
tended to concede; nor have the peo-
pie conferred ON Congress, nor any
agency they have created for the ad.
ministration of the Government, the
right to enact or enforce any such
laws.
For the last thirteen years the people
have been so absorbed with war and
the consequences, that opportunities
which never occur in times of peace,
have been offered the lustful and ra-
pacious of plundering the people, and
enriching and aggrandizing themselves,
now when war has ceased, and peace
spreads its banner over all the land,
we find that there has grown up. as il
by magic, neg element of power In
the laud, that dictates laws, controls
commerce and works the toiling mil
lions like slaves to hard task masters,
in forest, field aud forge, crushing out
soul, body and spiritin desperate bond
age to debt, immense, without an ex
ample in the civilized world. The
Nations creditors are that power.
They are the law makers, they are the
task masters; the debtors are the toll
ing millions, bankrupt and enslaved
The Grange movement in the United
States originated in a widespread con.
victiOn of rapidly declining prosperity
among farmers; and its object was the
restoration and promotion of the gen.
eral prosperity. Now, while we, as
an organized fraternity may do much
toward the accomplishment of thi:
bene6cent end, through the education.
al, social and benevolent workings o.
our order, We cannot ignore the fact
that all we may do in these terrible
paths, will avail us nothing, if by the
operation of laws under which we live
our tolls, our hard earnings, our lands
are all made tributary to other end.
than those for which we are banded
together as fraternity.
The general decline of prosperity
under the operation of causes remote
mysterious and generally incompre
hensible, comes up with compulsor,
demand upon us TO inquire What's th'
matter?
L propose to answer this question, al
with the lights before me | may b'
able to do so. And, now at the out
start, I assert that our present prostrat,
condition is not due to a demoralizeC
system of labor, for we never had
better; nor to meaeer product of th'
soil, for crops have been abundant; no
to extravaganza and idleness of ou
people, for never did a people excel tn
farming population of the Unite,
States in persistent industry and ardu
ous tolls nor to local taxation, 70
this, when oppressive, is seldom paid
but mainly to laws enacted BY the Con
gress of the United States touehin
finance, which have placed upon tn