Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-12-29

spiracy to defraud the Government.
Whisky straight" has long been
looked upon as an abomination by |
every good member Of society, though |
an important lubricator of Demo
cratic politics; and "crooked whis'
ky undoubtedly seems to have trans
ferred the worm of the still to the !
bowels of the Republican party but
DR.. Grant is administering a vermi.
fuge which will no doubt put it TO its
purgation. But what effect will that
have on the repudiated coupons of
Tennessee State bonds, or purging
the corruption out of State Peniten-
tiary affairs? Will the Nashville ed.
itor and other obscurantists explain
that question? Will they please in
form us who involved our State in its
helpless muddle of debt and official
imbecility? These are affairs which
come home to the hearths and honor
of our people. 1t is doubtless very
good policy for the thief to start the
Glue and cry" and lead his followers
a wild goose chase after something
which will divert attention from his
own crime; and it is at least as old
as Hudibras, that certain persons will
" Compound for sins they feel inclined to,
By damning those they have no mind to-"
AS TO our State Penitentia-
ry, we are quite sure that most
of the fellows inside of its walls
would willingly compromise on that
basis, in which they would be follow
ing the culpable example of some
very respectable people outside of its
walls. Now we would like some of
our obscurantists, who are struggling
for a restoration Of the Bourbons
to explain the metaphysical
mystery why convicts should in some
cases have the same moral percep.
lions as persons who are not convicts?
Did the political Bourbons, who
charge all the misery the country
now suffers to Republicanism, never
hear Of Il party which went into an
election for President in 1860, and,
after it was fairly beaten at the ballot
box, refused to abide by the decision
Of the tribunal constitutionally estab-
lished, and to which it had appealed
Had that decision been favorable to
the wishes Of that party, would it
have welded the power of the Fede
raj Government for four years more
and endeavored, as it had long done
to subordinate all interests in this
country to the slave power? But
falling in its appeals to the country,
it revolted against the Constitution
and took up arms against the Union
In doing this, it staked the basis Of
its power, and slavery was wiped out
All that followed of war, blood, de
vastation, death and debt, is logically
chargeable to those who made then
: inevitable and forced them on the
Countrywide Democratic party.
|. Ifthe stern necessities of war have
compelled the nation, in order to save
its own life, to adopt the rules of wa
, -" Inter anna silent leges charge it
people of the South, on the Demo
, cratic party. That party had posses
sion of the Federal Government, anC
sold it out to slavery, like Esau solo
, his birthright for mess of pottage
Lincoln could not have appointed
: member of his Cabinet without thei
, consent. They had two.thirds o
Congress and the Supreme Cour
with them, the latter packed for year
with Democratic Judges. Yet the,
, had grown so insane with the long ez
] ercise of power that they threw tn
5 Government away, and then tried T.
D go back and break it to pieces like
: spoilt child with toy. The same Sc
d Of fellows then organized anothe
= Government and ruined that. Mex
i cans would have done better with tn
y Southern Confederacy than JEFF. Davi
] and his crew did. 1t required tn
l. genius Of destruction to overthrow til
J. organized Southern people, but JET
d Davis did it. Bourbonism ate I'll
C heart out of the Southern Confed,
d racy, 50 that nothing but the shell WI
l. left when Sherman marched to Il
g sea and Grant on Richmond.