Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-07-22
REFORM REPUBLICANS.

for earnestness in the sentiments h,
expressed at the New York Confer
ence of the Reformers. Whatever hi
motives for going back on his ther
expressed sentiments he does not carry
with him the best of the German hear
and intellect.
The following is froma letter which
has appeared in the Stern des Western
from the pen of the Hon. Gustav
Koerner, formerly Governor of Iilli.
nois; we clip it from the Louisville
Courier-J ournal. It cannot fail tc
have much influence with the Germans
of Illinois:
The Hon. Gustav Koerner, ex-gov-
ernor of Illinois, publishes in Storm
des Westens, of Bellyille, a letter, OF
which the following isa translation
The moment has arrived for the
Liberia Republicans to come to de-
cision in regard to the presidential
Let us assume that they are directly
or indirectly identified with the pro-
ceedings of the so-called New York
Conference under the direction of
Carl Schurz, William Curtis, William
@. Bryant, Charles Francis Adams,
Jr., and other eminent persons. The
invitation, which was addressed to a
large number of prominent persons,
to whom independence enough was as
cribed to break asunder party bonds if
necessary, laid particular stress upon
the circumstance that rigid party spirit,
through a comparatively we'll organ
lied minority, which makes business
of politics, is like to nHllify the patri-
otic impulses of the people. To avoid
the necessity this time of making a
choice between two evils and to secure
the election of men to the highest
offices of the republic whose charac-
ters and capacities are adapted to the
crisis and who will protect the honor
of the American name, the subscribers
to the address called the invited per-
sons to a conference at New York.
About the same time Mr.. Curtis
said in the New York Republican con-
Vention: This time the man must be
the platform" and these words were
greeted with great applause, especially
ON the part OF the independent press,
for the reason that for years the 0pin-
ion prevailed that party programmes
were only intended to deceive the peo-
pie and be forgotten as soon as the
election was over.
Inthis eloquent address to the Amer
lean people return to specie payment,
the fulfllment of the national obliga-
tions, an acknowled cement Of the state
of affairs brought about by the amend
ments to the Constitution, return to
peace and unity through a policy of
Cancellation were recognized as i'm
portant considerations; but neverthe-
less were placed In the background.
The address says: "Our discussions
and struggles about other great ques
tions and principles will appear like
mockery and farce if we permit our
public concerns to drift into that ruin
Gus anarchy which corruption must
necessarily bring in its train, because
it destroys the confidence of the peo-
plein their government, the great
est calamity than can befall a republic.
1t is a simple question of life or death.
A corrupt monarchy may last by the
rule of force; a corrupt republican not
endure" After this idea is further
enlarged upon, we come across the fol-
lowing: I'VE declare the country can
not now afford to have any man elected
to the presidency whose very name is
not conclusive evidence of the most
determination of the
American people to make this pure
once more
The address shen says that nobody
is worthy of the presidency of whom
it can only be conjectured that he will
oppose corruption. After this comes the
following passage, which has already
become renowned: This is no time
for so-called availability springing
from distinction gained on fields of ac-
ton foreign to the duties of govern
ment; nor for that far more dangerous
which consists in this
that the candidate be neither so bad
as to repel good citizens, .n0r SO good
as to discourage the bad ones" These
words we're followed directly by this
prophetic language; passive virtue
In the highest place has too often been
known to permit the growth of active |
vice below. The man to be entrusted |
with the presidency this year must
have deserved not only the confidence
of honest men, but also the fear and !
hatred of the thieves. He who man
ages TO conciliate the thieves can not |
be the candidate for honest men. |
Every American citizen who has the |
future of the republic and the nation
al honor sincerely at heart should |
resolve that the country must have
president whose name is already |
of reform; whose capacity |
and courage for the work are matters
Of record rather than of promise"
Subsequently the conference pub
ished kind of confession Of faith to |
De signed by those who failed to be
present. The last paragraph of this
vas as follows:
I'VE declare, in harmony with the
conference, that no candidate should /
De nominated for the presidency whose
name is not perfect guaranty that it
s4he irrevocable determination of
,he American people to purify the
and that we support no
which does not satisfy US
hat these reforms will be secured"
This confession of faith has been
signed by the most prominent Liberal
of Illinois and undoubt-
,dly of other States; and it is in the
hands of the officers of the confer
,nce.
When this address was made public
he whole country said: ut means
Bristow or Tilden.'" In the confer
,nce itself Adams declared himself
irst in favor of Tilden, and his words
n the conference were received with
,reatapplause.
Faithful to these articles of faith.
md not accustomed to depart from
course once adopted without bitter
less toward those who have made a
different choice), we place on our
standard the name of Tilden, the
yatchword of reform, and who, as the
conference says, deserves not only the
confidence of honest men, but also the
ear and hatred of the thieves"
G. K.
Next we have the comments of Gen.
John F. Farnsworth,, of Illinois, on
Bristow and his fate. General Farms
worth has been for several years Re
publican member of Congress.
Reports came up to Washington that
Bristow must be turned out of office,
or he was raising the devil with the
party. Your Logan was