Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-08-12
The Good Of the Country Lost Sight Of
bV the Republican PARTY.

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No party can be safely trusted with
the destiny of a great people which is
not controlled by sincere purpose to
administer the trust with fidelity to
the organic chart, and a strict adhe-
renee to honesty in the conduct of its
affairs. It matters not by what name
it may be called, or what professions il
may make, if found upon trial unequal
to the task, and more especially if false
TO its duty, the best interest of the
country demand the sealing of its
doom. This country belongs to the
people, not to a class-the Govern
ment belongs to them, not toa party.
The party is only the agent selected by
the people to administer their Govern
ment for them. This Is the theory
of the Government of the United
States. For the last sixteen years the
agents of the people seem to have for
gotten that they owed any duty or
responsibility to other than the party
which invested them with Office, and
the good of the country has been lost
sight of in the struggle to perpetuate
their hold on power and thus continue
to themselves the shambles and the
feshpots. With so loose a rein have
these agents managed the public inter
ests-so demonstrably true, their eff
forts to personal rather than to the |
countrys advancement, that in this |
our year of jubilee, the confession is |
wrung even from the party in power
that the country is imperilled unless
there shall be radical reformation in |
the administration of its government;
a confession which conyicts itself of /
incapacity or unwillingness to rectify
the evils which have grown under its
control SO great as no longer to be hid
den under a bushel; a confession
which demands its retirement from the
conduct of the Government and give
place to others, who have the will and
the courage and the ability, and whose
interest it will be to apply the remedy
and stop the evils which have we'll
nigh brought ruin on the country.
The opportunity is now afforded to
the people of the United States to re-
form their Government by placing it
in the hands of men whose characters
are sureties that their aim will be to
redeem its honor, advance the prosper
ity of the people, and perpetuate the
free institutions ofthe Republic; whose
past history affords ample proof of
courage and ability to cleanse
the Government of the corruptions
which have invaded all and pervade
most of its departments; and who will
be sustained by party solemnly
pledged to the work of reform. The
developments of the last year or two
the rottenness of our Gov
eminent from circumference to centre,
the Chief Magistrate, his min
listers, and running through all its ram
ifcations to the underlings who eat of
the crumbs from their masters table.
The task of cleansing this Augean
stable will be Herculean, and above
and beyond the reach of Hayes of
and Wheeler, as it would have been if
either of their competitors had been
chosen. The chief priests and rulers
of the Republican party are not worse
than their servants, nor is it to De as
sumed that they are better-and if like
master like man be true, there is no
room to believe that any good can be
effected by either or both of the gen
tlemen selected by the Cincinnati Con-
vention to bear the banner of the
party UndersRepublican
rule corruption has seized upon the
and like cancerOus sore
has fastened on its Yitals. Is it to be
expected that this party will apply the /
knife to itself and purge the Govern
ment of corruption which is its alter
ego !? Does a man take medicine while
be refuses to account himself sick ?
All the world may see death marked
in his features, and yet if he does not !
realize that he is unwell he will never
consent to the sacrifices which are
requisite to restoration to health. The ]
party, leprous with fraud {
md corruption, insists on its integrity
and purity, declares that the Govern
ment was never so honestly admins
tered as now by its selected agents
how then expect it to call for the sur
yeon, to suffer the knife? As we'll
expect the Ethiopian to change his
color, and the leopard his spots, as to +
expect reformation in the Government
lnder Republican sway. 1t is one of
the impossibilities. The remedy, to
be effective, must be applied by those 2
who realize the existence of the dis
ease, its seat, its nature, and know how /
md when and where to apply it; and 6
such may be found in Tilden and
II endricks.-RichnlOnd Wing. ;