Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-09-16
FROM ASHLAND CITY.


EDITORS CHRONICLE: By your per- /
mission will pay our respects to
communication in your last issue over
the signature of T. A. Turner and
fourteen others.
In the first place we will say that
several of the gentlemen whose names
appear to the article were not in Ash
land City on the day of the so-called
POW wow" and, of course, do not
speak from the record as to how things
were done on that day, and five of
them were appointed on the commit
tee to report the name of a suitable
person to be nominated by the Con-
vention, and at least one of the gentle
men let himself off in a short speech,
opposing any action looking to the
nomination of a candidate, and during
the delivery was Justify cheered by at
least dozen who were of the same
way of thinking. But it did no good.
The people, fresh from their fields,
with the smell of toll upon their gar
ments, and not the Ashland ring, de-
handed that candidate be nominal
ted, and as well might one attempt to
dam up mountain torrent with the
hand as for the corporals guard who
entertained different views, attempt
to thwart their purpose.
There were only two men who live
in Ashland City who took part in the
Convention, and they must have been
heavy team to have out-voted and
out-witted the fifteen astute gentle
men whose names are appended to the
article in question. The writer of this
had about as much to do with the
Convention as any one else after it was
got up, being elected chairman. And
from his standpoint will address him
self to some of the errors into which
the gentlemen have fallen.
In the first place the Executive
Committee ordered primary election
at the time of the county election, but
not as the gentlemen suppose, to find
out the choice of the people for Rep
resentative, but to ascertain the wish
of the Democratic party. This order
was made by board of six, three
voting for and two voting against, the
chairman not voting, but being OPP
posed thereto. The ground of oppo-
sition being that in public election
Republicans as we'll as Democrats
would vote, and Of course Republicans
would vote for the man least accepti-
BILE to the Democracy-hence the op-
position.
Second-"The election was not held
in accordance with instructions from
said committee" as stated by the gen.
tlemen, for the simple reason that the
committee gave no instructions as to
how the election should be held or
who was to hold it, or to whom returns
should be made; but simply passed a
resolution that primary election
should be held on the day stated, and
never made any publication in any
way of said resolution.
Moody, or some one else, finding out
the defect in the order, took it upon
himself to go to every district in the
county and request some friend to hold
the election. There were l 1872 votes
cast in our county election, and of this
number R. III. Moody received, as
have been informed, 460. So far as
the Executive Committee is concerned,
no knowledge has ever been brought
to that that primary election was
held at all, or who was voted for, and
how many votes any one got in the
election. I am we'll assured of one
thing, that ur-fifthssf tieRepubli-
can voters in the first district white
and colored) voted in the election, and
for Mr.. Moody, for there were only
three scattering votes and l know the
men who gave them. IF this is the
way to choose a Democratic candidate
| want none of it in mine. The gen.
tlemen say R. II. Moody, having re-
ceived large majority of the votes
polled, was consequently the choice of
the people. This is not the legitimate
conclusion by any means, for there
was no opposing candidate, and |
should think that nothing less than
majority of the votes polled at the
county election (supposing the primary
to have been all right would consti-
tute him the choice of the people.
There was no opposing candidate,
and it occurs to me that it required a
pretty strong nerve in any aspirant to
have submitted his claims to an cleo
ton manipulated and managed by his
opponent; more especially when he
considered what anxiety Mr.. r. II.
Moody has manifested for Legislative
honors. He has been an inhabitant
of this county some three or four
years, and in that time has twice been
a self-constituted candidate for the
Legislature. Mr.. Moody may be
Cheatham county man." but he will
never reflect credit upon her citizens
after the election as their Representa-
tive, for the simple reason that more
than Waterloo defeat awaits him at
the ides of November.
Once more as to the ring" that
word ring is great e-goat when