Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-07-01
CONSERVATIVES AT THE SOUTH.

virtue, we nave seen our 1nherlI4uce
laid waste, and Wa have submitted IN
forbeafanee, If not patience.
CONSERVATISM AT THE SOUTH.
And now, If anything more was nee
essary to show the conservatism of the I
State and the last legislature, and to |
refute the ISLANDERS heaped upon us by |
the Radical speakers Of the country, |
the testimony was abundantly furnish !
ished in the nomination of Colonel /
Lamar to the United States senate, aud
the scene which oscurred during the |
delivery of his Address on the follow
ing evening. We are told that Morton
had confidently predicted that Lamar
would never be elected by this legis-
lature. He had said that men elected,
as he asserted we were, by fraud, in
timidation and Violence would select
some creature of their own, aud would
never elect a man Of such well-known
conservative views az Colonel Lamar.
His nomination. refuted this SANDER
upon this Legislature, but still greater
evidence of our conservatism was given
than this. All who heard willever
remember the magnificent address
which Colonel Lamar delivered on the
evening after his nomination, for our
hearts have scarce yet ceased to thrill
with the delight which his eloquent
Inference occasioned. And the most
interesting part of his grafton was that
which related to Charles Sumner and
the eulOgy which he pronounced upon
him. Many men in that audience had
never forgiven Colonel Lamar for pro-
nounciug that eul0gy, and when he
touched upon that subject there was
breathless silence, and he held his au-
dience spell bound with intense and
even painful interest. There was no
effort on his part at apology, as Ames
now falsely asserts, nor yet did he at
tempt to ignore the fact that he had
been censured for it, nor to set at de-
fance the opinions ofthose who differ
ed with him. He said with simplicity
and firmness: Il did it. And | did it
because l believed it was right, and
because Lbelieyed it was for your best
interests. He admitted that he knew
lt was an experiment in which he
staked the reputation of his life, but
when he compared himself to Lamar
tine, who, for the sake of France, had
touched the red flag of the Red Re-
publican commune, that like the light
ning-rod he might extract the destrne-
tive bolt from the black cloud which
threatened humiliation to his people,
with full consciousness that he might
be withered in the shock, there went
up a shout of applause from that au-
dience which told that the heart of
Mississippi was with him. We were
not astonished at this, because Mis-
sissippi might we'll forgive fault in a
gifted son who had imperiled his
brightest hopes in doubtful deed in
her defense. But we were atonished
when under the magic influence of his
elOquenee that audience cheered the
sentiments of Chas. Sumner himself.
No higher tribute could have been
paid to the eloquent orator, and no
clearer demonstration could have been
made of the conservatism of Missis-
sippi than when her chosen sons, her
assembled legislative wisdom, gave a
hearty cheer in response to Charles
Summers reply to Speaker Blaine,
which Colonel Lamar then read. And
it is worthy of note that while Missis-
sippi's favored son in the eapitolot
her State was pleading that she should
do justice to her ancient foe, that on
that self-same day, in this centennial
year. in the halls of the national con-
gress, Mr. Blaine, one of the most
conservative leaders of the Republic
eau party, was moving to strike from
the roll of amnesty the name of Mis-
sissippi's greatest son, the fallen chief
of our fallen cause. Let the world
look upon this picture, and then upon
that, and letimpartial justice saywhieh
presents the noblest spectacle of con-
servatism; let the masses of the peo-
pie, north and south, answer, whether
the unrepented rebel of Mississippi,
or the Union shrieker of Maine, is
willing to sacrifice most to restore that
brotherly love without which this
Union cannot be perpetuated, and let
eternal truth decide whether the Cav
alicr or the Puritan, the Confederate
or the Federal, possesses most of that
God-like forgiveness and that nobility
of soul which elevates man to the
skies, and makes him but little lower
than the angels Of heaven.