Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-12-16

A passage in the Presidents mes
sage looks, at first sight, like rather
small thing to put there, but in our
opinion it means more than meets the
eye-the Radical party does not get up
outrages without a practical object in
view.
Here is the passage:
A few postmasters in the Southern
States have-expressed great apprehen-
shiOus of their personal safety on ae-
count of their connection with the
postal service, and have specially re-
quested that their reports of appre-
hended danger should not be made
public, lest it should result in the loss
of their lives. But no positive testi-
mOny Of interference has been submit
ted, except in the case of a mail mes
senger at Spartanburg. in South Caro-
lima, who reported that he had been
violently driven away while in charge,
on account of his political affiliations.
An Assistant Superintendent of the
railway mail service Investigated this
case and reported that the messenger
has disappeared from his post, leaving
his work to be performed by a substi-
tute. The Postmaster General thinks
this case is sufficiently suggestive to
Justify him in recommending that a
mere severe punishment should be
provided for the offense of assaulting
any person in charge of the mails, or
of retarding or otherwise obstructing
them by threats of personal injury"
1t will be seen that this is in the reg
ular form; outrages are spoken of but
the truth or them cannot be investi-
gated because the men reporting them
are afraid of their lives in case it
should be known that they complained.
Now we refuse to believe in a simple
outrage where name and place is not
given the Radical party is too we'll
pleased with a substantial Southern
outrage we'll authenticated to let it go
in that way. If it could all be proved
they would take care that the minutest
fact should be put on record, and as for
the bulldozed postmaster, if he were
really in fear for his life he could east
ly be transferred to another point.
The facts not being given, we have
no doubt of the falsehood of the allie
CATION; but now for what purpose?
What is to be gained by this new class
of lies?
To,us it is very plain. When the ad-
ministration was making its arrange
ments for the military intimidation of
the Southern States through the agency |
of United States marshals with an
Unlimited number of deputy marshals
to help them, who might be organized |
militia OF even United States troops, |
everything seemed quite easy and !
practicable so far as large cities was
concerned; but in cities or towns of
less than 10000 population the thing
could not work so easily; for the law
only allowed of the appointment of
deputy marshals in towns above that !
population. But now suppose the out
rage mill to be put in full operation
manufacturing outrageous persecution
of postmasters; suppose Congress |
thoroughly agitated on the subject to .
go into the work of protecting post.
masters, suppose them to give unlimit-
edpower ofappointing deputy marshals
in every village where there is post
Office; or say suppose a eorporal's
guard of federal troops to be posted
there Then the problem is solved,
the iron grasp which has already been
laid upon our Southern cities would
close upon every village in the South,
and every District convention, every /
county meeting of magistrates, every !
town corporation, every county court |
would perform its functions under the
permission and subject to the interior
ence of United States officers support
ed by the United States army; in other /
words the military despotism which
has already established its grasp on
State legislatures would extend to the
minutest of our municipal institutions,
and the ramifcations of military inter-
vention would be complete.
This is what outrages on postmasters
are wanted for, and, wherever they are
wanted, they are certain to be forth |
coming.
Indeed the outrage-mill is already
at work on this business-the case is
rather a weak one but for a first at
tempt it will do.
The case is Matched by the Chicago
Inter-ocean. 1t holds out that the
postmistress at Grenada Mississippi |
has been subjected for some time to
gross insults, that the Post Office
was burned doFn. and the postmistress
was ordered to leave the toFn few days
afterwards; all this is represented as
having taken place little before and
after the election, and, on an eT Parte
statement of these allegations without