Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-06-03
THE NOVEMBER CANVASS.

Then comes the canvass for the No
vember election, 1875. The State con-
vention was held, with Morgan as
chairman. It not only failed, but pos
itively refused to indorse the national
administration. Senator Pease insist
ing on it, but before the delegation
started to Washington to ask for the
removal of several of the government
officers they called the central execu-
tive committee together and they in
dorsed your administration and added
it as section 20, and then started to the
capitol to ask the removal Of Senator
Pease, Judge Stearns and Captain
Lade, to make room for some of their
friends. | presume that the reason CT
the refusal to endorse the national ad-
ministration was this, the governor
had complained that he had been
snubbed by the administration at
Washington" The governor had COM
menced his fight on Senator Pease,
doubtless, because he thought Pease
would be in his way for the United
States senate. He and Howe fought
Colonel Wells because they thought
| Wells would be in Howe's way for re-
| election to congress, and it seems now
that he was. You will perceive that
there is some difference of opinion
among republicans here as to what is
true and genuine republicanism-the
adherents of the State administration
who have pursued a suicidal policy on
the one hand, and on the other those
of us who advocate and defend the ma
| tiOnal administration and insist upon
I I, -
mernment. AS a further evidence of
the effect produced by their course of
conduct in the recent canvass, there
was not a man in the State who would
so stultify himself as to undertake to
defend the record made by the party
in the last two years, and we are under
the disagreeable necessity of discuss
ing men instead of measures, and no
one could meet the Democrats in joint
discussion as formerly. Senator Pease,
General M'Kee, Judge Stearns and
myself made few speeches for Wells
against Howe, the friend of Ames, and
for this Offense we were called Demo-
Gratis by Howe and others. That was
a falsehood too infamous to require
contradiction. Now, | think the real
cause of our defeat is obvious. The
Democrats, at all times ready to use any
and all means, fair or foul. to succeed,
seized upon this as a favorable time,
when our record could not be defend
ed, to produce terror and to intimidate
the colored voters, which they did.
Whether there was real danger or not,
the cOlored people believed it, and
many thousands of them either re-
] IoSh I 4I
&c ticket, and hence the peaceable and
quiet election and our defeat. Another
cause, the governor, a short time be-
fore the election, commenced organic
ing the State militia. This led the col
ored people to believe that there was
danger, and that Ames was their best
friend and that he would protect them.
But few days before the election
there came among us a strange man, l
think they called him Governor Chase
q never met him) who took charge of
the peace department, as it was called,
and made a compromise with the De-
mocracy, and Governor Ames disband-
ed his militia, and now his record hav-
ing driven almost every white man from
the party, the colored men had no
moral support, and they despaired of
success, and the party was an easy prey
TO the political enemy. But while they
thought they had protection they had
nominated in some of the colored
counties tickets that would disgrace
Mexico or st. Domingo, and this, too,
served to exasperate the Democracy;
and thus 1t is seen that our defeat was
caused by the, Democrats taking ad-
vantage of the shameful imbec,lity
and base corruption of our State adj
ministration and few adherents. As
to the complaints against Senator
Pease, the head and front of his of.
Tending is his bold and fearless man