Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-07-28

temporary autocraey? Is the choice $
to be between this and that stand t
ing army which has already shown r
itself so ready an instrument OF t
usurpation and despotism ? If we t
thought this we should despair OF {
Republican governmentas any long
er applicable to this nation.
But happily, if we win avail our
selves Of it, we have already ON pa
per exactly the provision for such
emergencies which can be made
promptly available and, at the same
time. cannot be grasped by the Fed
eral executive as an instrument OF
Iawless dictation-the State militia.
None Of the States seem to have
kent their local troops in such con-
dition as qualified them for prompt
efficiency and, in this State, no YES
tiee of an efficient military force eX-
lists to rely upon in such emergen-
cies. The truth is that a militia
force costs money and the sacrifice
of time and trouble ON the part OF
the people, and we are unwilling 10
sacrifice either while things are
working smoothly; but the choice
is between this and national stand
ING army, and that is a choice be-
tween a republic and an empire.
Men ask angrily, Why cannot we
be as free from those outbreaks as
our fathers were? Why must we
have military organizations which
our fathers could dispense with?
The second question had better be
answered first. OlTtdtIierS dtd NOT
dispense loth Il. Fifty years ago
q there was not a State in the Union
which did not have a well organ
n lied and regularly drilled militia,
4 and though that system gradually
: grew into disuse, it was replaced by
fine volunteer system, which secured
:. at least in every large city an et1cl
n ent force for the protection of socle'
. tv in any great emergency. AS To-
the first question, our circumstance
differ from those of our fathers Ii
:. twoimportantp particulars: they pos
sessed nothing which in these day
would be called a large city, ant
n their population was almost eXclu
u sivelv agricultural. Now, in grea
!, cities there is always class VIII
VI have nothing to lose and much
- to hope for from the dissolution
i0 all those interests and institution
- which hold society together, incluo
- inc the institution of propert!
-, These are what are called i'll EuroI
- the dangerous classes, and, hoWeV'
= unwilling we may be to recognli
their existence among ourselves,
will never be safe to neglect 1t. J
Baltimore and Pittsburgh rs soon
~ If was seen that the railroad troubl
were arrayinga large body OF me
40 against property and organized 5
- ciety, these classes, though total
unconcerned in the actual questlo
at issue, arrayed themselves on L
lIS side of the insurgents, and COZ
oio menced a series of lawless Outrag
- which we believe would never ha
~ disoraced the struggle if it had be
= left in the hands of the men orr
80 nalIy concerned in it.
his But the other circumstance
70 which we differ from our fathers
ON that men are in large numbers NJ
ir+,, engaged in occupations on our II
Mt roads and il our mines which Ike
tive them together in large crowds, a
= of these crowds are rapidly assumi
AMI those characters of organization
oro discipline which enable them to
at once with the force of thOusaI
sub- and the concentrated purpose
,osa units. While these are OrganL
-ars and society at large unorganlz
,oa+ society will always be at the me
To. of any one of them; for it Is org
+ion iZatiOn and not numbers which {
that stitutes effective force, and an
gan- ganized minority will always
2irg able to dictate to an unorganl
,irty multitude though the latter be ST
ond rior i'm force to the former IN
pr in proportion of hundred to one
to no Our first alternative, then, Is
ta+as tween the organization OF soc
come and its helpless submission TO
, old first instruction which an orr
and lied majority my get up; our secC
CON if we admit the necessity OF orr
CON ization, is between local and nat
,bicb al organization, and that, werel
~ no is between the republic and the
i, or pire, between the will of the pc
liz and military despOtism.