Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-04-21
The SaeakerShin.

We clip the following ON this sub
ject from the New York Herald. 1t
is the more impressive as coming
from an Independent journal not
identified with the Democratic
party. We hardly think there are
any among cur readers who need
its warnings, or who desire to see
Mr.. Garfield Speaker of a Demo-
cratic House, but, if there are, let
them read, mark, learn and in
wardly digest:
The extra session makes the or
ganizatiOn of the new Congress
topic of discussion and speculation
earlier than is usual. Nothing could
be more stupid than the notions put
forth by a portion of the Republican
press which is weighing the respec-
tive chances of Mr.. Garfield, Mr..
Foster and General Banks, as if
there were chances of the election of
a Republican Speaker. According
to our estimate Mr.. Garfield will
probably be nominated by the Re
publican caucus but neither he nor
any other Republican will be elect
ed. Yet it is given out in some
quarters that even President Hayes
has hopes in that direction. We
believe he is too clear-sighted to
hope anything of the sort. He may
no doubt rely ON the support of
quite a number of Democrats in his
| Southern policy. But an eXpecta-
ton that any one of the number
would vote for Garfield or any Re
publican for Speaker is prepOsterOus.
| The election of Speaker is a party
question pure and simple. There is
no justification which a Democratic
member could offer to his constitu-
ents for voting for a Republican
candidate for Speaker. There are
/ other questions on which Democrats
may support Hayes. His Southern
policy is a milder type of the Demo-
cratic policy on the same subject,
and no Democrat should hesitate to
uphold the President against his
radical aSsailantS. But to vote for
his candidate for Speaker would be
a different thing. 1t would be an
inexcusable desertion from the
Democratic ranks. 1t would stamp
and brand all the participants as
parties to a discreditable bargain.
1t would be as injurious to Mr..
Hayes as to the recreant Democrats
to have it supposed that his Southern
policy is the result of an intriguing
coalition with his political OppO-
pents. The strength and dignity of
his position lie in the idea that it
has been taken from a simple, dis
interested sense of justice. The
moment it is degraded in public
estimation into trading intrigue
for political support in the House,
all the moral elevation which has
hedged the President, as divinity is
said to hedge a king, will vanish,
and he will be regarded as a vulgar,
scheming politician.
We refuse to believe that Presi-
dent Hayes is inspiring any dicker
respecting the Speakership or that
i he is a party to any bargain for
gaining Republican Senator from
Louisiana at the price of withdraw
ing the troops from that State. If
he should act from any other motive
than a sense of right and regard for
his Constitutional obligations, he
would forfeit the confidence of the
country. The election of Speaker
is no proper business of his, and we
are persuaded that he will hold him.
self aloOf from attempts to influence
it. Mr.. Garfield will probably be
the Republican candidate; and this
mark of honor will give him pres
tige and influence as the Republican
leader in the house. All the indi-
cations point to the nomination of
Mr.. Randall by the Democratic
caucus. and nothing is more certain
than that the candidate of the
Democratic caucus will be the next
Speaker.