Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-09-15
THE WEST TENNESSEE WING.

In welcoming this new paper to
our exchange list we feel called upon
to go a little outside of the ordinary
rut of prfunctory compliment Gus
tomarywith special recognition.
The editor, Mr.. w. w. Gates, has |
been recognized for many years as
doing honor to the press of Tennes-
see by the ability and strict integri
ty with which he has fulfilled his
editorial responsibilities, and now
stands before the public as the
senior editor of Tessesssee- first in
years and second to none in merit.
We the more regret that in his in
augural address he assumes a posi-
ton which cannot but issue in fail
ure. He announces that he expects
to affiliate neither with the Repub-
Iican nor the Democratic party, but
to pursue the line of policy known
as the old Wing principles. Not
long ago we went over the list of
old issues which defined the contrO-
versies between Wing and Demo-
crat in former days, and pointed out
that there was not one of them which
could come up at this time in such
practical form as to bring the old
parties to a contest on their old bat
tie grounds, so that our cOntempO-
rary will not even have that essen
tial condition of political cOntro-
versy-an antagonist to keep him
going. AvOwing ourselves, as we
do not shrink from doing, as an old
Democrat, we here declare that
there is not the ghost of contrO-
versy to be got up on those old is
sues between ourselves and our re-
spected contemporary. He may get
up his fight, but he will have
it all to himself.
ST rixa est ubi tn pugnas, ego vapulo tan
tum.
His mistake is in supposing that
what is now called the Democratic
party is in any sense what was
known as the DemOratic party of
date-6elLua times the issues are
different, the men are different,
and their positions are different, and
we always considered it unfortunate
that the old name was retained we
preferred that of Conservative. But
one can't go to war with a name;
your artillery can't touch it and
it can't fire back. Let us, then,
contemplate facts and not names
and we ask while looking steadily
III these facts, does any one think
it yet safe for a Southern man
to sWerve from compact line
of opposition to the Republican par
ty? Let us grant that Mr.. Hayes
in his withdrawing Federal inter
ence from the politics of Louisiana
and Florida has done well let US
hope that he really intends what he
says about Civil Service reform.
But Mr.. Hayes is not the Republi-
can party, and it is becoming more
and more evident every day that he
cannot control that party on the
contrary he shows more decided
symptoms every day of surrender
ing at discretion to the most Rad
icaI section of it-witneSs his hand
ing over the Custom House at New
Orleans to the basest of the knaveS
who have controlled that State to its
ruin for years; witness his sudden
hesitancy in carrying out his own
rules of Civil Service in the case Of
Mr.. Cornell in New York witness
his underhand violations of his own
rule in secretly intriguing for and
against candidates in Ohio.
But our contemporary protests
that it is not his intention to aid
either the Republican or the Demo-
cratic party. With much Difference
we maintain that if he touches any
of the issues before the people, he
cannot avoid helping Oneand hinder
ing the other. He can, it is true,
abstain from modern issues and
write about those which are buried |
and forgotten, but political paper
can never be long kept up on that |
line; we have said already that such |
line of policy renders future fail
ure a certainty. We say more, and |
we say it with regret, it has already |
issued in failure. The same editor
has attempted such paper twice |
since the War-at Jackson, immedi- |
ately after the war, and at Hender-
son, more recently, and neither pa
pers are now in existence. We |
mention these things with no incli- |
nation to bring up painful reminis-
cences, but with sorrow that talents |
and influence such as our cOntem- |
pOrary undeniably possesses should |
be wasted in futile efforts alta scheme |
which contains within it the seeds |
of inevitable failure; we would see |
him buckling on his armOr for con-
tests in which prizes can be won, and
not fitting with lance in rest against |
wind-mills which may hurt but cam
not be hurt themselves. Is there no |
hope that so able an editor may re-
consider his ground and fight good
fight for practical objects and pur-
poses, turning aside from visionary
phant0ms that are neither trust
worthy as allies nor worth a strug
gle as antagonists?
OUR STATE DEBT.
a New Proposition.