Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-11-23
An APPEAL TO INDEPENDENT
DEMOCRATS.

OF us results Win
view TO future political action. The
present, we say, is the favorable
and the only favorable time for this
for If it be deferred later
the facts will have faded from our
and the excitement of
new election will he exerting its
disturbing influence. The class of
our friends whose attention we de-
sire is that which has so far formed /
the strength Of the Independent |
party, which has for some time APP !
pealed for support under the various
titles of the Low Tax, Greenback, |
National, Labor, Independent party;
and we would, if possible, induce
them TO consider what puTpOseth they
expect 10 carry out by a continuance
of their organization, and whether
that purpose is likely to be attained
by it, or, finally, whether some
other result not contemplated by
them may not ensue from their eff
forts. We are not addressing the
leaders of this party, those who run
the machine; we well know that on
them argument would be wasted.
The State debt, the national curren-
cy-these are not the real purposes
they are aiming at. Their real aim
is simply 10 break up the Demo
cratic party in this county, and the
political measures they advocate
are only used as a means to this end.
If both thesequestiOns were disposed
of il would have no tendency to
reconcile them to the Democratic
party, and it was quite against our
judgment that efforts were made
last summer TO do so. The destruc-
ton of the Democratic party in
Tennessee is not with them a means
to an end; it is the end that they
are aiming at. To such men we do
not address argument but defiance;
we bid them do their worst, know
ing well that, hidden or unbidden,
they will do ii. For private reasons
of their own, for a failure Of the
party to recognize their distin-
gdished merits, they have vowed
vengeance against it and nothing
will satisfy them but its destruction.
With them, therefore, it is war.
We ask no terms and we offer none.
We address the followers OF these
men; we ask the attention of those
who have no personal spites to carry
out, who are not either unappreci-
ated Office-seekers or disguised Rad
icals, and we put our questions to
them one by one.
First, then, what purpose are you
aiming at? Is it a more lavish issue
ofpaper money than you are likely
10 get from the Democratic party ?
That is the avowed purpose of your
organization, and there may be
some among you with whom that is
really the object pursued, who think
that that result is to be attained by
yeur efforts. We cannot argue the
question here, and it would be a
matter of interminable discussion il
we were to undertake it. FOrtu-
nately it is not necessary for our
present purpose that we should. II
you will consider the results of the
recent elections you will see that
even the modified opposition to re-
sumption and the contraction occa-
stoned by it which was offered by
the regular Democratic party has sc
alarmed business men all over the
country that it has lost thousands oil
votes to the party; and nowhere
has this been so strikingly mani
tested Is in Ohio, the nursery and
headquarters of initiation. And yet
this policy IS denounced by YOU
Greenbackers as insufficient-sO in,
sufficient that you can't vote for the
party, but must form an Organiz;t
ton to enforce much more extreme
measures. Now use your common
sense. If the Democratic party
barely escaped defeat OH the mode
rate measures which you despise
what would have been its position
if it had gone to your extremes
The election of five more Republic
cans and five less Democrats would
have placed the Republican party
in control of the House of Repre-
sentatives, and ten times five would
have been easily elected on thai
supposition. How much nearer
would you have then been to the
realization of your initiation doc
trineS" 1t would have given the
Republican party the complete con
troll of the financial policy of the
nation and hard money would have
been the order of the day, as in &
great measure It will be even as the
matter stands.
But don't think that the hard
money policy would be the only
result of sue. 4 change in the bal.
ance Of parties. 1t was on the hard
money cry that the Republicans
have recovered so much ground and
hope to recover more in 1880; but,
though they are winning on that
cry, it is not mainly for that pur'
pose that they desire Il return It
power. No, the real object they
are aiming at is the restitution Of
their dictatorial power in the South
1t is a pity that Republican papers
are not more read i'm this country
than they are. If they were gen.
orally seen here it would do more t.
consolidate the Democratic party
shan all that the Democratic pres
can effect. Before the October cleo
lions the bloody shirt was the favor.
ite topic of Radical orators and edi-
Tors. Not only was hard money not
talked of i'm their speeches and editO'
rials, but the Republicans claimed
credit Us the original imitation
lists. Blaine himSelfcoquetted play
fully with the greenback, of which
lac claimed that the Radical party