Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-02-16
WHOLE NO. 1925.


sary acts of governments the fullest evidence
OF disposition, as far as may be practica-
Bile, to consult the wishes OF every part of
the community and 20 lay the foundations
lions OF the people.
He who seeks, Mr.. Speaker, to
lay those foundations otherwise than
in the affections e the people viii
find, it may be too late, that he has
built upon the sand. The manner
in which the interests and wishes
Of the large portion Of our agricult-
ural population engaged in raising
tobacco have been arbitrarily ig-
nored or contemptuously disregard
ed in framing our internal revenue
laws and in redressing the grievi-
anees growing out Of their malad-
ministratiOn can only be accounted
for by the existence of a stOlid insen-
sibility on the part of the law
making power to the popular will.
The idea of force as a panacea TO
stifie all complaints and silence all
remonstrances, the contempt for
popular feeling which has crept
like poison into the very blood Of
the body-pOlitic, has survived the
war, which gave such perniciOus
tendencies birth I; and the sooner
we renounce those heresies and re-
turn to the true republican spirit I'm
our legislation and administration
recommended by Washington, the
better II will be for the country.
The process by which unjust and
odious legislation undermines the
affection of the people for their gov
nv al nw.sI
ceptible in its operations, but II
continued for any considerable
length of time ii will produce effects
astounding to those who have shut
their eyes and stopped their ears
and refused 10 see abuses or TO hear
complaints. The people are long
suffering and, patient, conservative
and confiding, If treated with fair
ness and justice, but burdens may
accumulate until they arc too heavy
to be borne, abuses may become 80
glaring and aggressive as tO wake
the slumbering spirit of the people.
Now, have no sympathy with
the common, babbling demagOgue
who seeks on all occasions when he
wants an Office to utilize every tenn
pOrary symptom Of popular dissat-
isfactiOn for his own advancement;
who, with his nose to the ground,
follows the track of the people with
the eagerness of the hound i'm per-
suit of a hare, bowling his great
loveand friendship for them, inilam-
ing their passions, pandering tO
their prejudices, exaggerating their
grievances, and subOrdinating them
and their best interest 10 his own
little ambition. But the fancied
popular grievances which the annu-
al demagOgue peddles I'm market
overt, rs his only stock In trade,
must not be confOunded with the
deep-seated wrongs which fire the
popular heart and put the masses in
motion. When the great body Of
the people of this country are fully
aroused and i'm earnest demanding
their rights, whatsoever power
dares to stand in their way will be
ground to impalpable powder be-
meath their earthquake tread. Woe
be to the men or the political par
ties that are fOol-hardy enough 10
make one track on the forbidden
side of that dead-line which they
have been commanded not TO cross.
The people are yet Omnipotent I'm
this country, as all will find out
who abuse their patience too long or
presume too far on their acquies-
,ence in injustice and wrong.
But TO return to tho subject now
i'm hand. In deter
mining the justice Of the complaints
Of the farmers who raise tobacco,
-he fact that the burden falls only
upon those in certain select locali-
ties, must be taken into considera
lion. Tobacco is principally raised
IN the States of Kentucky, Virginia,
and Tennessee, though
quantities are are pro-
luced i'm the States OF Maryland,
North Carolina, Ohio, and Indiana.
The following table of the tobacco
.rops Of the United States since the
census Of 1910 exhibits the produc-
ion Of the Article between and in
.luding the years 1871 and 1877:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRIcuLruRE,
Washington, ID. &. January II, 1875.
SIR; In response 20 yours Of the 10th Inst, Nv
skiing the names OF States producing lenf
obacco, with quantities. produced yearly
ince 1870, / give you the records of the dl-
'ison Of statistics ON this subject, which
ave been found TO approximate the real
ucts subject 10 heavy tnNation, toward un-
eresfmntes.
Respectfully,
wM. @. LIE Duo, Com'r.
Hon. JoHN 4. HOUSE,,
U. =. House Of Representatives