Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-09-07
THE THREE PLATFORMS.

actions the individual has to select
that programme which upon the
whole comes nearest formulating
his own ideas of policy, knowing
that, whichever he adopts, such
programme has to depend upon the
support of many others whose opin-
ions may only in a few broad prin-
ciples coincide with his own. Con-
cessiOn, then, in details is the neces-
sary condition not only of harmOni-
Gus political action, but of any eff
cient action at all. Hence, whatever
political programme we may adopt,
whatever political organization we
may work with it, is evident that
some things must be put up with
which we would have otherwise if
we could, unless we suppose the
case, never yet realized, where all
the members of an organization are
in absolute agreement on all sub
jects. These considerations, not
very original, we acknowledge, have
been ELECTED by the fact frankly
stated in a recent issue, that the re-
cent manifestOs of the Democratic
party in this State have been such
as to occasion the serious enquiry on
our part whether we could continue
to act cordially with that party.
Much has unquestionably been done
of which we disapprOve, and we
find an impression growing among
our friends, and other parties con-
cerned, that our loyalty to the Dem
cratic party is secured by very feeble
ties. Our friends need not fear, and
those who seem to have hoped for
our adhesion to other organizations
had better relinquish those eXpecta-
tons. When the question comes up
of forming new party connections
(Which is a question that has not
occurred to us) the first enquiry a
sensible man would set himself
would be, "Where else shall / go I?
Is there any existing organization
in which there is more to approve
or less to disapprOve than the onein
which 1 now stand ?"
An answer to this question can be
now given, based upon the manifes-
tOs of three different organizations
which are now competing for sup
port before the people of Tennessee.
Looking at these manifestos in the
light of the known history of the
organizations which put them for
ward, we are quite clear that, even
were we seeking new affiliations,
neither the parties now competing
with the Democrats could for mo-
ment command our adhesion. Take
the sO-cOlled National Greenback
party, for instance; it would be
enough to state that on the question
which constitutes our difference
with the dominant section in the
Democratic party 1--WE speak of the
public debit the utterances of the
new organization are, to say the
least, no better than those of our
own party. But this is not all we
have TO consider the history of the
party before we justly interpret its
documents, and that history stamps
upon it the damning fact that it has
no real principle of action beyond
that of breaking down the existing
Democratic organization for the
purpose of succeeding to its official
emOluments. For this purpose it
has always been ready to act with
the Republican party, whose policy
is in all respects the antipOdes of
that avowed i'm the esentplatfOrm.
All, i'm fact, that is really good in it
is borrowed from the utterances of
MeSsrs. VOORHEES, and Ewing, and,
if the party were really in earnest
about desiring that policy, it would
be supporting those men and the
organization with which they act.
AS it is, the Greenback Labor party
is an obstacle to the expansive pol
icy of the Western Democracy in
two ways, first by alarming business
men throughout the country by
disclaiming all limitations proposed
by wiser men in carrying out the
expansion policy, and secondly by
weakening the Democracy through
causing divisions in its ranks. To
these considerations we might add
that the Greenback party is not a
power i'm Tennessee; outside of the
two large cities it has no following
worthy of consideration, and in
looking for party connections a man
must consider not only the opinions
of a party but its means for carrying
them out. Were we seeking a new
party, then, we see nothing in the
Greenback party to allure us to its
ranks.
But the Republican party is ut
least sound on the State debt ques-
ton, it will be said; can n State
credit man fail to prefer its utter
ance on that subject to that of the
Democratic platform of 1873? Taken
as an isolated fact we have no hest
tation in admitting our preference
for that one paragraph over the cor
paragraph of our own
platform. But what guarantee have
we for the sincerity of the Republi-
can party in making such a mani
festO when we see them the next
instant nominating for the highest
office in the State Emerson Ether
idpe. who has for five years been
doing all that man could do to dis
credit the State and set the people
AGAINST the liquidation of its bonds.
The Republican party, in fact, is
not in the field, its nominee, valuing
his own consistency more than they
have done theirs, has rejected the /
nomination, ana no /
other man has been nominated. 80 |
that even ON this question alone we
have no motive for adhesion to the