The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-09-19
For the Citizen.
COL. cARREL1'S LETTER.
The Greed Of the Democratic Party
The Financial Question and
the State Debt.
For the Citizen.

Principles, and not men," has
always been one of the leading arti-
cles of the political faith of the
} democratic party, and among those
: principles may be enumerated equal
and eract justice to all men, ezclusiUe
privileges to none" opposition to all
monopolies, rings, cliques and class
/; legislation; and the advocacy of
such measures as are believed to be
most likely to result in the greatest
good to the greatest number. Such
measures and principles have al
ways commended themselves to a
: very large class of the liberal mind
ed and intelligent voters of the coun
. try, especially among the laboring
and producing classes, and have
influential portion of the people.
And the great popularity of these
principles and measures has caused
: a great many tricksters, wire work
ers, demagogues and Office seekers
to join the party, many of whom are
ready to forsake it and join any
other party as they think they see
chance to get an office by so doing,
proving that they care but little
about principle. any further than
their own individual interest is
concerned. Such men 90 with the
party from the same motives which
influence camp followers to follow
an army, and would, Esau like,
barter away the best interest
Of the country and most sacred
rights of the people for one mess of
pottage. Democracy is government
by the people, for the people, and
no true democrat ever did favor
class Legislation, or such legislation
as would build up the interest of
few at the expense of the great
body of the people. 1t may be that
the party has occasionally been sold
by a few treacherous men claiming
to be democrats, but never by man
who was truly democrat in princi-
pie and an honest man. 1t has al |
ways been a matter of surprise to
me how anv man, who cares any
thing at al! about principle, could |
tell who he was in favor of for any |
political office, without first know
ing something about that mans po-
litical views; for a party without
principles is not worthy of the name
OF party in political sense; and
man who has no certain and well |
defined political views upon the
great and leading political questions
of the day, is unfit to represent any |
free and intelligent people. If we
are for any particular measure or
measures, and desire their success, |
we ought to act like rational men |
and to pursue that course which we !
| believe to be best calculated TO ac-
complish the object we have in view.
We can not give all of our friends a
big fat office, or keep every man in
office during life, who may be for
tunate enough to be once elected to |
office. The main question with the
Democratic fathers, so far as men
were concerned, was, "Is he capa-
BILE, is he honest?" That is, is he |
thoroughly acquainted with our
condition in life, does he fully un-
derstand our wants, does he care
| for our necessities, has he sufficient
intelligence and a sufficient ac-
quaintance with the affairs Of the
government to make us an efficient
preventative, and will he be true
to his trust? If he does not pos
sess all these qualifications, / care
not how great a clamor may be
raised in his favor, he is not quail
fed to be the representative of
| free and intelligent constituency
And 1 here predict that if the dem
ocratlc party shall fail to succeed in
governing the county, it will be
more on account of electing men to
office whose political sentiments are
not in harmonyGgith the party, and
who have been forced upon the
country by the clamor of rings,
tricksters and politicians than from
any other cause. But the hardness
of the times is causing many men
to think who have not heretofore
! been much in the habit of thinking
on political questions. And they |
are now beginning to see and feel |
| the necessity for something to be |
done, and they demand that some
thing shall be done, and no party |
will much longer receive the sup |
port of large majority of the peo-
people unless they are satisfied that
such party is faithfully trying To |
advance what they believe to be the
best interests of the country. They |
are unwilling any longer TO have !
everything they possess sacrificed |
! for the benefit of the bankers, bond |
holders and Office holders. They are
unable to see low the great body of |
the people or the government has |
been benefited by the contraction |
Of the currency, the decentralization
of silver, by converting a non-inter-
est bearing debt into an interest
bearing debt, or by converting a |
! debt payable in lawful money into a |
debt payable in gold, or by exempt |
ing the bond holders from paying |
taxes on their bonds or capitol when |
every other class of persons is re
quired TO pay taxes, and they are
not willing to have any man or party /
to represent them who tavors any
such policy. They know that the
United States is great country,
possessed of unbounded resources,
and they cannot see why United
States treasury notes, or greenbacks
as they are called, based as they are
on the property OF al the people o.
the United States, should not be a
full legal tender for the payment Of
all debts, both public and private,
or why the government or people
of the United States should be
made to pay tribute TO the bond
holders, when the bonded deDt is
perpetuated by the government sole
ly for the benefit of bondholders
and bankers, who contribute moth
ing to the support of the govern
ment in the way Of taxation; aud
they therefore demand change in
the financial policy OF the govern
ment And If those entrusted with
the control over their interest fsiI
TO try to secure the change, they |