Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-08-24
THE GUBERNATORIAL CONVEN.
TION.

The Democratic Convention whose
labors have just terminated de
mands for its transactions the seri-
Gus attention of all who are inter-
ested in the history of parties in this
State. These transactions, in fact,
the adoption of the platform given
in another column and the nominal
ton of Chancellor Marks, determine
an era in the politics of Tennessee;
they bring to a close the struggle
between the two sections of the /
Democratic party which for three
years have been known as the State
credit and the low tax section. This /
struggle, we say, is terminated in |
favor of the latter by the adoption
of low tax platform and the NOM
ination of low tax candidate for |
Governor. 1t would be futile as
we'll as disingenuous in us to dis |
pute the fact that this decision is
the act of the people; the delegates
who determined it carried out the
instructions of their constituents,
and their act is clearly the peoples
act. OF course we bow to it. The
people and they alone have the
right to settle the matter, and we
have neither the right nor the
power 10 resist their decision. We
do not retract single opinion we
have expressed we believe, as we
always have done, that the interest
of the debt ought to be regularly
provided for year by year, and, in
face of the stereotyped talk about
shrinkage in values, we believe that
the people are well able so to pro-
vide, but It has been decided differ
emily; the people of the State have
decided against US. We donOt say,
as the demagOgue says, that the
people are always right; on the
contrary we believe that they have
been deplorably misled in the pres
ent instance, but we admit that,
right or wrong, they have the power
to decide the question, and have
decided it. We are not going to
engage in a futile struggle against
the inevitable, nor to spend our
time in angry recriminatiOn or boot
less regrets. There is much to be
done yet by the Democratic party,
in which all agree, and in doing
which they can unite all the more
efficiently from the putting out of
the way the one question on which
they disagreed. If our readers ask
what is this work, we can only point
to the unfinished work of last Con-
gress-the work, that is, which was
INSTRUCTED by the dilatory tactics of
the Republican opposition in the
House and by the positive shelv-
ing of questions in the Senate.
Is there not here the map
ping of a battlefield in which every
Democrat can find a career worthy
of his bravest efforts? We have the
wasteful method of the National
Banks to contend against, by which
we pay six per cent. interest on our
currency, which in form of green
backs we might have without inter
est at all; we have to wage war
against a protective tariff which
Overwhelms our commerce and
navigation laws, which has crushed
our commercial marine we haveto
resist the return to the military rule
in the South, which the Blaines and
COnklings not Obscurely intimate
that they will restore again if they
can; we have to secure the subor-
dinatiOn of the military to the civil
power, and to effect all these things
we have to make a Democratic
House of Representatives a certainty
next March, and a Democratic Pres
ident the year afterwards. To all
these purposes the now united Dem
ocracy of Tennessee can now devote
its energies, and it would be the act
of insane folly and stubborn imbe-
cility on our part werG we to refuse
to join in so mOmentOus a struggle
because our views of State policy
have not been adopted.
As for the nominee of the conven-
ton, we entirely acquiesce in its
selection. Adopting a low tax plat
form, it would have been an incOn-
sistency to adopt any but a low tax
nominee for Governor. 1t has al
ways been our position that, policy
once adopted, the executive officer
to carry it out should be one whose
opinions are in accord with that pol
icy. To such one should the adj
ministratiOn be entrusted and such
a one ought to be held responsible
for its results. Chancellor Marks
was brave and faithful soldier of
the South in her great struggle and
has since been known as a sound
and able judiciary officer. His
opinions are not ours, but they ac-
cord with the programme now
adopted for the State, and it is he
whom we recognize as the proper
officer to carry them out in prefer
ence to one of our own way of think
ing, who, if placed in the guberna-
torial chair, would be held respOns-
ible for the results of a policy with
which his opinions did not coincide.
Our field of operation will now be
mainly the arena of national poll
ties, and our objective point, before
all others, the reelection to Congress
of our present representative, Col.
John +. House.
AUSTRIA'S ELEPHANT.