Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-10-17
HONESTY THE BEST POLICY

This is an old and true saying.
1t has held good for ages. But the
Nashville American, one of our
sblest contemporaries does not ap>
pear to so understand it. In re-
cent issue it says:
sit is easy for wiseacres now to say
the Democracy ought TO have taken
bold stand atlthe last convention, or
she one before. Evil policies creep In
slowly and they are remedied slowly.
We have the past policy of the
Democracy on that question, with the
single remark that now the State
credit Democrats are in q position
they never occupied befOre-sroussd
and knowing their own strength
where they can and must take steps to
make sound doctrine available for the
future. The Democracy has never
been In that condition before. Such
policy In the last canvass would have
Oesn premature and positively dam
aging for time. and, moreover, Ii was
impossible, because no State credit
Democrat knew the strength OF that
element"
That is, honesty in the last can
vass would not have been good
policy. "Wiseacres" may say that
the Democracy, the State credit
Democracy, ought to have
stood up boldly, like men,
and when Marks came in with
his rotten, untruthful, Jesuitical,
crafty, deceitful platform, put theil
feet upon it, but according to oul
esteemed contemporary, the time
for that had not come, and the
thing to be done was to openly ally
themselves with the worst ele'
ments Of the party of reputation
and with smiling faces attempt tt
appear what they were not. Tha
was certainly a very deep-laiC
scheme to accomplish great end
so deep laid that ordinary mortal
will never see it. After Marks ha'
pledged the whole Democratic part
Of the State to an equitable ad
justment'' of the State debt, an
when called upon to explain
what he meant by that, b
remained as dumb as a
oyster, to have spoken out bOldl
would have been damaging" an
hence good State credit Democrat
threw up their hats and shoute
''hurrah for Marks" knowing hil
to be at heart the worst sort of
repudiatiationist. This to US
strange doctrine, and we are at
loss to know by what process
reasoning such conclusion
: reached. Why it was necessarr
for honest men to daily with tt
leader Of the reputation element
order to defeat "evil policies" TIL
have slowly crept into the party
power, and why a bold, resolu
stand in favor Of this right wou
have been premature, is mol
than we can understand. Oh
contemporary doubtless understand
it. He knows how the interests
honesty and truth are best sui
served by hob-nobbing with vii
lainy and falls ehood. He know
how it is positively damaging"
the right to condemn the wron!
He knows how truth may be ''pr
mature" and how it may be some
times right to do wrong. We wi
not ask him to explain how thes
things can be, but leave him and b
conscience for it. After giving u
terance to the remarkable though
contained in the foregoing extrac
the American says further:
"Now the State credit Democrs
are confronted with the alternative
yielding horse, foot and baggage ira
10 the reputation element, or else
standing upon their own principle
No more compromise ia possible,
cause, with the courage Of men WI
think they have gained victory, Il
repudiators are determined to rule"
After this bold declaration f
the future, let US forget the blu
ders Of the past, until they are
peated.