Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-08-23

lad been slaves at the time and had
had no voice in asserting or dissent
ng, and that it would be a gross
Injustice if they should be called
lpon to pay it. Those who know
he negro race know well how such
considerations would go down with
them; they have since that time
been regulators pure and simple to
a man. The Republicans at that /
time had unlimited influence with |
the negroes and could have re-
claimed them from the influence of |
Savage if they had tried. Did they
do so? Alas, no; very much the
reverse.
When the election came on, Judge
G. G.. Smith was the State credit
candidate for the Legislature, NOM
mated by the regular convention of
the Democratic party, and Esquire
Frederick, the low tax candidate,
nominated by an irregularly called
convention calling itself independ-
ent and including all the repudia-
ting element in the county. The
day before the election a meeting
was held by this Independent Low
tax party and the Republican party,
and as the result of it the whole
Republican and low-tax force of the
county, including all the repudia-
tors, voted for Frederick against
Smith, and the combination were
beaten by the latter by small ma
iority. Now how does this tally
with the assumption that the Re
publican party constitute the mass
of the anti-repudiatiOn element in
Tennessee? Judge Smith in this
election had no support at all except
that of the regular Democratic
party, being nominated by that
party on a State credit platform !;
and yet with that support he was
able to beat the repudiating mail
contents of the Democracy and the
Republicans, including the solid
negro vote. And in one form or
another the same thing has been
done throughout the State. The
repudiating element in the Demo
cratic party, small in itself, has
always been able to make itself
formidable by an alliance with the
Radical party whenever by such a
coalition there has been a chance to
beat the regular nominee of the
Democracy.
And this is the history of the
growth of reputation in Tennessee.
1t was originally a mere excrescence
on the Democratic party, and would
have remained so but for the in
trigues of the Republican managers,
who kept themselves in the back
ground and manipulated the negro
vote so as to foment the growth of
that excrescence. This by such
[ lOHlCllldNlOu Has SAOWh AAOAA icing
a mere wart or freckle on the body
of the Democracy until it has as
sumed the dimensions and character
of malignant cancer preying on
the vitals not only of the Demo-
cratic party, but of the whole body
polite in Tennessee.
Thus much for the facts as alleged
by Judge Freeman. AS to his pro-
pOsal for an alliance of the State
credit Democrats with the Republi-
cans of Tennessee for the purpose OF
settling the State debt, we have
only this to say: that before such
an alliance could be consummated,
the Republicans would have the
difficult task before them of con-
Vincing the Democrats that they
are acting in good faith. and not
seeking a mere party advantage
under pretence of contending for the
credit of the State. The Judges
manifesto would have had more in
fiuence with us if he had Withheld
for the present his expectations OF
carrying over the Presidential vote
of Tennessee TO the Republican can
didate, in virtue of the financial
troubles of the State.