Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-09-27
soy CHERN REPUTATION IN
NORTHERN POLITICS.

soy rHEIRN REPUTATION IN |
NORTHERN POLITICS. !
We we'll knew that our financial
delinquencies would be made ample
use of by our enemies in the coming
elections. So tempting a theme for ;
denunciation of Confederate Briga-
diers could hardly fail to be greedily
taken up by those whose stock in
trade is abuse of the South. We
are not surprised therefore at find
ing three columns of the New York
Tribune occupied with history of
the debt question in this State.
Where the truth will answer their
purpose, these Radical sheets will
tell it, and unhappily we have
furnished them with abundant ma
terial during the last eight years so
that the author Of the article in
question finds it quite sufficient for
his purpose to state facts as they
really occurred, so far as he relates
the legislative action of the State.
Indeed he was under no temptation
to do otherwise, for nothing could
have suited his purpose better than
to say that, as State, we have
within the last eight years made no
effort whatever to meet the demands
of our creditors, whether just or un-
just. When, however, he under
takes to make the Democratic party ]
solely responsible for this humili-
ating record, he soon falls back upon
his beaten track of SANDER and mis-
representation. The following is
his editorial comment upon the
narrative, from which it might be
inferred that the whole Democratic |
party is Spattered and defiled with
the filth of reputation, while the
Republicans have kept their robes
as pure and spotless as the driven
snow.
THE DEBT-SHIRKING PARTY.
The closing entries in the black lisc-and /
ii is the blacklist of black lists-of the repu- |
dating Southern States, are given herewith. |
The most persistent efforts have been made |
by the press of Tennessee to delude the |
Northern and English creditors into the be- |
lief that the State was utterly unable TO pay |
its debts This unwarrantable assumption |
is brushed aside in the accompanying arti- |
Gle, and the rank dishonesty of the COnfed- |
crate Brigadiers who have made the policy |
of reputation their own and their partys |
in order to "get even with the North" is /
brought to light. That the fair fame Of
Virginia has been as fOully beSmirched is /
shown in the concluding article of theseries, |
wherein the so-called readjustment process |
| is fully explained. The public debt has al |
ready been scaled down tOsO low level that |
I the bOndhOlders have lost S27,277, 4O2; and |
the default in interest on SlS,0O0 600 of bonds
and deferred certificates already exceeds the |
| principal. The debt-shirlxing party is thus
shown to be master of the Situation in any
/ one of the States lately in rebellion except
/ Texas The losses sustained by the creditors
/ of these States--mainly NOrtherneTS and
/ fOreigners-already approximate S272OOO,OOO, |
exclusive of municipal obligations, which, !
/ if added, would bring the figures up to $780,
/ 100000. The Brigadiers have done this in
/ their own states. What will they not do if
| debt?
Now as far as concerns our own
readers there is no need that we
should refute this assumption that
all the ignOminy of reputation
rests on the Democratic party, and
none of it on the Republicans we
have too frequently and too recently
proved the completely of that party
/ in fixing this brand on the forehead
of the Southern Democracy to leave
any demand upon US unsatisfied as
far as they are concerned. If we
could reach the thousands in North
/ ern States who will read these i'm
] putatiOns on us and never hear
| them cOntradicted, we might tell
them of the intrigues of Radicals
with low-taX demagogues of the
solid negro vote for reputation,
\ always ready as a soft feather bed
/ for sOre-head Democrats to fall back
upon; we might tell them of the
united effort of all the recognized
| leaders of the Democratic party to
carry at least the recently proposed
compromise, and of the defeat of
that effort by the treacherOus du-
plicity of the Radicals, the selfish
cunning of lOw-tax demagogues and
the ignorant pertinacity of the ne
gro voters, always true to that
which they had been taught as the
cardinal doctrine of their political
creed, that what the white men
proposed they should oppOse-but
to what purpose? Our own people
know it already, and those who do
not know it, we cannot reach their
ears are closed to anything coming
from us.
The only thing therefore for us to
address to those whom we can
reach--to our own people, in short
is the admonition that in the
North we are judged by the action
of our Legislature alone. Whatever
that does is taken as the action of
the Tennessee Democracy, and
what it did last session, together
with the recent popular vote, is
alternating thousands of votes from
the Democratic party North, and
Wrestling from us the confidence of
our best and ableSt in the South. Is
it needful to put the question lean
we do without our Northern
friends ," And if not, then comes
the next question, very momentous
and very practical, "What shall our
next Legislature do to regain their
confidence ?' 1t is not, after all,
the highest consideration which
should actuate us, but it is a very
cOgent one.
VOLCANIC RUSSIA.
TInn fnlIn,r,irnrr from, tI,n NJ. ". -