Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-06-28
THE COMPROMISE VOTE-OR-
GANIZED.


the State as it may affect the vote
next August on the proposed COM
promise of the State debt. Editors
from all parts of the State could
hardly get together without con-
versing freely on the subject, and
there were men among them who
exercise considerable political intiu-
ence in their sections and who are
conversant with the feeling of their
people upon the subject. Two in
ferences were made by us in the
premises: that, as things stand at
present, an overwhelming vote in
favor of the compromise may be
expected throughout the State and
that nevertheless it is highly inn
portant that those who desire that
result should organize, and go to
work systematically in carrying out
their purpose. These two PROPOSE
tions at first sight seem contradic-
tory, but they become ineligible
when it is noted that the few who
are interested in defeating the COM
promise are already actively at
work, while those who are in favor
of it are doing nothing.
Perhaps these views will be best
appreciated if we look into affairs
in different localities a little in de-
tail, and first let us glance at East
Tennessee. There is no doubt that
in that division of the State both
Republicans and Democrats are by
a very large majority i'll favor of
the compromise. Still there are
men among the Republicans there
who think that a failure of the
compromise might indirectly benefit
their party by keeping up and ag-
gravatlng discord in the Democratic
ranks, and a few of these have
shown a disposition to work against
the measure. Indeed we are in
formed that a meeting was called a
week or two ago in Nashville for
the express purpose of making a
covert opposition to it, the policy
of the Republican party. 1t is true
that this effort signa1ly failed and
that the best men in the party
peremptorily refused to go into such
a scheme; but those who forwarded
it have not given itup, and, on the
other hand, though the body of the
party there will vote for the meas
ure, they hardly think it their
fight. If the malcontents are to be
systematically opposed in East
Tennessee and the compromise act
lively promoted, it will have to be
the Democrats who do the work.
In Middle Tennessee also the
compromise is favored by the great
majority of the people, but there
are some counties which had become
thoroughly demOralized by the agi-
tation of the regulators and in
which the same politicians are
working indefatigably to defeat the
compromise. OF these Rutherford
may be taken as typical specimen
In these State credit men would do
well to let the matter alone. Col.
Colyar, however, spoke in favor OF
the compromise recently at Muir
freesbOro and made some impress
sion. His main point was that,
even if this compromise should fail,
the debt is not cancelled; that the
States immunity from compulsory
payment depends upon the strictest
adhesion to State rights, and State
rights are becoming every day a
less and less reliable support to lean
on. We have taken the same posi-
ton long ago, not as an argument
to address to men who look upon
the credit of the State from a right
point of view, butas an GTglunelltltDl
al hOmiRenl for those not accessible
to higher considerations.
Turning to West Tennessee we
find things less encouraging than in
the other two divisions of the State,
The extreme western counties, Har-
deman, Upton, ETC., had fallen
entirely under the influence of eX-
treme Iow-taX leaders, and these
men see that, the debt once settled,
their occupation is gone and they
will have to subside into the ranks
of the unknown and obscure; they
are consequently moving heaven
and earth to prevent the acceptance
of the compromise now proposed,
and, so far as those counties are
concerned, they seem to have a
reasonable prospect of success. Shell
by county indeed and Memphis
itself is much sOunder than could
have been anticipated two years
ago. Memphis has drained to the
dregs the bitter cup of reputation
and knows from sad experience the
poison which turks at the bottom OF
the vessel.
Taking the State through, then,
there is no doubt of a widely spread
disposition to vote in favor of the
compromise bill. The opponents of
the measure are comparatively few,
but desperately in earnest 1--WE
mean the leaders). Politically the
defeat of the compromise is life and
death with them, for the reputation
excitement is the only thing which
has lifted them out of their native
Obscurity, and the only thing which
can prevent their falling back into it,.
The lesson we desire to impress on
our readers is that, whatever the
disparity OF numbers, those who de
sire the acceptance of the compro-
mise and the removal of the debt
question from politics cannot afford
TO be idle; they must organize and
go to work. We have seen enough
of the evils resulting from the state
Of things where conservatism is
staid and respectable and ,immova-
Hlo vt-hila the HfieaS1t-,rf-fss,g,- - -