Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-06-12
All Right II Republican, All Wrong
N Democratic.
Detroit Free Press.

"Accepting the results of the
war" it appears, means voting The
republican ticket. So, at least, says
the Detroit Post, and though It's
authority ordinarily is valueless, il
is undoubtedly entitled to speak fol
its party upon a mere matter of eX.
planning what party phrases mean
'tGen. Wickham, of Virginia." il
says, "Was a confederate and is q
republican; Gen. Chalmers, of Mis-
sissippi, was a confederate and is a
democrat" Therefore ii concludes
that Wicl1ham has accepted the re-
suits of the war in good faith, while
Chalmers has not.
This is not a new statement of the
republican position. 1t has long
been understood that the true test Ol
loyalty to the Union-frOm the re-
publican standpoint-was loyalty to
the republican party. To the south
erner who would avow the latter
the party arms and the official mus
ter-roll have been open for years.
In respect to such, the party policy
against the allowance of claims
growing out of the war has had no
force: and in their behalf republican
congresses have allowed such claims
by hundreds of millions. They have
s'accepted the results of the war"
But for those who do not vote the
republican ticket-for the men who
cannot pawn their principles for
place, who cannot forget the wrongs
inflicted upon them by the republi-
can party and its Infamous carpet
bag gOvernment-there is no OPEN
ing of arms or official muster-rOll.
If they have claims for losses the
republican policy is rigidly enforced
in relation thereto, no matter how
just the claims may be. They have
not accepted the results ofthe war" "
1t is high time this narrow, parti-
san definition of loyalty to the
Union and acceptance of the results
OF the war were abandoned. 1t is
so rank an absurdity on its face that
it is difficult to understand how
party leaders and party organs, even
of the lowest type, can seriously
utter it. 1t is not for the interests
of the country, of the south, or even
Of the republican party, that accept
ance of the results of the war should
be identified with voting the repub-
lican ticket. The votes that party
secures on such basis will be the
votes of time-servers and truckers,
not of honest, manly citizens, exer-
cising free choice. If it is not one
of the results of the war that the
people of the south are as free to
vote as the people of the north, if
they are bound in any way to waive
their freedom of choice, then there
are few other results of the war
worth accepting. The war was
waged for the perpetuatiOn of the
Union, for perpetuation Of govern
ment OF the people for the people.
1t was not waged for a government
of the southern people by the north
ern people, but for government of
the whole people by the whole peo-
pie, north and south, east and west
TO insist, as the republican party
fifteen years after the war does,
through its organs and leaders, that
its results are not accepted, unless
the people in a large section aban-
don their share of the government,
or submissively relegate it to that
party, is to insist that the war was a
failure.
If the states once in rebellion are
really in the Union-as spite of the
carpet-hag efforts to keep them out
really and truly and permanently
are-the citizens thereof have the
same right Of choice in respect to
affiliatiOn and action as the people
of any other states. If the war was
not a failure-they have more than
this. They have the same right
that citizens of a northern state have
to hold and express opinions with
respect to the government, the laws
and the administration thereof.
They have the same right to criti-
else, and even to condemn, that
northern citizens have, and if they
can only be held good citizens, who
have accepted the results of the
war; when they consent to take
their opinions from a party, the
pretense of a successful war and sue
cessful reconstruction" may as
well be abandoned.