Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-08-07

nents of repudiation in the demo
cratic party, ii is a notorious fac
4 that all the elements hostile to thl
constitutional discharge of our ma
/ tiOnal obligations have also gath
cred under the same banner. Nearly
all, If not all, the states that have
repudiated or speak of repudiatine
their own debts are democratic
states, with heavy democratic ma
jorities, furnishing democratic cleo
tOral votes and congressman. Who
will tell me that it is certain they
will be more conscientious with re.
gard to the national debt than they
showed themselves with regard tC
their own.v
Again Mr.. Schurz comes back
with another appeal and says:
"Now, can anybody foretell what
will happen in these respects in case
of a democratic victory? In fact,
we do not know whether the advo-
Gates of the public faith or the repu-
diationists, whether the hard money
men or the infiati0nists, are the
strongest element in the democratic
party-throughout the country, and
which of those elements will control
its policy. / appeal to you, BUSH
ness men, am l going too far in say
ing that all is dark, and that in
voting the democratic ticket you
viii take a gambling chance, and
that chance being rather against
you? Are you prepared, Taxpayers
of the country, to take that gamb-.
chance under such circumstances ?"
And, again, he makes this appeal:
"And now l appeal to the con-
servative citizens of the republic, to
you who desire the public faith sa-
credly maintained, where will you
go? Can you, in view of present
circumstances, cOnscientiously go to
the democratic party? You will.
indeed, find not a few men who
think as you do, but with them you
will find closely allied in party i'm
terest all those elements to whom
our national obligations are the
football of momentary advantage.
You will find on that side every
state that has repudiated or speaks
of repudiating its public debt; you
will find there all those who decried
the public creditor as the public en-
envy, and whom no loyal tradition
and impulse attaches to the national
honor. You will find there a party
inside which the public faith has
still to fight a battle with its enc
mics, without any certainty of its
issue. Is that your place? Or will
you go to the republican side, where
the loyal maintenance of our public
principle, universally adhered to
with unswerving fidelity, in spite |
Of the gusts of adverse public senti-
ment in former days"
In conclusion, he says:
"The democracy mayin the course |
Of time gain the confidence of the |
people, but that should be only |
when the repudiationists and the |
advocates of unsound money have |
ceased to be in its ranks so powerful |
md influential an element as seri--
)usly to threaten the great ecOnom-
cal interests of the country"
These extracts show cOnclusively |
where and on what ground the |
light is to be made. Let the democ- /
'acy of Tennessee see to it that we |
ion't aid Mr.. Schurz in carrying
New York.
The state convention, when 1t |
meets, cannot afford to do less than /
recognize the debt, subject to a judi I
.ial investigation, and elimination |
If any part if it is found to be illegal, |
ind this should be done at once.
The Cincinnati platform should be
adopted as a pledge of good faith..
Much of the bad feeling and wide |
Inference on this question comes
rom misapprehension. Many peo- |
Die are made to believe we do not
1--WE the debt, men who would scorn |
% evade if we do owe il. Men 90 /
)ver the country and say the rail-
'oads owe the debt, not the state,
md the people are confused. Who |
If you have had this plain PROPOSE
ion put to you, or when 1t is put
will doubt it: Take three of your
Mr.. MeGiIlwants to build
turnpike, but has not the money.
Jacobs puts his note on the market
or McGill and takes a mortgage ON
he turnpike. The amounti is $1,000.
Jacobs gets alarmed and sells the
urnpike. Martin Hancock buys it
It 81, 500 and Jacobs gives him u
Iced. Now, when the holder of 1
Jacobs note comes for the other
2, 500, who owes it? Shall Jacobs
ay, / will not settle it, and will not
Day even half or a third, but /
will wait and see If the holder of
ny notecan'treach Hancock's road,
which / sold him.
We can settle this debt at q low
Igure and we can't stand this un-
nding agitation. Shall we for all
ime keep watch ON the legisla-
ure, as if they were aset of thieves,
o keep them from putting us in for
he whole debt by making the cou-
IONS receivable for takes? And if
ur legislature can't be trusted at
Ii, as some politicians say, not even
o make a settlement, if they are
ontrolled by the lobby and by
when and where is the dam
ef going to cease? We can't get
lear of the debt, It will stick to US,
nd is there 10 be no end to this
citation? With % or 80 republi-
ans in the legislature, whose
vowed doctrine is that we must
ay whatever the bondholders ask,
1hat may we expect? If the bond
oIders were inclined to use money
throw away some to get the bal |
not the whole character
f this contest be changed and the
ontest in all legislatures be whether
he coupons shall be receivable for
axes?
Tennessee is entitled to a better
ate than this continued strife. Bad
lood on high and low tax. Who
for high taxes? The republicans
yant to pay whatever may be de-
we not saying word until
he demand is made. But who
mong the democracy now de-
hands anything more than a settle
lent upon the basis Of our ability? / ,
We ought to pay whatever we are
BILE to pay. Our lOsses--the loss Of
ur slaves, shrinkage in values, war
fact that our condition
as been totally changed since we
1ade the debt, are all subjects to be I
And still, il. the bond
older demands more than we are
BILE to pay, negotiations will cease.
Iut for our own sake let us not put
he case to him, denying that we
we anything, even the amount we
ctually received-because we cheat
ach other in putting out notes, on y
heir face, made payable to bearer.
We have this question to meet /
and, like men, we had
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