Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-11-20
The Defeat Of aepualaslon,

. AhAAduHApulh 4linHA
One Of the things from which good
democrats oughtto draw consolation,
and which should be satisfaction
at the sane time TO good republic
cans, is the collapse Of the regiudikI
tiOn movement in the south. Thb
states affected by this heresy will not
think 50, but that the repudiatiOnists
have been put 10 rOut is OF a great
deal more consequence to Them than
the success of Garfield or the defeat
of Hancock. Al. kansas, Tennessee
and Virginia have prospered, and
will continue to prosper under repub-
lican administrations Of the general
government, but their material in
terests would have suffered almost
irretrievably If the elections of this
year had given the world reason to
| believe that they are really opposed
TO paying their honest debts. As IL
is, the Reputation party, most con-
! spicuousiy represented by Malone,
OF Virginia, and his following, has
received setback from which Ii
cannot recover. It was MahOne's
successful use cf the policy Of read
justment that caused the movements
in the same direction in Tennessee
and Arkansas. In neither OF these
states was there ever "A formidable
number of voters who were at heart
repudiationists. Bnt demagOguei
preached the doctrine Of debttcal-
ing as one likely TO be popular and
combining it with other issues were
able to organize party in which all
political vagaries were tolerated but
all subordinated to the desire TO get
into office. Here came in the only
element which made things at all
dangerous. The colOred voters hav-
ing no organization OF their own
and being unable To make any head
way without white leadership, had
no hesitation in making coalition
with the Readjusters, their reward
being the few crumbs of patronage
that might fall from the table Of the
latter in the hour of their sdccess.
1t was such a coalition that gave
Virginia and a senatOrship TO Ma
hone. 1t was such a coalition, upon
which chairman Jewell had breath
ed a blessing, that gave the repudi-
atonists hope Of carrying Tennes-
see and Arkansas. One way To
break it up was the slow process OF
enlightenfng the c0lored people, who
formed the greater bulk Of the par
ty, as to dishonesty of the part they
were made to play. Another was
to call honest republicans and hon
est Democrats alike back to their
old party standards and allow the
real repudiatiOnists to expose them
selves under their own black flag in
all their nakedness and weakness.
The latter course, though nobody's
devising, but i'm the natural DRIFT OF
a presidential canvas, has deem tCl-
lowed and with the most gratifying
result.
In Arkansas, two months ago, the
party was crushed 70
atoms under a majority Of fifty
thousand or more, and last Tuesday
there was simiiar demolition of
the party i'm Virginia. In Tennes-
see, where the issue was sQuarely
raised between the debt-payers and
iebt-scalers, the popular verdict was
Enthusiastically on the side Ofhones-
" that the debtrscalers will hardly
nave the hardihood to make anoth-
,r fight except in a covert way. In
Virginia Malone, who thought
himself invincible and dictated
erms and tickets not only TO the
people of his own state, but to the
rational committees OF D0th of the
great political parties, tlllds himself
'Outed horse, foot and dragoOns.
The republicans went their way and
he democrats went theirs, and Ma
zone straggles out OF the battle with
/ following no more respectable IN
numbers or appearance 4han Fall
taff's army, to parade lletore the
country as the party of lRtadjusters,
whose boast it was little while ago
hat they would carry Virginia by
hirty thousand and elect six Con-
-ressmen. Secure in his senator
hip, Malone will play cOnspicu-
us part in national politics, Tor
here is coming on close Congressi-
nal contest, in which his vote will
e an object of competition but to
e considered respectable or useful
y either party with which he may
0nclude an alliance he must leave
il Reputation baggage behind. He
nd every sensible man in the south
aust see that this dalliance with
ishonesty is not only wicked but
nprofitable. Arkansas, Tennessee
nd Virginia, in speaking out as p
ney have, sound the death-knell OF
spudiati0n.