Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-10-23
Defemsc OF the Democratac CON
vcntiOn, from Wm. y.
sykes speech at
-A WOrrger0rvu

hldNtefS ~ the eIASlnHaIlOnt or rnth(
charge, made IN the platform adOI
. ted BY the boilers meeting Il cal
4 not call it a cOnvention) that ia
} LOO members Of the demOcrati
convention were controlled bv raj
roads. This charge Is made with
out even the semblance of trutl
and il can only deceive the unwary
the ignorant and the unsuslDectinp
/ was not q. member Of that conven
ton, and took mo- part in its pro
ceedings and, consequently, cal
speak freely lknOw the men wlh
were in that convention, and the,
are far more above any imprOpe
influences and far less liable 10 b,
bought or controlled by railrOadl
than the small squad that met ii
| the senate-chamber. l can sneak
knowingly for those who represent,
ed Maury, Williamson, Giles, Law.
renee, Lincoln, and MARSHALL. 4 dr
not know the others so well, but
presume they were as good men, as
much above being controlled by
railroads, as those from the cOurI.
ties 1 have named. They were, in
the main, substantial, well-to-do,
thrifty, energetic farmers, who own
no railroad stock nor bonds of any
description, and who are land-Own-
ers, laborers and taxpayers. / can
mention from Maury county alone
Campbell Brown, N. b. Cheairs, M.
+. Cheairs, w. A. Hubbard, +. III.
Watkins, l.. r. Polk, w. ID. Bethel
opI r,n.av, ~ ofhor, rF fha .s.,,,,r 4. .t..I
who are among the best men in the
country.
The delegates from Williamson
and Giles were of the same kind,
men who have the interests of the
state and the welfare of the demo-
cratic party deeply at heart. For
such men as these who cultivate
the soil and pay the taxes, to be
charged with being controlled by
railroads Is an outrage upon the
better feelings of the whole commu-
nifty. Who were the men i'm that
meeting which made this charge?
1t was presided over by Judge j. j.
Williams, who, although paid by
the people $500 per annum TO act
as Judge, quits the bench TO make
speeches. III. G. SnOd-
grass, who has been recently II he
Is not now railroad lawyer, was
one of its leading spirits. Another
was s. II. Wilson, who introduced
Il bill to credit railroads with the
taxes they had illegally paid, and
who refused to return the dog tax
collected from the poor
man and voted to pay six per cent.
upon Brownlow, railroad,
and war interest bonds. And yet
he presumes to charge some Of the
very purest, best, and most substan-
tial men in the state with being con
trolled by railroads. To what Is
our country coming, when any por-
ion of our people will hear or heed
;uch charges ? That whole meet
ng, with but very few exceptions,
was made up of men who were of
ice-holders and ofiice-seekers. There
VAS not in ii a single mechanic, or
farmer, that know OF. III
here was one, have not been able
% learn his name. These men pre-
ume upon what they consider the
ignorance and gullibility of the peO-
Ile, when they make such charges
Is are made In their platform.
/ have not assailed the private
ecOrd of any member Of the boil
ers' convention, but / have said, as
have a right 10 say, that men who
,ay little or no taxes, have no right
o assail substantial tax-paying far
ners and land owners with cOrrup-
ion. If, as they. assert, courts be
legislatures be corrupt and
be corrupt, then what
lope is there for the country? III
his be so, then we may say that
lries will be corrupt because they
re composed of the same kind Of
len that legislatures and cOnven-
ions are. This doctrine leads to
lob law, to the reign of the pistol
nd the bowie knife. Men who
barge all others with corruption
re apt to Judge Others by them
elves. Ii we destroy confidence
etween man and man, then there
no safety for life, for liberty, or
Ir property. The reign Of the mob
ill take the place Of the reign Of
wv, and II would be better 10 live
nong wild Indians than in such O
But, thanks to God,
lch is not the condition Of Ten
esSee.
When the people of Tennessee are
lnk so low as TO believe that their
lthers for forty years issued bonds
legally, and obtained money upon
rem without objection, TO build
threads aud turnpikes, and when
YER they can believe 200 of the
lost substantial, most worthy cili-
ans In the state can be controlled
Y railroads and betray their trusts,
len indeed we can find no clover
eep."iai W g1wl.illl
"Men who are so unfortunate Rs
Ot to own property. worth more
lan a thousand dollars may lie,
nd are as good, and have as deep
! interest In the country, and are
i've to the credit and good name
the state as men who own thOus-
IDS, but men who have little or NO
xes to pay should be very slow to
large the land owners, farmers,
sd taxpayers of the country with
sing bought or controlled by rail-
ads. Private character and pri-
ate records should not be discussed
political contests, but when men
AXE grave charges, involving per-
nal reputation and affecting per-
nal character, they must expect
Ieir own characters to be ventlla-
d. | have done my duty 10 my
sighbors and friends, as we'll as to
" party and to my state, in thus
them from unjust and
charges"