Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-02-07


just to learn how men are
talking there and what they are
thinking of. The first subject we
preached there among our old |
friends was
POLITICS.
On this head we have to report
"nH." No one has a word to say in
Nashville about high tax, low tax,
State credit or Reputation. Demo
Gratis, Republicans and Independ-
ents are all occupied with one sub
ject, and if you will talk railroad
with them they will talk all day
with you; if not, you had better go
somewhere else and talk.
RAILROADS.
So we talked railroad, and this is
about the substance of what we
heard on that subject. The Nash
vile people are both depressed and
exaspereted at the loss of their power
to control the Nashville & Chatta-
nooga; depressed because they look
upon the transaction as one step and
the chief one in that chain of de-
vices by which Louisville proposes
: to appropriate to herself the profits
of the iron trade of Tennessee, with
drawing them from Nashville. This
they see that Louisville can do If
the influences of her citizens over
the Louisville & Nashville road can
induce the directory of that road so
to differentiate rates of freight as to
make it more advantageous for iron
masters to send their pig-iron to the
more distant Louisville than to the
nearer Nashville. We trust that
our friends up the river are needless
Nv depressed. 1t has not yet been
made known what the directors are
going to do in regard to freights,
and unless the local interest of Lou
isviIle property holders is more
influential with them than the gen
eraI interest of the railroad, it seems
to us that it is more their interest
to build up all the centers of COM
meree along their lines than to
break them down. At any rate,
until they know what will be done,
we cannot help questioning the pol
icy of their proclaiming irrecOncil-
able war with the road which is
their one medium of communities
ton with the commerce of the
world. No dOubt it would be better
for them to control that matter fol-
themselves, but that chance is gone,
and it would seem to be their inter
est to make the best terms they can
with the directors of the road rather
than to provoke their hostility by
fruitless recriminatiOn. But Oul
friends are exasperated as well as
depressed; they are angry with
their own citizens for having sold
out their shares so as to put it in
the power of strangers to control
the road. This feeling, however
has yielded in some degree to q
more thoughtful appreciation of the
facts, especially since the letter Of
Mr.. G.. NJ. Fogg, published in the
American, demonstrated that the
control of the road had hOpelessly
passed from the hands of Tennessee
ans before Mr.. Stevenson sold out,
and that by retaining his stock he
would have been personally ruined
without averting the catastrophe
now so much deplOred. The whole
transaction illustrates the fact that
neither cities, counties nor States
can hope in the present day to ex-
ercise permanent control over lines
of railroad in furtherance of local
interests.
JOE JEFFERSON.
After seeing numerous imitators
in this character, we had the OppOr-
tunity on Friday, the 3Oth, of seeing
this distinguished actor In his ia
vOrite role Of Rip Van Wrinkle.
We have recognized praiseworthy
efforts in this part by more than
one actor playing here, but we are
compelled to pronounce Mr.. Jeffer-
sons performance as superior to
theirs as the sun Is superior to the
satellite who shines by light reflect
ed from his rays.
Mr.. J. was originally known as a
pure comedian, but his rendition OF
Washington Irving's immortal
Dutchman evinces far higher quail
ties than those of the low comedian.
The man who could play the scene
in which Rip is recognized by his
daughter could play Lear or Othello
if his studies had been directed TO
that department of his profession.
Other men in this part are cOnsci-
entiOus, painstaking actors, he is IA
great artist; they give careful
studies Of the character, Jefferson is
the character, losing his identity to
assume that of the authors creation.
THE CHURCHES.
Judging by the large attendance
upon the churches in Nashville, the
inference Is that IL is religious city.
Our first visit was to the Church of
the Advent, of which the Rev. Mr..
Shoup Is the minister. We had
heard some talk of this church as
being tinctured with ritualism, etc.
We saw nothing to justify the
charge; the only point in which it
differs from other Episcopal
Churches Is that the choir consists
of boys trained to the service under
the direction of the minister. If
this is ritualisn, then we are a Ri
tualist, for we are satisfied that it is
the only method by which the Minis
lister is so far able TO control the
music as to keep it subseFyient to
and i'm harmony with the rest of the
service. Where the choir consists
of accomplished young ladies and
gentlemen, they determine for