Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-11-19

broken out at some former time-it
doubtless did untold mischief. We
are not sure whether this much-to-
be>deprecated possession of Gen.
Garfield is some ferocious wild
beast that he keeps chained up ready
to be let loose upon the south and the
| democratic party, or whether it
may be something cutaneeus and
catching, Ike smallpox for instance,
which sometimes "breaks out !" and
ravages whole districts. But the
editor is doubtful "whether if it
does SO break out he will have the
courage to act upon it, This ex-
preston confirms us in our first idea
that Gen. Garfeld's "regard,"
which is liable at any moment to
break out is some ferocious beast
kept in reserve for the democratic
party. IF it should "break out it
is doubtful whether the general
would have the courage to "act
upon it," Prompt action upon it
with a big club, or possibly how~
itser, would doubtless be necessary,
and considering the doubt as to the
generals courage in such an emer-
gency, we believe on the whole
we would advise the Tribune editor
to run if that "regard" "breaks
out"
But this wild massacre of lans
guage goes on. Hear the whoop of
the scalper as he wades in with this
dizzy sentence:
ave repeat, that after defeat
party is always purged Of that useless,
not to say, numbering element, that
follows it more for patronage than.
from principle. In this very purga-
ton, and in the warnings we have had
In trying to strengthen ourselves in
fusing with the splinters and debris Of
defuIct issues, we place the strongest
hopes OF our purity and the perpetuity
Of the party"
The editor relies hopefully upon
the purgation of the party from the
"element" that ssfollows" it, and
though we had not supposed that
the elements of thing followed
it, or that a thing could be purged
of something that merely followed
it, we rejoice at our friends cheer.
fulness. But what right has he to
hurl at the community that fearful
sentence about " fusing with the
splinters and debris of defunct
issues ?" How the thunder is he
going to fuse with such infusible
articles as splinters and debris ? IF
he had said " confuse with the
splinters and debris of a wrecked
language" we might have obtained
some idea from it. We Judge,
however, that the editors attempt
to " fuse with the splinters " was
unsuccessful, and we do not wonder
at it. But what are the "splinters
and debris of detunct issues z" "De-
funct" means "dead. Do issues,
when they die have splinters
and debris? When this editor dies
will there be splinters and debris
lying around, and will they "fuse"
in the heat to which they may pos
sibly be subjected, or will they
burn? All these connundrums it is
much easier to ask than to answer.
In all this fierce "rassle" of gil
gantic intellect with tremendous
ideas-this conflict of the Titan
with the gods-our sympathies have
been with the Titan; and if he
could not be said to have come out
the victor, we Were glad at any rate
to see him again and again come up
smiling for another round. But,
alas! our plueky giant gets '.grog-
gy" and "goes to grass in the last
round. Three or four mighty ideas
come at him at once, and with arms
swinging wildly, here is the way he
goes in:
"This airy independent of ten days
| growth will for a few months dance
upon the wire of some intangible sOph-
istry of the tariff, or the commercial
conservation Of the best form of gov
eminent, and a general scepticism of
the integrity of any party"
There is a wild whirl of tropes
and metaphors before our Titan's
eyes, a momentary "dance upon the
wire of some intangible sophistry, T"
a sudden collapse of Commercial
conservation" and with "claret